Dog Car Seat Size Guide: How to Measure Your Dog and Your Back Seat
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Picking a dog car seat comes down to three things: your dog's weight, how long your dog is lying down, and how wide your back seat is. Get those right and the seat works. Get them wrong and you have a padded box your dog refuses to sit in.
Here is how to choose, in about two minutes, with a tape measure and a treat.
Step 1 - Start with your dog's weight, then measure
Weight tells you which size to look at first. A tape measure confirms it:
- Weight. This is what our four sizes are built around, so it is the first number to know.
- Length. Wait until your dog is lying down curled or stretched, then measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail. Add 4 inches. That is the room your dog needs to lie down comfortably.
- Shoulder height sitting. Floor to the top of the shoulder while sitting. This tells you whether your dog can see out of the window - and the view is what keeps most dogs calm.
If your dog falls between two sizes, take the bigger one. Dogs settle faster when they can turn a full circle and stretch a leg out. Nobody has ever returned a seat because their dog had too much room.
Step 2 - Measure your back seat
This is the step almost everyone skips, and it is the one that causes returns.
Open a rear door and measure straight across the bench, from one door panel to the other. That number is your hard ceiling. If the seat you want is wider than that measurement, it will not sit flat.
Rough guide for US vehicles:
- Compact sedans (Civic, Corolla, Jetta, Sentra): usually 47-50 in across.
- Mid-size sedans and small crossovers (Camry, Accord, CR-V, RAV4): usually 50-55 in.
- Full-size SUVs and crew-cab trucks (Tahoe, Suburban, Explorer, F-150, Silverado): usually 58-64 in.
Measure anyway. Trim levels and seat bolstering change these numbers more than you would think.
Step 3 - Check your ISOFIX / LATCH anchors and headrests
Our seats clip onto your car's ISOFIX / LATCH anchors and loop around the headrest with adjustable straps. Look between the seat cushion and the backrest for the anchor points, and lift a headrest to check that it comes up. If your rear seat has neither, tell us the car before you order.
Our four sizes, and who they are actually for
| Size | Dog weight | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| S | Up to 15 lbs | Toy and very small breeds - Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Pomeranian, Toy Poodle, Papillon |
| M | 15 to 35 lbs | Small to lower-medium breeds - Dachshund, French Bulldog, Jack Russell, Pug, Boston Terrier, Cavalier, Shih Tzu. A Beagle or Cocker around 30 lbs still fits. |
| L | 35 to 50 lbs | True medium breeds - Border Collie, Springer Spaniel, Whippet, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Brittany, Bull Terrier |
| XL | 50+ lbs, or two dogs | Big dogs - Labrador, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Boxer, Greyhound - and two small or medium dogs travelling side by side |
The three mistakes we see most
1. Buying by breed name alone. 'Labrador' covers dogs from 55 to 90 lb, and a Labrador always needs the XL. Go by weight.
2. Sizing down to save money. A dog that cannot turn around will stand, pace and pant instead of settling. The seat then gets blamed for not working.
3. Forgetting the second dog. If two dogs travel together, they need side-by-side width. That is what the XL is for.
What to do next
Write down your dog's weight and your back-seat width. Then pick:
- Up to 15 lbs: the small dog car seat (S).
- 15 to 35 lbs: the medium dog car seat (M).
- 35 to 50 lbs: the large dog car seat (L).
- Over 50 lbs, or two dogs travelling together: the XL dog car seat.
Free shipping on every order, with no minimum. Unsure which size? Email us your dog's breed and weight before you order and we will tell you.
Size guides by dog
- Dog car seat for small dogs
- Dog car seat for medium dogs
- Dog car seat for large dogs
- Dog car seat for Labradors and Golden Retrievers
- Dog car seat for 2 dogs
Within 30 days of delivery, a manufacturing defect, transit damage or a wrong item is on us, return shipping included. We do not offer size exchanges.
A note on safety: a padded, walled car seat is a comfort and containment product. It keeps your dog in one place, off your upholstery and out of the footwell, and it stops them climbing into the front. It is not a crash-tested restraint, and we do not claim it is. Always clip your dog's harness - never their collar - to the safety clip.