Havanese and Coton de Tulear coat and sweater sizes

Owners of these two breeds tend to buy a size too small. The dogs look like 8 lb fluff and weigh 10 to 15; under the coat is a compact, slightly long body with a fair chest on it. The surprise measurement is the chest: 16 or 17 in on a dog that looks like it should be 13.

What the standards and charts say

Havanese: 8.5 to 11.5 in at the shoulder, 7 to 13 lb (AKC standard). Coton de Tulear: 9 to 11 in, 8 to 15 lb (AKC standard).
Chest: TARIGS lists the Havanese at 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in); The Foggy Dog puts Havanese in its 12 to 17 in harness size. Over a full coat most adults tape 15 to 18.
Neck: 20 to 25 cm on TARIGS (8 to 10 in), 8 to 11 in on The Foggy Dog's collar list. Neither breed has a thick neck; the coat makes it look so.
Back: TARIGS says 20 to 25 cm, which is short; both breeds are a little longer than tall, and 10 to 13 in is what owners usually find.

The Coton is not on most charts; its build is the Havanese's with an inch more everywhere, so read the top of each range.

Our sizes for the range

Piece	Fits	Size for a 14 to 18 in chest	Notes
All-Weather Jacket	Yes	S to M	Size by chest; between sizes go up. Back length is short for the chest on purpose.
Heritage Turtleneck	Yes	S to L	It pulls on over the head: read the neck column too, and go up if the neck is close.
Fireside Cable-Knit	Some	L to XL, up to a 16.5 in chest	Only the smaller dogs of the breed: the XL stops at 16.5 in around the chest.
Quilted Vest	Some	S	The S starts at a 16 in chest; below that the belly strap cannot pull tight.
Trench Coat	Some	S and up	Only the smaller dogs: it is cut for up to 16 lb with a neck to 11.4 in.

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.

Why the body is bigger than it looks

Both breeds were bred as companions for a warm island (Cuba, Madagascar) and carry a single coat with no undercoat: long, soft and surprisingly light. It lifts off the body and reads as bulk; it insulates far less than it looks. So the chest under it is larger than the fluff suggests, and the dog under it is colder than the fluff suggests. Both point the same way: measure over the coat, and dress for cold.

Pullovers on a long soft coat

The Fireside Cable-Knit is the easier of the two knits to put on this coat, because it has no sleeves: collar over the head, front legs through the armholes, smooth down. Size it by the over-the-coat chest; most Havanese are an L (15 in) or XL (16.5 in), and a bigger Coton is past it. The Heritage Turtleneck in M covers the upper half of both breeds and stretches; it has cuffed sleeves, which on a long coat means a leg to thread and a cuff to brush out after.

Take knits off indoors. Soft single coats mat behind the elbows under anything worn all day.

Rain

A soaked Havanese is a sad, heavy, slow-drying thing. The All-Weather Jacket in S (15 in chest) or M (18.9 in) keeps the back and sides dry; it closes with a zip up the chest so nothing goes over the head, and the built-in harness clips the leash at the chest. It is lined, so on a mild wet day it is more coat than the dog needs. For drizzle, a Coton or big Havanese at a 16 in chest or more can wear the Quilted Vest S; smaller dogs are under the strap's range.

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 send back the wrong size (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide shows the three measurements; over the coat, as it lies.

Questions

My Havanese is 11 lb. Fireside L or XL?

Measure the chest over the coat. 15 in is the L exactly, and "exactly" means XL. Under 15, L.

Do they need a coat at all?

In cold rain and real winter, yes; a single coat with no undercoat is more hair than warmth. On a cool dry day, a healthy adult is fine without.

The trench on a Coton?

Up to 16 lb and an 11.4 in neck, so a small or mid-sized Coton fits the L or XL; the largest males are past it. Washed cotton, drapes over the coat, no brushing out.