A few years ago I asked on my Facebook page 'what other products would you like me to make?' and many of you suggested a snood to keep your dogs neck warm, without having the whole body covered - ideal under a coat. As with all my products I gave it some thought and decided that a tubular snood would be no good for dogs that like to run around in the woods or brambles as it could get caught and the dog wriggle out of it. I often put a woolly jumper under Bruno's coats and that gave me the idea to make a 'half jumper' snood style. It took off immediately! It got the Bruno seal of approval and Frankie even wore one when it was really cold!
It wasn't long before I was getting asked to make a proper fleece jumper but knowing how many others were on the market it wasn't something I had planned to do. However, with the popularity of the snood design I decided to extend it and adding an elastic panel - similar to that of the snood - making it without legs and with it's long neck it was substantially different to the others that were available and I was happy that it was a unique design. That was over 2 years ago and this product now accounts for over a third of our annual turnover!
I love our Fleece Jumpers, and having recently added Dachshund and Greyhound sizes I am getting asked more often 'What size Fleece Jumper do I need?' So, I thought I would give my quick and easy guide, which might avoid the disappointment you and your dog feel if the wrong size has been selected!
Fleece Jumper for Whippets
This category is the largest and is now split into: Lights, Darks, Brights and Two Tones, which should help you sift through the (probably) too big range of colours!
It is offered in 4 sizes:
Italian Greyhound - this size is ideal for those tiny little Iggy's and also puppy whippets, as I have discovered with George, up to around 3 months.
Vital Stats - Length - 33cms / 13" Chest - 44-50cms/17-20" WEIGHT OF DOG: 5-7 Kgs
Small Whippet - this size is good for puppy whippets who are growing - George is going to be in this size soon - and for those really little lady whippets, or maybe like Sid - in the photo below, some kind of Italian Greyhound cross.
Vital Stats - Length - 38cms/15" Chest - 58-62cms/21-23" WEIGHT OF DOG: 8-11 Kgs
Medium Whippet - this was the size that Bruno wore, and most of the Whippet Snippets crew in the photo above are wearing mediums. It is a very AVERAGE and popular size.
Vital Stats: Length - 42cms/16" Chest - 61-66cms/22-26" WEIGHT OF DOG: 12-14 Kgs
Large Whippet - this is getting to be a more popular, often pure bred boy whippets will be this size, but if your whippet is crossed with something bigger it will likely be this size. Frankie wore a Large and she was crossed with a saluki.
Vital Stats: Length - 46cms/18" Chest - 68-74cms/26-28" WEIGHT OF DOG: 15-18 Kgs
Your dog does not have to be exactly these measurements for this jumper to fit, but the main thing is you don't really want it to be tight, but also not too baggy! It shouldn't shrink in the wash, I have never experienced this, so long as you wash it at 30 degrees as stated in the label.
Fleece Jumper for Greyhounds
I know that the taller the dog the harder it is for them to bend their legs to get into a fleece jumper, so for Greyhounds I have designed a jumper with a velcro opening on one side, to make it super easy to get on and off. Because of this we make it in not such stretchy fleece so the colour choice is limited at the moment.
This is offered in 2 sizes:
Extra Large - Small Greyhound - This is great for smaller lady greys, or for smaller lurchers.
Vital Stats: Length - 52cms/21" Chest - 71-76cms/28-30" WEIGHT OF DOG: 19-21 Kgs
Greyhound - This has been based on my greyhound size coats and is quite BIG! it is good for standard greyhounds.
Vital Stats: Length - 66cms/26" Chest - 84-96cms/33-38" WEIGHT OF DOG: 22-26 Kgs -
You can see from the photo of Monty (above) that our fleece jumpers are designed to cover the core of your dog not to come all the way over the back legs. The under panel falls short so that even with a boy it will stay clean! Mostly they fit well if they are around 10cms/4" from the top of the tail. THIS IS HOW I DESIGNED IT and if you want one that comes down longer there are many more on the market but you might only find it in a jazzy pattern!!
Our Fleece Jumpers are ideal for:
Wearing under coats for extra warmth
Wearing at night in a chilly house, or in the day when the heating is not on!
Wearing on Camping trips
Wearing on frosty dry days
Some fleece fabrics are stretchier than others - so if your dogs measurements are a bit tight for a size choose one of these colours: Orange, Teal, Duck Egg, Lilac, Pink, Mauve, Turquoise or Brown.
It is also important to remember that our fleece jumpers might not fit your dog even if you have taken the measurements and believe that it should, it might be that your dog has a bigger front chest, or is longer in the shoulder, which will put the sizing out, and sadly sometimes it will just have to be returned, but you will receive a full refund for it when we are able to put it back into stock.
If you order one of our Fleece Jumpers and we have it in stock it will be with you within a couple of days, but if we have to make it you might wait up to 5 working days.
I really hope this helps - I will do another guide for Dachshunds - after I have met lots of them at our stockist in Bradford on Avon at their Sausage Dog Sunday event this Sunday October 8th - I think I will know a whole lot more about these little ones then!
Oh and just one more thing - there is a great video of Bruno showing you all how to get our Fleece Jumpers on and off over on our Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/redhoundfordogs/ ) - it is well worth a look, as there is a knack to getting them on and off!! Oh and my advice if you have a puppy, get them used to wearing one as soon as possible - this will make your life so much easier when they are all grown up!
Debbie
