Pomeranian sweater and coat sizes

The tape measure lies on a Pomeranian, or rather it tells the truth about the coat and nothing about the dog. Under the ruff is a 3 to 7 lb animal with a short back and a chest of maybe 11 or 12 in. Over the ruff the same dog tapes 15, 16, 17. Both numbers are real, and which one you size to depends on what the garment is for.

The published numbers

• AKC standard: 6 to 7 in at the shoulder, 3 to 7 lb.
• Chest on the breed charts: 12 to 14 in (DogChart), 14 in (Doggie Style Store), 40 to 45 cm, so 16 to 18 in (TARIGS). The spread is the coat: the low figures are close to the body, the high ones over a full ruff.
• Neck: 10 to 14 in (Doggie Style Store), 25 to 35 cm (TARIGS). Again the ruff, which sits exactly where a collar does.
• Back: 8 to 10 in (DogChart). TARIGS says 32 to 38 cm, which is a coat-length figure; a Pom is nearly square and short.

Charts of measured dogs, not a standard, and on this breed more scattered than on any other. Measure your own with the tape resting on the coat, not pressed through it, and write down both if you can.

Sizes from our charts

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.

Size to the ruff for pullovers, to the body for the jacket

A knit goes over the head and down the body; the ruff has to pass through the collar and then sit inside the garment, compressed. Size pullovers to the over-the-coat measurement and go up again if the collar number is close: a Pom with a 14 in chest over the coat and an 11 in neck is a Fireside L, not an M, because the M's collar would have to clear a 13 in ruff. The Fireside is sleeveless, which is a mercy on a dog with feathered legs.

The jacket wraps and zips, and the chest panel closes with the coat under it; size it to the lower, closer-to-the-body number plus an inch. A Pom's 12 to 13 in body chest is an XS jacket (13.4 in), and the ruff folds down inside the collar. At the bigger end of the breed, S.

Does a Pomeranian need a coat?

Mostly no. The double coat is thick enough that a healthy adult Pom in a sweater on a 45°F day is overdressed. The exceptions are real, though:

• A Pom in a short "teddy bear" clip has lost most of the insulation and chills like any 5 lb dog; a knit for walks under about 50°F is right.
• Rain. The outer coat sheds light rain, but a soaked Pom takes an hour to dry and the undercoat holds the damp against the skin. A rain shell that keeps the back and sides dry is the useful piece, and that is the jacket.
• Seniors, and dogs with the coat loss that sometimes hits the breed, feel cold that a full-coated youngster does not.

The trench

The Trench Coat is sized by neck and weight: XS to 3 lb and an 8.3 in neck, S to 7 lb and 9.1 in, M to 10 lb and 9.8 in, L to 13 lb and 10.6 in, XL to 16 lb and 11.4 in. On a Pom the ruff makes the neck number the one to watch: a 5 lb Pom with an 11 in neck over the ruff is an XL by neck, a S by weight, and the neck decides. It drapes over the coat instead of flattening it, which is why the trench suits this breed in dry, cool weather.

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 does not work, which with a Pom is always possible (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide covers the three measurements; on a Pom, take each twice, over the coat and pressed in, and keep both.

Questions

Which Fireside size for a 5 lb Pom?

Over the coat, 14 to 15 in chest is common: that is a Fireside L. In a teddy-bear clip, M.

Will the ruff get crushed under a jacket?

Under the collar, for the length of a walk. It springs back; a brush helps. Nothing we make is meant to be worn all day on this coat.

Should a Pom wear a sweater indoors?

A full-coated Pom, no; they run warm. A clipped Pom in a cold house, for a while, and off at night.