All about dog sizes: varieties and methods of measurement

Depending on the size in the world there are several varieties of dogs: dwarf, small, medium, large and giant. Each of the dog breeds is characterized by individual sizes regarding height at the withers, weight, depth of chest. In this article, you will learn all about dog sizes, as well as how to measure these pets.

Before proceeding to the rules for determining the size of your pet, it is necessary to understand in more detail the reasons why this procedure is not only useful, but also necessary.

• Regularly determining the size of the dog will allow you to easily monitor the condition of your pet's body: for his physical development and his current state of health. This will allow you to quickly determine the treatment and form a diet with the development of, for example, obesity.

• Each thoroughbred individual must obey the classification and the foundations of its standard. It is the breed standard of the International Cynological Federation (or MKF) that determines the suitability of an individual to a particular breed of dog. With such knowledge, you can be sure that your individual is suitable for the standard or not - this will determine its future as an exhibition or working breed.

• If you intend to represent your pet in the competition in the future, using sizing you can roughly find out possible indicators of his jump. In particular, this applies to competitions with overcoming an obstacle course on a specially constructed site.

• Often inexperienced owners and breeders come to pet stores for carrying for their animals and can not choose the right size and dimensions solely because of an elementary ignorance of the size of his dog. Such a thing as carrying is simply necessary for hairless and small breeds, as well as when moving a pet in public transport.

• Many of the dog breeds possess too short coatwhich cannot protect them from extreme cold and moisture during walks. In the cold season, these dogs should be dressed in special blankets or clothes, for the correct selection of which you also need to know the approximate size of your dog.

Some breeders believe that the size of the dog is this is only height at the withers and weight, however, this includes some other indicators:

• chest depth - the distance from the withers to the lowest point of the sternum;
• body length - the distance from the beginning of the sternum to the croup;
• back length - distance from the withers to the beginning of the tail;
• neck length - the vertical distance from the withers to the crown.

Even owners who have more than 2 or 3 dogs sometimes have no idea what a withers is and where it is with a pet. In addition to the fact that the withers are a guide and starting point for measuring the growth of a dog, knowledge of its location will be useful in other cases.

• Some time after the birth of a thoroughbred individual, all puppies are exposed compulsory vaccination, as well as insecticidal treatment. This helps protect the young growing body from parasites, infections and serious diseases. The fact is that all such vaccinations are carried out precisely in the area near the withers. The withers are considered the most suitable place for vaccinations - in this area the skin is the least sensitive, there is also a kind of skin pocket in which the entire dose of the drug is placed.

• When choosing a collar and other accessories for your dog, it is the circumference of the withers that are decisive in determining the right accessory.

• When puppies are born, bitches take them precisely by the withers for transfer to another place (in everyday language, this place is called "scruff"). This place is the least painful for dogs, so even owners are advised to transfer puppies in this way only. It is believed that when moving over the withers, puppies feel as safe as possible.

The next task that will face you is to find this very withers.

Instructions for detecting the withers will be located below:

• place your hands with your palms down on the shoulders of your pet and press them firmly against the body of the pet;
• with slow, but gradual movements, run your hands (without tearing off and without relieving pressure) over the skin of the animal, until one or more folds form in front;
• move your hands forward to the stop in the area of ​​the shoulder blades;
• the fold, which is formed by such manipulations with the skin, is a scruff, and he, in turn, is the skin surface directly above the withers.

Also, to find the withers, you can use any flat and rather heavy object (to put pressure on the coat). Most often, this role is played by a small book.

Dog growth at the withers - this is the perpendicular distance from the place of support (surface - floor, ground) to the place of convergence of the neck of the animal and its shoulder blades. In simple words, the withers is the highest place on the body of the animal.

When measuring the size of any dog, a number of rules should be followed that will facilitate this process.

• The best tool for measuring a dog is an ordinary measuring stick (wooden, plastic or metal). It gives the most accurate results, while the same roulette or “meter” usually reduces the size of the dog by several centimeters.
• The measurement is carried out not once, but 3 or 4. This is necessary to compare the results, as well as to determine the average indicator between them. Measurements are carried out in the interval of 1-2 minutes, the result (summed and divided by the number of measurements) is the growth of your dog.
• All show breeds of show-class dogs must be trained by a special team, which involves the adoption of a certain static pose by the dog to correctly determine the size.
• In order for the sizes to be determined correctly, occupy the dog with something for the duration of the measurements (give a treat or a new toy). Ideally, two people should participate in the measurements - one of them will fix the dog in the right position and make sure that it is not distracted, and the other will conduct the measurement itself.
• Make sure your pet stands on a perfectly flat surface during measurements. For small and medium-sized breeds of dogs, it is worth choosing a method of measuring growth using a tape measure or measuring stick. To make such a measurement more objective, it is worth using two long and rigid rulers for it. One of them is placed horizontally on the back of the dog, and the second is measured strictly perpendicular to the distance from the withers to the floor.

In the IFF standard The main appearance characteristics for each popular breed are indicated.

Often, dog breeders wonder what size their pet will be when it grows up. To determine the approximate size of the future dog should pay attention to the following factors.

• If we are talking about a puppy of a thoroughbred dog, it is enough to look into the breed standard to find out approximate indicators of its growth in the future. Some standards define norms for individuals at a certain age.

• When considering the standard of your breed, keep in mind that adult bitches are standardly smaller than males.

• If you buy a pet from private hands or in a nursery, be sure to check the size of your pet's parents. Usually dogs grow up with about the same dimensions as their parents.

• Determining the size of the animal, when it comes to mestizos, outbred or so-called yard dogs, is much more complicated. Often this is determined by examining the chest of the individual, the size of the paws, skull and muzzle. You should not rely on the weight of yard puppies when determining future sizes - it happens that street dogs are often malnourished, and therefore indicators will be, to put it mildly, incorrect.

• Keep in mind that the body of any dog ​​is fully formed by the year of life.By the age of 8-10 months, you have a full-fledged dog in front of you, the sizes of which relative to growth and length are unlikely to change naturally (subsidence of the withers, for example, may occur due to some serious illnesses).

• The surest way to find out the future size of a pet is to go to an experienced veterinarian. So you will almost certainly know how your dog will grow.

See how to measure a dog at the withers in the next video.