Italian greyhound, whippet and greyhound coat sizes

A sighthound is the one shape every dog coat is wrong for. The chest is deep, so the girth behind the front legs is large for the weight; the waist is tucked up, so a coat sized to the chest flaps around the belly; the neck is long and narrow, so a collar sized to the chest slides over the head; and there is a thin single coat over almost no body fat, so the dog is genuinely cold. The three breeds here are the same animal at 10 lb, 30 lb and 65 lb.

Three sets of numbers

The TARIGS chart is a coat maker's list of measured dogs and reads long on the greyhound back; retired racers mostly tape 24 to 28 in. The Italian greyhound is missing from the published charts, so its row is what owners report, and the tape matters even more than usual.

Italian greyhound

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.

The IG is the sighthound that most needs clothes and is hardest to fit. Chest 14 to 17 in puts it in a jacket S or M and a Heritage Turtleneck S or M; the Fireside fits the smaller half (XL ends at 16.5 in). The trench, sized by neck and weight, fits most of the breed. What no chart shows is the waist: an IG with a 16 in chest can have a 10 in waist, so anything sized to the chest hangs loose at the hem. Knits with ribbed hems (the Fireside, the Heritage) sit better than a shell. A neck of 8 to 11 in on a 16 in chest means the collar of a chest-sized pullover is roomy; harmless on a sweater, but it is why an IG should never walk on a collar, and why the jacket's built-in harness, which pulls on the chest, is the right leash point for the breed.

Whippet

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 whippet is a jacket L (22.8 in chest) at the small end and XL (26.8 in) at the top, with a neck of 12 to 15 in against the L's 15.4 and the XL's 17.5: loose at the neck, which is the sighthound way, and fine on a jacket that zips. The vest M covers 20 to 27 in with a belly strap that pulls the loose hem in at the waist, and the strap is the best thing about it on this shape. The Heritage Turtleneck L (20.9) or XL (24.4) stretches onto the deep chest and the ribbed hem stays put. The Fireside and the trench are for smaller dogs.

Greyhound

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 greyhound is a jacket 2XL (30.7 in chest) or 3XL (34.3), a vest L or XL. The jacket's neck opening on those sizes is 19.5 and 21.1 in, and a greyhound neck is 14 to 18: the collar will stand away from the neck. It zips, it keeps the back and sides dry, the harness takes the leash at the chest. The knits stop at 24.4 in and are not an option. The honest gap: nothing we make covers a greyhound's long back to the tail or wraps the tucked waist; the jacket does the chest, shoulders and upper back. Retired racers in a cold climate usually end up with a purpose-made sighthound coat for the worst weather and something like ours for the rest.

Cold, and why it is not fuss

A sighthound at rest has little fat and a short single coat, and the big greyhounds in particular are known for shivering at temperatures most dogs find comfortable. Vets and adoption groups routinely recommend a coat below about 45°F for these breeds. A knit for the cold dry days, the jacket over it for cold rain, and a shorter walk when it is both.

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 that flaps or pinches (Shipping & Returns). Measure the chest at the deepest point behind the front legs, not at the waist: how to measure your dog for a coat.

Questions

The jacket neck is loose on my whippet. Wrong size?

No. The neck is sized for a normal dog's proportions and a sighthound's neck is narrower than its chest predicts. It zips and stays put; a tighter neck would mean a chest that does not close.

Can an Italian greyhound wear the trench?

Up to 16 lb with a neck to 11.4 in, so yes for most. It drapes rather than wraps, which suits a dog that hates being squeezed.

Does a greyhound need a sweater indoors?

In a cold house, many do; adoption groups say so routinely. Ours stop at a 24.4 in chest, so it would have to come from a sighthound specialist.