English bulldog coat and jacket sizes

An English bulldog is the only dog on this site whose neck is nearly as big as its chest. Everything about fitting one follows from that: the size is decided by the neck, the collar must never be snug, and nothing goes over the head. Get those three right and the rest is easy, because the back is so short that even our short-backed jacket covers it to the tail.

Numbers

AKC standard: 14 to 15 in at the shoulder, 40 to 50 lb. Breed charts: chest 26 to 30 in (DogChart), 20 in (Doggie Style Store, which is not a bulldog's chest), 74 cm, 29 in (Knitting Utopia); neck 18 to 24 in (Doggie Style Store); back 12 to 14 in (DogChart). Coat makers' charts of measured dogs that disagree more than usual on this breed; owners mostly find 26 to 31 in around the chest, 18 to 23 at the neck, 12 to 15 along the back.

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.

By chest a bulldog is a jacket XL (26.8 in) or 2XL (30.7). By neck it is a 2XL (19.5 in opening) or 3XL (21.1) or 4XL (22.8), and the neck decides. A typical bulldog at 28 in chest and 20 in neck is a 3XL; the chest will have room, which the chest zip takes up, and the collar will close without touching the throat, which is the one thing that matters. The vest L (24 to 31 in chest, 20 to 22 in neck) fits most of the breed at the neck; a 23 in neck is an XL. The knits stop at a 24.4 in chest and are not for this breed.

The airway

Bulldogs breathe through the narrowest airway in the dog world and overheat faster than any other breed. For clothing that means:

• Nothing tight at the neck. Size by the neck column with room, not by the chest. A collar that is merely snug on a bulldog is a problem.
• The leash never on the throat. The All-Weather Jacket has the harness built in and the leash clips at the chest. For a bulldog that leans into the leash, the product page's advice: regular harness under the jacket.
• Off at the first sign of panting. A bulldog in a lined jacket on a mild day is a dog in trouble; the Quilted Vest, with no lining, is the piece for anything but cold rain. Many owners will find the vest is the only piece the dog ever needs.

The short back

A bulldog's back is 12 to 15 in; the jacket's 3XL is 19.5 in long. Our jackets are cut short to free the hind legs, and on every other breed that leaves the rear uncovered. On a bulldog it does not: the hem reaches the tail, and if anything the jacket is long, so check that the hem clears the hind legs when the dog sits. The vest L is 19 in down the back and the same applies.

The wrinkles

A wet bulldog's face folds need drying after every walk whatever the dog wore; the coat does not help with that, and a damp fold is where the breed's skin trouble starts. What the shell does is keep the back, sides and the top of the chest dry, which is the part that otherwise soaks the sofa.

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 the neck vetoed (Shipping & Returns). Measure the neck first, where a collar sits, with two fingers of room, then the chest at its deepest: how to measure your dog for a coat.

Questions

45 lb bulldog: which jacket?

Neck, then chest. A 20 in neck is a 3XL; a 22 in neck a 4XL. The chest will be inside either.

Does the bulldog need the lining?

In cold rain, yes; the coat is short and single. The rest of the year, the vest.

Will the jacket be too long?

On a bulldog it reaches the tail. Make sure it clears the hind legs when the dog sits; if not, go down a size if the neck allows, which it rarely does, or choose the vest.