Collars: How to measure

Covered in this section:
- Measuring pets neck measurement
​- Measuring from an old pet collar
- How we use your measurement that you provide based on neck size
- Examples
- Is your Dog not full grown?
- Collar widths side by side comparison 
​- Different dog breeds chart

 The measurement we want is the pets neck measurement in inches, NOT AN OLD COLLAR.  There are two way of getting this: 
1) Measure pet's neck where the collar should sit snug, not tight using a soft tape measure. You may want to use a string, then lay the string out next to a tape measure, if you do not have a soft tape measure.
2) Measure an old collar (not from tip to tip) from the indicated spot in image below to whatever is the current hole used (see #2 "If you measure from a old pet collar" ) Caution: If your old collar has a plastic clip buckle it not be an accurate way of measuring. 
We recommend that you measure both ways, this should be roughly the same measurement as each other.

1) Measuring pets neck

      To effectively size the collar for your pet, get a flexible sewing tape measure or string and measure the circumference of their neck where the collar should sit. Be sure to wrap the tape measure snug but not too tight. You want to be able to take 2 fingers and slip them behind the tape measure, to ensure that it is a comfy fit for your pet. We will base your measurement for the 3rd hole out of 6 holes (3 extra holes to make it larger and 2 extra holes to make it smaller.) 

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2) If you measure from a old pet collar

If you are measuring an old pet collar measure from the line in image below by the buckle to the current hole your pet uses. Then when we take that measurement we will make it the middle hole on your new collar. DO NOT MEASURE FROM END TO END.
Always go by the dog's neck size and use this as extra information, if you measure an old collar. Please keep in mind if your old collar uses a different buckle type the measurements will not be accurate. We recommend measuring your dog's actual neck and only using this measurement as a way to double check.

How we use your measurement that you provide based on neck size

When you give us your pets neck measurement we build the collar using your measurement you provide as the 3rd hole out of 6 holes (image is old and shows 5 holes) Based on it laying flat and from the fold near buckle to the 3rd hole is the neck size. That way there are 2 holes to tighten and 3 holes to increase the size. Each hole is roughly 3/4 of a inch apart (except tiny collars) 

Examples

If you order a 20 inch collar, the 20 inch would be the 3rd hole out of 6 holes, with each hole being ¾ of inch apart (except small collars, they are ½ inch apart) So for this example it is for 1 inch collars and up in width sizes.

So for a 20 inch collar that is 1 inch wide (or wider) it is as follows roughly.

1st hole 18½
2nd hole 19¼
3rd hole 20 <---- your collar size you select is always made to be the 3rd hole
4th hole 20¾
5th hole 21½
6th hole 22¼

If you selected a 21 inch collar it would be as follows
1st hole 19½
2nd hole 20¼
3rd hole 21 <---- your collar size you select is always made to be the 3rd hole
4th hole 21¾
5th hole 22½
6th hole 23¼

Is your Dog not full grown?

If your dog is not full grown, with the information provided above in mind, as the size you write on your order is made for the 3rd hole. It maybe wise to upsize the collar. For example from the first example of sizing shown above, if your dog's neck was currently 18.5 it would be wise to order a 20 inch neck size. That way the first hole would be for your dog's current neck size. and then you would have to rest for future growth. You could even up it to another size but it may not fit right away, this may be ideal depending on the age of your dog if there is a lot of growth left or just a little. (As in some cases the time it takes to make a custom collar, your dog may experience some growth in the meantime while you wait.)

Collar widths side by side comparison 
(soon to be updated, as we have added a 5/8's)

Images from left to right:

½ inch basic
1 inch basic
1 inch deluxe 
1½ inch deluxe 
2 inch deluxe 
3 inch deluxe

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Keep in mind the size of your dog when considering the width of the collar.  Our large 3 inch deluxe collars should only be used on massive dogs. 2 inch deluxe should be for large dogs. 1½ inch deluxe collars for medium to large dogs making it a very popular choice with the most options for customization. The 1 inch deluxe has such a large range and is a very popular choice but is limited in font choices.

Different dog breeds

See the following chart for dog breeds. Only use as a guideline, always measure your own dog as well. Click button below to see chart.

Neck sizes chart of dog breeds