Measuring for Collars: Read carefully!!
I suggest you measure your pets neck a couple of times just to make sure you get the right measurement. Measure round the pets neck at the place where the collar usually sits – you need to insert one or two fingers, or maybe more if you prefer a looser fit, between the neck and the measuring tape when you measure – this will give a comfortable and not too tight fit.
YOU MUST include this comfort room as the collar is best designed to fit without adjustment from the size given. For a tiny dog / cat sometimes 1 finger is enough – use your judgement – you don’t want the collar to fit too loosely to wear either. The collar will be made to fit at THIS measurement (I add a padding allowance so don’t add any extra for that yourself).
*
It can help to have someone to hold your pet gently, don’t force him, or someone can distract with treats, while you measure, if he is wriggly! (The made-to-measure collars adjust upwards from the measurement given by a couple of inches, but this section is unpadded when lengthened).
*
If you don’t have a measuring tape, use a piece of string and then measure the string against a ruler.
PADDED COLLARS WON’T ADJUST ANY SMALLER, AND IF YOU ADJUST UPWARDS THERE WILL BE A GAP IN THE PADDING.
Note: There are Chinese tape measures about (typically ones found in small sewing/travel kits etc) which measure in Chinese inches NOT the inches used in the rest of the world, so be sure you are not using one of these, or a tape measure that has had the start cut off – I have seen these too!
*
Measuring an existing collar:
If you measure an existing collar, first make sure the collar is set to a comfortable FIT for the pet to wear, lay it out flat on a table, undone, and follow the instructions below……
for Buckled collars – measure from point A (see pic below)- centre bar of the buckle (or where the tongue is joined) along the collar, to B – the centre of whichever hole that is used to do up the collar on YOUR PET usually.
or for Quick Release Buckle collars – measure from point A (see pic below) – the top of the solid (female) part of the buckle, along the length and stop at B – point where the webbing folds around the pronged (male) part of the buckle – do NOT include the pronged buckle part in your measurement.
*Please DON’T use any padded collar to measure from.
If you email me I can always tell you what sizes you have ordered previously, I have full records. Email: ruth@paddedcollars.com
Collar Widths: To get an idea of which width of collar is best for your pet, have a look at the photos below, comparing the webbing widths to a standard pencil….if you are really unsure you can cut a strip of paper to the widths below and try on your pet. A wider collar is always more gentle!
*Padded Collar Widths:
Narrow collars are 1″ wide, including padding (25mm)
* padded cat collars /& narrow collars under 10.5″ are 3/4″ wide, inc. padding (20mm)
Medium collars are 1.4″ wide, inc. padding (35mm)
Wide collars are 1.7″ wide, inc. padding (45mm)
webbing widths without padding (with pencil to give an idea of scale)
collar widths with padding
Big or small – no problem!