Scottish terrier coat and sweater sizes

Put a Scottie next to a Westie and the tape tells a different story from the eye: the Scottie is the same height and a third heavier, and the extra is chest and bone. A Scottish terrier wears a size bigger than any other 10-inch dog, with a thick neck to match, and the whole animal sits a few inches off the ground, which means the belly is where the wet is.

Numbers

AKC standard: about 10 in at the shoulder, 18 to 22 lb (19 to 21 for females). Breed charts: chest 18 in on the Doggie Style Store list, neck 14 to 20 in; TARIGS gives a 35 to 45 cm neck (14 to 18 in) and a 40 to 45 cm back (16 to 18 in), and a chest figure that is out of line with the rest and best ignored. Owners mostly find 18 to 22 in around the chest, 14 to 17 at the neck, 14 to 17 along the back. Charts of measured dogs from coat makers, not the standard; measure, especially the neck.

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.

Jacket L on most Scotties: the chest might say M (18.9 in) at the small end, but a 15 in neck is past the M's 13 in and the neck decides. Vest M: the S's neck range (12 to 14 in) is under most of the breed. Heritage Turtleneck L or XL, again by neck, because it goes over the head. The Fireside and the trench are for smaller dogs and are left off.

The neck decides

Scottie necks are thick and short, and that is where a coat sized by chest goes wrong. Read the neck column before the chest column on every chart. On the jacket, a size whose neck opening is smaller than the dog's will not zip at the top; on a pullover it will not go over the head without a fight. When chest and neck point to different sizes, take the neck's.

The belly, and what a coat can do about it

At 10 in tall with a deep chest, a Scottie's belly is a few inches from the ground and the first thing through every puddle, and the furnishings (the long hair on the belly and legs) soak it all up. No coat that leaves the hind legs free covers that; ours do not pretend to. What the All-Weather Jacket does is keep the back, sides and the top of the chest dry under a lined, rain-shedding shell, zipped up the chest so nothing goes over the head, with the leash clipped to the harness built into the chest. The hem sits ahead of the tail. The furnishings get a towel, as they always will.

The Quilted Vest M does the drizzle version with a wide belly strap, which on this breed sits well up behind the front legs and stays out of the puddles.

Warmth

The wiry double coat handles cold dry weather; a Scottie in a sweater on a normal winter day is overdressed. A clipped Scottie, or an old one, is a different dog, and the Heritage Turtleneck in L or XL (by neck) is right for the walk. The fold-down collar sits under the beard and keeps it dry.

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 the neck disagreed with (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide covers the three measurements; on a Scottie, take the neck under the beard where a collar sits, with two fingers of room.

Questions

Jacket M or L for a 20 lb Scottie?

L, nearly always. The chest may be near the M's 18.9 in, but the neck is past the M's 13 in opening.

Does the vest's strap sit in the puddles?

No. It fastens under the chest behind the front legs, well above where a Scottie's belly furnishings reach.

Will a turtleneck go over the head?

In the size whose neck number is above the dog's, yes; bunch the collar wide and bring it over in one motion. Worn folded, it sits under the beard.