Doberman coat and jacket sizes

Dobermans are cold dogs. The coat is short, smooth and single, the body is lean, and the breed was built for pace rather than weather. Owners in northern states learn this the first November: the dog shivers, tucks its tail, and stands at the door. A coat for a Doberman is not an affectation; the only question is which of ours fits a dog that is long in the body and at the top of the chart.

Numbers

AKC standard: 24 to 28 in at the shoulder, 60 to 100 lb (females 60 to 90, males 75 to 100). Breed charts: chest 28 in (Doggie Style Store), 85 to 95 cm, 33 to 37 in (TARIGS); neck 18 to 24 in (Doggie Style Store), 45 to 55 cm, 18 to 22 in (TARIGS); back 60 to 70 cm, 24 to 28 in (TARIGS). Coat makers' charts of measured dogs; between them most Dobermans tape 28 to 35 in at the deepest point of the chest. There is no coat to pad the number, so the tape is clean.

Our sizes

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.

A female at 28 to 30 in: jacket 2XL (30.7), vest L. A male at 32 to 34: jacket 3XL (34.3), vest XL. A big male at 35: jacket 4XL (38.2 in, 22.8 in neck), vest XL at its 37 in limit. The neck is slender for the chest on this breed (17 to 22 in against jacket openings of 19.5 to 22.8), so the collar closes with room, and the chest decides. Beyond 38 in around, which a very large male can be, there is no size. The knits end at 24.4 in and are not Doberman sizes.

The shape, and the hem

Deep chest, tucked waist, long back. Sized to the chest, a shell stands away from the belly; the Quilted Vest's wide belly strap pulls it in, which on this shape is the main reason to own the vest. The All-Weather Jacket is cut short at the back to free the hind legs: the 3XL is 19.5 in long and the 4XL 20.9, against a Doberman's 24 to 28, so the hem sits well ahead of the tail. The chest, shoulders and the front of the back stay dry and warm; the loin does not. For full-length cover on a long dog, a coat built for that is the honest answer, and we would rather say so.

Why the lining is right

The jacket is a rain-shedding shell over a warm lining. On a double-coated breed that is too much; on a Doberman it is the point. Cold rain, sleet and the winter walk: the jacket. Cool drizzle: the vest, which has no lining. A mild day: nothing, because a Doberman warms up fast once it is moving.

The leash

The jacket's harness is built in and the leash clips at the chest. A trained Doberman walking at heel is the dog it suits. A 90 lb Doberman that lunges is a strong puller by any standard, and the product page says it: regular harness under the jacket, leash on that. The jacket is a coat.

Shipping and returns

Free US shipping; ships in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrives 4 to 9 business days after that; 60 days to return a size, which at the top of the chart is worth knowing (Shipping & Returns). Measure the chest at its deepest, just behind the front legs: how to measure your dog for a coat. On a Doberman the deepest point is further back than the eye suggests.

Questions

85 lb male: 3XL or 4XL?

Chest. Under 34.3 in, 3XL; under 38.2, 4XL. Most 85 lb males are 3XL; a deep-chested one is not.

Will the vest keep a Doberman warm?

It keeps the rain and wind off; it has no lining. Below freezing the breed wants the jacket.

Does anything cover the hindquarters?

No. Both pieces stop ahead of the tail. A Doberman's loin is bare and cold, and a full-length coat from a maker who builds them is the right thing for deep winter.