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Hi, I'm Luca. Welcome to our "How to Measure" page. Measuring iggy heads and necks is an important part of buying specialty collars for us. . . especially anything that is a closed loop like Martingales, Lurchers, Stepdowns and Pendant Collars.
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The collar needs to be loose enough to slip over the head and come off again, so we need to know how big the widest part of your iggy head actually is. That spot is right here.
Just tell my mom what size your iggy head is when you order and she'll know how much to add to make it fit right.
(No, I don't normally wear my lurcher collar as a hat. It doesn't keep my ears THAT warm.) |
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Yeah, Mom's convinced she's funny and posts embarrassing photos of us - but you get the idea on the head size thing, right? |
This is a good measurement and what you're shooting for - under the chin and over the top of the head at the widest part and just in front of the ears. We're looking for the widest part of our heads, so make sure the tape is not tight, but not really loose, either.
Alot of you IGs will be freaking out at this point. We all know that mearsuring tapes are evil and to be avoided. Hopefully your Mom or Dad gave you treats for your hard work of sitting still while they wrap that scary tape around your head. |
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This measure is being taken at the right angle, but the tape is way too tight. This measurement isn't a "true" size and won't give your iggy enough slack to get the collar over their head. You don't notice as much when putting the collar on, its taking the collar off where you'll run into problems.
Not all IGs are as patient as Pippin is. She knows she's getting paid in treats, so she'll put up with a tight tape measure around her head. |
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How to Measure Neck Size:
Using a soft tape measure, put the tape around the mid-part of the neck, just where you want the collar to lie. (See photo)
Many hounds have a neck size between 9" - 11", with many falling right at 9".
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This spot will work well for the middle of the neck. Biggie Iggy version .
Try to keep the tape comfortable, but not too tight or too loose. |
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Standard and Itty Bitty location. |
We want the tape to sit on the neck comfortably, not tight (fur pulling in) or the measurement will be too small (for lurchers and step downs).
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Make sure the tape is not too high. The neck is a little narrower here and the measurement will be too small (for lurchers and step downs).
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Too low and the collar will be too loose when its pulled tight (lurchers and step downs)
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This is not really helping, Luca |
| Only measure one neck at a time.... |
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Which Width is Right for My IG?
Collar width depends on the neck length of your dog. Your IGs height is a good indicator of what size they can wear. Weight really does not come into play on collar width. The longer boned your dog is, the wider the collar. Dogs with shorter necks need a narrower collar. |
Photo Example - These photos show how neck shape determines collar width. The IGs pictured are almost the same height and weight, but their builds are very different. Each is wearing a 1" wide collar that fits differently
Gracie (on the left) is 14" tall with long, thin bones and weights only 9 1/2 pounds. She is wearing a 1 1/4" wide collar and you can see she still has plenty of neck space. Gracie could wear a 1 1/2" wide collar because of her neck length.
Zoe (on the right) is 13" tall and weighs 10 pounds, but is stockier and has a short neck, so she wears a 1 1/4 " collar. 1 1/2" collars are too wide for Zoe. They seem to come right up to her chin and is not comfortable for her.
Many of the 'itty bitty' IGs will wear a 1 1/4" " collar. Standards and 'biggies' can wear 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" wide standard collars and up to a 2" wide Lurcher.
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