Almost every size problem starts the same way: someone orders by breed. The trouble is that two dogs of the same breed can be four inches apart at the chest, and the internet will confidently tell you both are a large.
Three numbers fix that, for us and for anyone else you buy from. Write them in your phone. You will need them again.
Chest girth
Run a soft tape around the widest part of his ribcage, just behind the front legs. Keep it snug but not tight: two fingers should slide under the tape without a fight. Do it while he is standing, not lying down, because the ribcage changes shape when he is on his side.
This is the number that decides a support harness. Weight alone is not enough, because two dogs at the same weight can be built completely differently, and a harness sized by weight ends up either loose across the chest or digging in behind the legs.
Paw width
Press a front paw flat on a piece of paper and mark the widest point across the pads, not including the nails. Measure between the marks.
Use a front paw, and match it against the paw grip size chart. Front paws are usually wider than back ones, and anything sized to the back will be tight on the front.
Trunk height
Floor to the lip of your trunk, straight up. That single number decides how steep a ramp will sit, and it is the one people skip because it feels obvious.
A ramp that is too short for a high trunk turns into a climb he refuses, which is the same outcome as not buying one.
When the honest answer is no
Sometimes the measurements come back and nothing fits. A dog under about 29 lb is too small for most support harnesses, and a very high lifted truck bed needs a longer ramp than most folding ones.
Reply to us with the numbers and we will tell you which size, or tell you that nothing we make fits him. The second answer happens and we still give it, because selling you something that does not fit costs us more than not selling you anything.
AlongPaws makes four things for the moments that get harder. See what we make, or reply to any email with his measurements and we will tell you which size.
