German shepherd rain jacket and coat sizes

The German shepherd is the breed where this site's chart runs out. A female in the 50 to 60 lb range fits the big jacket sizes comfortably; a 90 lb male in winter coat is past the last row, and the long, sloping back of the breed is longer than any coat we make. If that is your dog, this page will save you an order. If it is the smaller end of the breed, it will give you the size.

Numbers

AKC standard: 22 to 26 in at the shoulder, 50 to 90 lb (females 50 to 70, males 65 to 90); longer than tall, by design. Breed charts: chest 28 to 32 in (DogChart), 30 in (Doggie Style Store), 95 to 105 cm, 37 to 41 in (TARIGS, which reads high); neck 18 to 24 in (Doggie Style Store), 50 to 70 cm (TARIGS); back 22 to 24 in (DogChart), 65 to 75 cm, 26 to 30 in (TARIGS). Coat makers' charts of measured dogs, far apart on this breed; a plush-coated show male and a lean working female share a name and little else. The tape, over the coat, is the only number that counts.

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 33 to 34: jacket 3XL (34.3), vest XL. At 36: jacket 4XL (38.2 in, 22.8 in neck), vest XL at its 37 in limit. The neck column matters: a shepherd neck of 22 to 24 in under the ruff is at or past the 4XL's 22.8, and a size whose neck does not close will not zip at the top. Beyond 38 in around, which many males are, there is no size, and the breed is on our hub's list of dogs we fit only in part.

The back

A shepherd's back is 23 to 28 in; the jacket's 4XL back is 20.9 in and the vest's XL is 23. Both are cut to free the hind legs, and on this breed the hem sits well ahead of the tail. What stays dry is the chest, shoulders and the front of the back. The croup and the tail, which on a shepherd carry the heaviest coat, come home wet. Owners who want full-length cover for a long-backed dog need a coat built for that, and we would rather point you there than sell you ours for the wrong job.

Warmth

A shepherd's double coat is built for German winters; a healthy adult needs no help with cold. The All-Weather Jacket is lined, which on this breed makes it a sleet-and-freezing-rain coat only; for everything else wet, the Quilted Vest L or XL keeps the back dry without the lining, and its belly strap takes up the difference between a blown coat in June and a full one in January. Both go on without anything passing the head, which a shepherd that dislikes handling will notice.

The leash

The jacket's harness is built in and sits on the chest. A trained shepherd walking at heel is the dog it was designed for. A 90 lb shepherd that pulls is a strong puller by any measure, and the product page is explicit: regular harness under the jacket, leash on that.

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 more likely than usual (Shipping & Returns). Measure the chest over the coat at its deepest, just behind the front legs, and the neck under the ruff where a collar sits: how to measure your dog for a coat.

Questions

80 lb male shepherd: does anything fit?

Measure the chest. Under 38.2 in with a neck under 22.8, the 4XL jacket; under 37 in, the XL vest. Over either, no, and we say so.

Working line or show line?

Working-line shepherds are leaner and usually a size smaller around; show lines carry more coat and more chest. The tape, not the line.

Will the shell cover the hips?

No. The hem sits mid-back on this breed. It keeps the front and the back's front half dry.