How to measure a dog for a bandana

Where do I put the tape?

1. Stand the dog square. Use a soft tape where a flat collar sits, on the skin, not over the coat.
2. Snug the tape, then leave room for two fingers. That reading is the neck.
3. Add about 8 inches on the long edge for the knot. Pick the smallest square that covers it.
4. Fold corner to corner. The point rests on the chest, and the knot sits at the side or the back.

How does the neck become a square?

Stand the dog square on a floor that is not slippery. Use a soft tape. A metal tape works only if you add the same two fingers of slack a soft tape would have given you, because a stiff tape does not sit into the coat.

Wrap the tape where a flat collar sits, behind the ears and ahead of the shoulders. Snug it to the skin, not to the outer coat, and not down on the chest. Slide two fingers under the tape. If they will not fit, loosen it and read again. That reading is the neck.

Add about 8 inches for the knot and look up the smallest square whose long edge covers that total. Fold on the diagonal. The point belongs on the chest, the knot at the side or the back.

Write the number down. Puppies and dogs in heavy coat change it. A photo of the head, a guess from weight, or the size on a bandana you already own is not a measurement.

Measure where a flat collar sits and leave room for two fingers, as in common dog-apparel measuring guidance from theAmerican Kennel Club. Then use this site'ssquare chartrather than a clothing size label.