How to measure your pet

Tools: use a soft tailor’s tape only — not a metal ruler.
Posture: measure while your pet is standing and calm.

Measurement	How to measure	Ease added?
Neck base	Place: where the neck meets the back (base of the neck). Wrap the tape once around the neck at that height.	Yes
Chest	Place: about 2–3 finger-widths behind the front-leg “armpit”, at the widest part of the chest. Run the tape horizontally around the chest, behind the front legs.	Yes
Back length	Start: same neck-base point used for the neck measurement. End: about 1 cm toward the back from where the tail begins to lift. Measure a straight line along the back while the pet stands naturally.	Yes (large ease −1)
Front leg girth	Place: thickest part of the front leg, near the armpit. Wrap the tape once around the leg.	Yes
Chest width (front)	Place: straight distance between the insides of both front-leg “armpits”. Measure across the front between those two inner points.	No — never add ease to this value.

Tips

When in doubt, size slightly larger — you can take in or shorten; too small is hard to fix.
Measure two or three times and average to reduce error.
For long-coated pets, measure close to the skin or add about 1–2 cm ease.