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It certainly can be tough when sizing up your dog for a bandana for the very first time. I know I struggled! To help you avoid this struggle and make life easy the team have put together a guide to help show the best way to size a dog bandana!
The most important thing to remember when sizing your dog for a bandana is you want it to fit the dog with just a little bit of room to move but not too much. If you go too small it will irritate the dogs skin and possible even choke them! The flip side is too large and it will be floppy on the dogs chest. We recommend adding 5-6cm to the actual measurement of the dogs neck for the perfect fit! Simply run the soft tape around the base of the dogs neck starting at the back where the collar sits and go the whole way around in a circle. This will be your snug neck measurement, add 5-6cm to it for perfect fit.
The first time you do it can be super tricky so don’t be discouraged. Read on to see our tips for hyper dogs, measuring without a soft tape, etc.
To use the soft measuring tape you have the advantage of it being bendy and flexible. This allows you to hold one end of the tape at the start point of the measurement (in this case the back of the dogs neck) and go around in a circle.
Key Tip– If you can’t get your hands on a metric soft measuring tape why not just grab your dogs leash and use that to get the measurement! Simply wrap it around the neck and hold your fingers on the part that overlaps. Then hold it tight against a ruler and right down the number.
If your dogs is mega hairy or has excess skin/fat on their neck there is just a few extra things to consider. With extra hair you want the bandana to sit on top of the fur and not be hidden under it. We recommend when measuring to pull the tape semi firm so it flattens the fur but not so hard it gets to the dogs skin. It’s also a good idea to brush the dog before measuring to flatten out the fur.
For dogs with rolls or fat on their necks its important when measuring not to let the tape go in between any of the rolls. This will cause you to measure a thinner part of the neck. It’s important when measuring to measure the widest part at the base of the neck. This is the best way to size a dog bandana when they are a hairy or fat neck breed.
This certainly can be tricky with some dogs. Whether your dog is super hypo or just really happy to see you it can be very hard to keep the dog still enough while you take measurements so we have some tips to help.
1) Have an assistant- Often it can be super helpful to have one person hold the dog while the other does the measuring.
2) Distraction- This is the best tool behind having an assistant. Some good ideas is things like putting dog friendly treats on a hard surface and while they lick it off you rush in to get it done.
3) Do it when they are naturally calm- If your dog is hard to calm down why not do it when they are already going to be calm! We find the most relaxed times for your dog is when they first wake up & after a walk. Sometimes even while they are sleeping is great but be careful not to scare them.
Dogs are very good at picking up on your emotions. If you approach the dog and are very excited and speaking in a high pitch voice it will encourage the dog to be excited and want to play. Also the opposite is true in that if you approach and handle the dog being frustrated this will often make the dog want to run away and not stay still.
For the best results move nice and slow with the dog. Be calm the whole time. If the dog tries to play don’t give in and encourage the behaviour. Simply ignore the dog until they calm down and try speaking to them in a calm tone. If the dog doesn’t calm down after a few minutes of ignore it’s best to walk away and try again after 15mins of time to settle.
If you are unable to get the measurement don’t stress its not the end of the world. Luckily there is a number of places you can get an average neck size for your breed. This should act well as a guide based off the breed and age of the dog. More times than not if its a pure breed you should be able to find out this number.
The last resort if you cannot find this number online is to join a group on Facebook for your breed. Someone on the group community will have the same age and same breed as you to help out.
Whether you are buying a bandana from an online store or planning to make your own it’s always important to measure the dogs neck. Never forget to take care when measuring not to stress or hurt the dog and always remain calm. If you ever struggle to get the measurements there are charts with average neck sizes you can find across the internet and groups to join!
For more info or if you need help by an expert for sizing a dog bandana you wish to order always feel free to contact us by email at info@swankypaws.com.au.
