How to Measure Your Dog’s Neck for the Perfect Fit
Every collar I make is custom-built to your dog’s exact neck measurement, with a 3-inch adjustable range and holes spaced ¾” apart. Get the measurement right and the collar will fit perfectly every time. Here’s exactly how to do it.
What You’ll Need
A soft measuring tape (the kind used for sewing) or a piece of string and a ruler. That’s all. No special tools required.
How to Measure
Wrap the soft tape measure or string snugly around your dog’s neck, right where the collar will sit. You want it snug but comfortabl… not tight, not loose. Slide two fingers underneath. If two fingers fit comfortably behind the tape, you’ve got the right tension.
That number is your dog’s neck measurement. That’s what you enter at checkout.
Measure where you want the collar to sit. Some dogs wear their collar high on the neck, some lower. Wherever yours sits naturally is where you should measure.
How Your Measurement Becomes Your Collar
Here’s something worth understanding before you order.
The measurement you give me becomes the inner circumference of the collar on the middle hole. I space holes ¾” apart across a 3″ total adjustable range, with the middle hole set to your exact measurement. That means you have room to go a little looser or a little snugger as needed – but the fit you measured for is always right in the middle.
This is why an accurate measurement matters. The collar is built around that number.
The Most Common Mistake — And Why It Matters
Do not measure an existing collar and use that number.
It seems logical… the collar fits, so why not measure it? Here’s why it doesn’t work.
It’s not just the width of a collar that affects fit. It’s the thickness of the material too. When you lay a collar flat and measure from hole to the middle of the buckle, that number is not the same as what the collar measures when it’s actually buckled around your dog’s neck. The material has to travel around a curve, and the thickness of that material affects how much circumference it takes up.
I use super heavy Biothane® – thick, substantial material that holds its shape beautifully. But that thickness means the math really matters. A measurement taken from a flat collar – especially one made from a different material or a different thickness – can be off enough to affect fit significantly.
Always measure your dog’s actual neck. Every time, for every collar, even if you’ve ordered before.
Quick Reference
- ✅ Soft measuring tape or string
- ✅ Measure where the collar will actually sit
- ✅ Snug but comfortable — two fingers fit behind the tape
- ✅ Give me that exact number — it becomes the middle hole
- ❌ Don’t measure an existing collar
- ❌ Don’t guess
Still Not Sure?
Message me before you order. I’d genuinely rather answer a sizing question than have you second-guessing yourself. You can reach me through the Contact page.
Want to learn more about the materials I use? Read What Is Biothane®? — or head to the Custom Collar Design Studio to start designing your dog’s collar now.