Dachshund raincoat and sweater fit

A dachshund is the shape most dog coats were not drawn for: a deep chest on a long body with very little leg. Pick a coat by back length and it will not close around the chest. Pick it by chest and it may stop halfway down the back. Here is how each of our pieces behaves on that shape, with the numbers.

Measure first, then read this

Two numbers decide everything: the chest girth behind the front legs and the back length from the collar to the base of the tail. As a rough guide, a miniature often measures around 12 to 16 inches at the chest and a standard 17 to 22, with back lengths from about 13 to 18 inches, which is long for those chests. Your dog is the only one who counts, so measure them; it takes two minutes with a soft tape. The measuring guide shows where the tape goes.

The best fit: Heritage Turtleneck

The Heritage Turtleneck is the piece with the most back length for its chest, and it stretches, so it follows a long body instead of fighting it.

For a mini, M is the usual answer; for a standard, L or XL. Choose by chest, and when the back length in the row is shorter than your dog, go up a size: the knit will be a little roomy at the chest and cover more of the back, which on a dachshund is the right trade.

Rain: the All-Weather Jacket covers the front half

The All-Weather Jacket has the harness built in, and a harness jacket is cut short so the hind legs are free. On a long dog that means it ends well before the tail. It keeps the chest, shoulders and the front of the back dry and warm, and the leash clips to the jacket. It is not a full-length rain cover, and we would rather say so here than after it arrives.

Size it by chest alone. A standard with a 20 in chest wears L. The zip runs up the chest, so there is no pulling anything over the head, which many dachshunds appreciate.

Minis: the Fireside Cable-Knit

The Fireside Cable-Knit is cut for small dogs and tops out at a 16.5 in chest with a 15.7 in back (XL). That makes it a miniature-dachshund sweater, not a standard one. A mini with a 14 in chest is between M (13.4 in) and L (15.0 in); take the L, and the back length (13.8 in) comes with it. It is sleeveless, so there are no armholes to wrestle short legs through.

Cold and wet: the Quilted Vest

The Quilted Vest fastens with a wide belly strap, and each size covers a range of chests, which suits a deep chest. S fits a 16 to 21 in chest with an 11 in back; M fits 20 to 27 in with a 15 in back. For a standard, M gives the longer back. For a mini under 16 in of chest, the strap will not pull tight enough; choose a knit instead.

What to skip

The Trench Coat is sized by neck and weight for toy breeds, with an XL back length of 13 in at up to 16 lb. A mini at the small end can wear it; a standard dachshund cannot.

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. Orders ship in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrive 4 to 9 business days after that, and you have 60 days to return anything that does not suit the shape. See Shipping & Returns.

Questions

My dachshund is 11 lb with a 15 in chest. Which turtleneck size?

M by weight, S by chest at a stretch, and we would send the M. The chest number is the one that has to work, and 15 in is past the S.

Will the jacket cover my dog's back?

Not all of it. A size L is 13.6 in long, so on most standards it stops a few inches short of the tail. The chest, shoulders and the top of the back stay dry; the rear of the back does not. If a full-length cover is the goal, this is the wrong jacket, and we would rather you knew.

Do the knits ride up on a long dog?

A size that is right at the chest and short in the back will creep forward a little as the dog walks. Going up a size, so the back length matches, usually fixes it.