How to measure a doggie for a coat

I know I said last week. I just havent had time and Im not real sure about this blog thing. I am trying. Please bear with me. Ok so let's get started. The measurements I took were: around the neck making sure to add some clearance for movement. You will want it about as tight as a collar but some overhang for velcro. I found that 2" pieces of velcro worked best, so the doggie garment didn't shift around while being worn. I measured around the widest point of the mid-section for the "chest" measurement. Make sure to add a few inches for overlap for the velcro again 2" is good. You want it to fit snug but not confining. Measure the length from the collar to right above where the tail starts. You can make it shorter in length if needed for boy doggies, if you know what I mean. You really need to take this into consideration when placing your belly straps on your pattern. I also took a length measurement across the shoulders of the doggies to get the side to side length, boy or girl this measurement doesn't matter. I took a piece of brown paper bag and transferred my measurements. I folded the paper in half and cut out my pattern so both sides were identical. I am sorry I can't add photos of my pattern. When I get the pdf figured out I will update this post with my pattern. My model is a chihuahua, her chest measurement was 14" and length from neck to tail was 16". My pattern will fit small dogs and you can cut it in half both ways and add enough paper to compensate for your doggie measurements. Any questions please contact me and I will get back with you as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! Peace and Love be with you always