Golden retriever rain jacket and coat sizes

Two things to say before any size. A golden retriever is at the top of our range: the 4XL jacket is 38.2 in around the chest and the XL vest ends at 37, and a big male golden in full winter coat is right there. And a golden does not need to be kept warm. The dense water-repellent double coat was bred for Scottish lochs in November. What it is bad at is drying, and what the dog is bad at is staying out of the water, and that is the entire case for a rain shell.

Numbers

AKC standard: 21.5 to 24 in at the shoulder, 55 to 75 lb (females 55 to 65, males 65 to 75). Breed charts: chest 32 to 36 in (DogChart), 30 in (Doggie Style Store), 85 to 95 cm, 33 to 37 in (TARIGS); neck 16 to 24 in (Doggie Style Store), 45 to 53 cm, 18 to 21 in (TARIGS); back 20 to 22 in (DogChart), 55 to 65 cm, 22 to 26 in (TARIGS). Coat makers' charts of measured dogs, with the usual spread and the coat in every number. Measure over the coat as it lies, in the season the shell will be worn.

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 30 in: jacket 2XL (30.7), vest L or XL. A male at 34: jacket 3XL (34.3), vest XL. A big male at 37 in winter coat: jacket 4XL (38.2 in, with a 22.8 in neck), vest XL at its limit. Past 38 in around, we have nothing, and some males are. The knits stop at a 24.4 in chest and are not goldens' sizes at all.

What the jacket covers on a golden

The All-Weather Jacket keeps the back, sides and chest dry under a rain-shedding shell; the back length on a 3XL is 19.5 in, on a 4XL 20.9, against a golden's 21 to 25, so the hem sits ahead of the tail and the feathering on the rear and legs will still come home wet. It is lined, which on this breed makes it a cold-rain and sleet coat; on a mild wet day a golden in a lined jacket is too warm, and the Quilted Vest L or XL, without the lining and with a belly strap that takes up the seasonal coat change, is the piece for most of the year. Both open without anything going over the head.

The harness built into the jacket clips the leash at the chest. A golden that walks nicely is fine on it; a 70 lb golden that lunges at another dog is a strong puller by any definition, and the product page says it plainly: regular harness under the jacket for those.

Drying

The shell halves the towelling, not all of it. A golden that has been in water is wet to the skin on the legs, belly and tail regardless; the jacket keeps the back and sides dry, which is the part that otherwise soaks the car seat and takes the afternoon. Towel against the lie of the coat first, then with it.

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, and on a breed at the top of the chart it is worth ordering the one the tape says rather than the one that seems safe (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide is short; on a golden, measure over the coat at the widest point of the ribcage, which on a deep-chested retriever is further back than people expect.

Questions

My male golden is 38 in. Anything?

The 4XL jacket at 38.2 in is the last row. Over that, no; we would rather say so than sell you one that does not zip.

Vest or jacket for a golden?

Vest for nine months of the year; jacket for cold rain and sleet. The coat supplies the warmth.

Will the jacket's collar fit over the ruff?

The 3XL's neck is 21.1 in and the 4XL's 22.8. A golden neck is 17 to 22 over the ruff; size by chest and the collar closes with room on most.