Chihuahua sweater, trench coat and raincoat fit

Our XS rows exist for dogs this size. The breed standard tops out at 6 lb, plenty of pet Chihuahuas are 7 to 10 lb, and either way they are small enough that an inch on the tape is a whole size. So: a soft tape, the chest at its widest point behind the front legs, the neck where a collar sits, and the back from the collar to the base of the tail. Typical adults tape roughly 10 to 15 in around the chest, 8 to 11 in at the neck and 8 to 11 in along the back, but a 4 lb and a 9 lb Chihuahua are different animals, so measure.

A Chihuahua also genuinely needs the clothes. A short single coat, very little body fat and a lot of surface area for the size mean they shiver at temperatures other dogs ignore. This is the one breed where a sweater is less an outfit than a blanket with sleeves.

The Fireside Cable-Knit: made for this size

The Fireside Cable-Knit is cut for small breeds and the chart starts where a Chihuahua starts. It is sleeveless, so the front legs go through two openings rather than down two sleeves, which is quicker on a wriggly dog. Eight colours, a folded ribbed collar, hand wash cold.

A 4 lb Chihuahua with an 11 in chest is an S; an 8 lb one with a 13.5 in chest is between M and L, and the L is right. The knit gives, but the collar is a fold, so a size that is snug at the neck will be annoying at the neck. Up, not down.

The Heritage Turtleneck: XS and S

The Heritage Turtleneck has sleeves at the front (ribbed cuffs), a fold-down neck and a stretchy knit. Its two smallest sizes:

• XS: 11.8 in chest, 9.4 in neck, 9.1 in back, for 2 to 6 lb.
• S: 14.6 in chest, 11.0 in neck, 11.0 in back, for 6 to 10 lb.

The weights on this chart happen to match the breed nicely, which is rare. Still read the chest: a stocky 6 lb dog with a 13 in chest is an S.

The Trench Coat: the Chihuahua's own coat

The Trench Coat is the only coat we make that is sized purely for toy breeds, in washed cotton with a wide storm collar. It is sized by neck and weight, not chest, because it drapes rather than wraps.

Pick the weight row, then check the neck number against your dog's with two fingers of room. It is a spring and autumn coat, lightweight cotton, not a rain layer and not a winter one. For a cold snap, the knit goes under it.

Rain: the All-Weather Jacket in XS or S

For wet weather the All-Weather Jacket starts at XS (13.4 in chest, 10.4 in neck, 10 in back) and S (15 in chest, 11.4 in neck, 10.8 in back). Below a 12 in chest, even the XS is roomy; the chest zip lets you close it and the warm lining does the rest, but a tiny dog may be better in two knits than in a loose shell. From 12 in up, XS fits and the built-in harness means the leash clips to the jacket, with no collar pressure on a very small neck.

Every piece at a glance

Worked out from the size charts on the product pages for the measurement range above. Your dog's own tape measurement is what decides it.

Shipping and returns

Free US shipping on every order, big or small. Orders ship in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrive 4 to 9 business days after that. 60 days to send back anything that is the wrong size, as set out on Shipping & Returns. If the tape is new to you, how to measure your dog for a coat is a two-minute read.

Questions

My Chihuahua is 3 lb. Is anything small enough?

The Fireside XS (10.2 in chest), the Heritage Turtleneck XS (11.8 in, 2 to 6 lb) and the Trench XS (up to 3 lb, 8.3 in neck). Measure the chest; under 10 in, the Fireside XS will still be loose, and a knit that is loose is warmer than none.

Long-haired or short-haired, same size?

Measure over the coat as it lies. A long coat adds half an inch or so to the chest on a dog this small, which can be a size.

Can they wear the sweater all day indoors?

If the house is cold and the dog is calm, a knit indoors is fine, but check under it now and then and take it off at night.