Quick answer: PatPat dog Christmas pajamas come in two sizes, and both are cut to neck circumference and body weight rather than back length. S(Pets) fits a 9.8 to 16.5 inch neck and a dog of 8.8 to 39.5 lb. L(Pets) fits a 16.5 to 20.5 inch neck and a dog of 39.5 to 70.5 lb. Measure the neck where the collar sits, use weight as a cross-check, and order the pet size before you choose the print, because pet sizes run out first.
Most families decide the dog is in the Christmas photo about a week before they take it. The human sizes are already ordered by then, and the dog's size is a guess carried over from some other brand, usually the word "medium." That guess is where the returns come from.
Pet Christmas pajamas are also the one part of a matching set most people have never bought before, so there is no habit to fall back on. The rest of this guide is the detail behind the quick answer: the full pet size chart, how to take the one measurement that decides fit, where twenty common breeds land, what to do when your dog is bigger than the range, how the safety rules differ between the kids' set and the dog's set, and how to make a print actually read on fur when the shutter goes.
Dog Christmas pajama sizes: the PatPat pet size chart
We draft two pet sizes. Both are published on our full size chart alongside the human charts, and they are the only sizes we cut that are not for a person.
| Size | Neck, at the collar line | Dog weight | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| S(Pets) | 9.8–16.5 in (25–42 cm) | 8.8–39.5 lb (4–18 kg) | Small and small-medium dogs |
| L(Pets) | 16.5–20.5 in (42–52 cm) | 39.5–70.5 lb (18–32 kg) | Medium and medium-large dogs |
Two things follow from that table, and both matter more than they look.
The neck is the deciding number. A pet piece goes on over the head and settles where a collar sits. If the neck opening is wrong, nothing further down the garment can rescue it: too tight and it presses, too loose and the whole set rotates around the dog until the print is somewhere under its chest.
The measurement we size on is not the one most pet brands size on. Most dog apparel is cut to back length and chest girth. Ours is not. A size that fit your dog in a coat from another label tells you very little here, and carrying it over is the single most common way to end up with the wrong parcel.
The range also has a hard ceiling. Above 70.5 lb, or above a 20.5 inch neck, we do not cut a size. That is worth knowing before you fall for a print rather than after.
One more thing to check before you order: not every print is offered as a pet pajama set. Some of our Christmas stories include a matching pet bandana instead, which coordinates with the same print but is a different product with different sizing. The product page states which one a given print carries, so read that line before assuming a set exists for your dog.
The two sizing conventions in pet apparel, and why they conflict
This is worth understanding whoever you buy from, because it explains most of the sizing confusion in the category.
Pet clothing is generally drafted one of two ways. Back length and chest girth is the more common convention, borrowed from dog coats and harnesses, where the garment's job is to cover the topline from the neck to the tail. Neck circumference and body weight is the other, used more often for pull-on styles, where the neck opening has to clear the head and then sit where a collar sits without pressing.
Neither is more accurate than the other. They simply describe different things, which is why a size letter does not transfer between brands. An S from a back-length brand and an S from a neck-based brand can be cut for two quite different dogs, and the letter tells you nothing about which. Before ordering from anyone, check which two measurements their chart is actually asking for, then take those two rather than the ones you happen to have written down.
For the avoidance of doubt: ours are drafted to neck and weight.
How to measure a dog for pajamas
Two minutes, a soft tape, and a dog that is standing rather than sitting.
Where to put the tape
Run the tape around the neck exactly where the collar rests, which is lower than most people expect. It is not the narrow point right behind the ears, and it is not around the shoulders. Keep one finger flat underneath the tape as you read the number, so the figure you write down already has the ease in it.
For weight, use the number from the last vet visit if it is recent. If it is not, stand on a bathroom scale holding the dog, then stand on it alone and subtract.
Five measuring mistakes that cause returns
- Measuring over a thick coat. Double-coated breeds carry a ruff that can add two inches or more of pure air to the reading. Press the tape gently down to the skin, then read.
- Measuring a sitting dog. Sitting compresses the neck and shoulders and gives you a reading that will not match how the garment sits when the dog is up and moving.
- Measuring over the collar. Take the collar off first. You want the neck, not the neck plus hardware.
- Pulling the tape tight. A tape pulled snug against skin produces a size that will be snug against skin.
- Using a puppy's current weight. A puppy in October is not the same dog in December. If your dog is still growing, size to where they are heading, and expect a loose fit now.
When the neck says one size and the weight says another
This happens, and it is information rather than a problem. A neck in the S range with a weight in the L range usually means a short, heavy, barrel-chested dog. A neck at the top of the S range on a light dog usually means a tall, lean build with a wide collar line.
Order to the neck, because the neck opening is the thing that cannot be worked around. Then expect the body of the garment to run snug or loose accordingly, and use the return window if it is wrong. Returns are free within 30 days.
Dog pajama size by breed: where 20 common breeds land
Breed is a shortcut, not an answer, and you should still measure. But if you want a sense of which size you are likely to be ordering before the tape comes out, this maps our two pet sizes onto the weight ranges published in the AKC breed weight chart. The breeds below are drawn largely from the AKC's most popular breeds ranking, where the French Bulldog has now held first place for four years running.
| Breed | AKC weight range | Likely size | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Bulldog | up to 28 lb | S(Pets) | Broad chest fills the body before the neck does |
| Labrador Retriever | 55–80 lb | L(Pets) | Above 70.5 lb there is no size |
| Golden Retriever | 55–75 lb | L(Pets) | Above 70.5 lb there is no size; the heavy coat also inflates the neck reading |
| German Shepherd Dog | 50–90 lb | L(Pets) at the lighter end | Large males sit outside the range |
| Dachshund (miniature and standard) | 11–32 lb | S(Pets) | Long back; we do not draft to back length |
| Poodle (standard) | 40–70 lb | L(Pets) | Groomed neck hair skews the tape |
| Poodle (miniature) | 10–15 lb | S(Pets) | Loose through the body |
| Rottweiler | 80–135 lb | Outside the range | Neck alone usually exceeds 20.5 in |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 45–70 lb | L(Pets) | Deep chest, narrow waist |
| Bulldog | 40–50 lb | L(Pets) | Unusually wide for the weight |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 28–30 lb | S(Pets) | Long back, short legs |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 13–18 lb | S(Pets) | Fits comfortably |
| Shih Tzu | 9–16 lb | S(Pets) | Near the bottom of the weight range |
| Boston Terrier | 12–25 lb | S(Pets) | Flat-faced; see the safety section |
| Pug | 14–18 lb | S(Pets) | Flat-faced; watch for overheating |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 11–20 lb | S(Pets) | Fits comfortably |
| Siberian Husky | 35–60 lb | Straddles both | Measure; the ruff will mislead you |
| Border Collie | 30–55 lb | Straddles both | Measure |
| Pomeranian, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua, Maltese | 3–7 lb | Below our range | S(Pets) will be loose on the body |
| Great Dane, Mastiff, Saint Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dog | 70 lb and up | Outside the range | See the alternatives below |
Mixed breeds and doodles are the reason the tape exists. There is no published standard to read against, so measure and order to the neck.
Body shape matters more than breed
Four builds behave predictably, and knowing which one you have tells you what to expect before the parcel arrives.
Broad and barrel-chested (French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Staffordshire types). The neck often measures inside a size while the chest fills the body of the garment completely. Give these dogs a full movement check before you decide the set works, and pay particular attention to the armpit.
Deep-chested and narrow-waisted (Greyhounds, Whippets, pointers, many working breeds). The opposite problem. The collar line measures large relative to the body, so the piece can hang loose through the ribs even when the neck is right.
Long-backed and short-legged (Dachshunds, Corgis, Basset Hounds). Sized correctly at the neck, these dogs can still finish short over the back, because back length is not what our pattern reads against. The garment will look shorter on them than it does in the photograph.
Heavily double-coated (Huskies, Samoyeds, Chow Chows, Golden Retrievers). Two problems at once. The ruff inflates the tape reading, and the dog is already insulated, so the same set that is comfortable on a short-coated dog will overheat this one faster.
Cat Christmas pajamas: what is different
Almost every cat sits below our S weight floor of 8.8 lb, so with cats the fit question comes down to the neck measurement and, honestly, the cat's patience.
Our dog and cat pajamas include cat styles cut looser through the neck and legs, because cats tolerate restriction there far less well than dogs do. A cat that freezes, drops flat, walks backwards, or goes rigid is not adjusting. Take the set off and put the cat in the photo without it.
Are dog Christmas pajamas safe? What the rules cover, and what they do not
This is worth stating plainly, because the two halves of a matching set are regulated completely differently and almost nobody selling them says so.
Children's sleepwear sold in the US in sizes above 9 months through 14 must be either flame resistant or snug-fitting under the federal flammability standards at 16 CFR parts 1615 and 1616. The CPSC sets out those requirements here. Those are the only two routes, and they are alternatives rather than a ranking: a garment either passes the flammability testing or is cut close enough to the body to qualify as snug-fitting, in which case it is labelled as snug-fitting and not flame resistant.
Both routes appear across our range. Some of our children's pieces are made from a flame-resistant fibre blend, where the protection is built into the fabric rather than applied as a topical chemical treatment. Others qualify on the snug-fit route and carry the snug-fitting wording on the label instead. Which one you are holding is printed on the garment label and stated on the product page, and it is worth reading rather than assuming, because the two are cared for and worn differently.
There is no equivalent standard for pet apparel. A dog set is not sleepwear in any regulatory sense, and nothing about it is tested as such. All of the safety margin comes from you being in the room, which is also the standing advice from the American Kennel Club: never leave a dog unattended while they are wearing clothing, and watch for anything that fits tightly around the neck or chest.
In practice that means the set comes off before the dog is crated, before the dog is left alone, and before bed. It also comes off before the dog goes to greet other dogs, which read body language and can respond strangely to a dog in clothing.
Two groups need more care than the rest. Flat-faced breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs) already work harder to breathe and to shed heat, so anything with pressure at the neck or chest carries more risk for them than for a Labrador. Determined chewers should be supervised closely on the first few wears, and the set should come off at the first sign of work on a cuff or a trim.
Anything worn for a medical reason, such as covering a healing area after surgery, is a conversation with your vet rather than a decision to make from a product page.
The five-minute fit check
Do this on the day the parcel arrives, not on the morning of the photo, so there is time to exchange it.
- Neckline. Two fingers should slide flat underneath without effort.
- Tail. The tail base stays completely clear. Nothing sits over it or wraps around it.
- Front legs. Lift each one. Fabric that bunches in the armpit will chafe within the hour.
- Movement. Ask for a sit, then a down, then walk a short distance. Watch the topline. A back that rounds, a dog that freezes, or a dog that immediately reverses out of the garment is telling you the answer.
- Heat. Your dog is wearing a coat already. Panting, restlessness, or a sudden preference for the tile floor means the set comes off.
The AKC's costume safety guidance adds one more thing worth doing: introduce anything new gradually over several days with treats, rather than five minutes before you need the dog to cooperate. A dog that has worn the set twice already behaves very differently in front of a camera than a dog wearing it for the first time.
Matching Christmas pajamas with a dog: making the print read on fur
Put the dog in the same print as everyone else rather than a louder one, and then think about contrast.
Pet pieces are small, which does two things to a print. It shrinks the repeat, and it lays that repeat over a surface that already has its own pattern, texture and colour. On a black or heavily marked coat, a small-scale print at that size dissolves into fur from two metres away, and the dog reads as a dark shape in the middle of your photo rather than as a member of the family.
Contrast fixes this more reliably than pattern choice does. Either pick a set whose background colour is clearly lighter or darker than the coat, or leave the dog in a solid that picks up one colour from the family print. Larger, simpler motifs survive the shrink better than dense all-over patterns do. That is the same logic behind our three-colour approach to coordinating a family, applied to the member with the most texture.
Position matters as much as print. A dog at the edge of the frame with a taut leash pulls the eye straight out of the picture. A dog low and central, or held, holds the composition together.
If your dog is too big for pet pajamas
A dog Christmas outfit does not have to mean a pajama set, and for a large dog it usually should not. Our range stops at 70.5 lb and a 20.5 inch neck. If your dog is past that, the answer is not a smaller garment. A neckline that has to stretch to clear the head is a neckline that will press once it is on, and a dog that is uncomfortable will look uncomfortable in every frame.
Three alternatives that photograph well:
- A matching bandana. Several of our Christmas prints are offered with a coordinating pet bandana rather than a pajama set, and a bandana has no fit ceiling at all, so it works on any size of dog. Check the product page for the print you have chosen, or browse what currently carries a pet piece in dog and cat pajamas.
- A ribbon or a festive collar in one of the print's colours. Understated, and it keeps the dog's own colouring as the feature.
- Nothing at all, placed deliberately. A dog sitting in front of a family in coordinated pajamas reads as part of the picture without wearing anything. Put the dog centrally and let the people carry the print.
Photo day with a dog, in order
You have roughly fifteen to twenty minutes of genuinely usable time. Spend it well.
- Walk the dog first. A dog with energy left will not sit, and no amount of treats will change that.
- Dress the dog last. Get the children in and settled, then the dog. Every extra minute in the set is a minute of patience spent before the first frame.
- Put the treats in the hands of whoever is not in the shot. Attention follows food, so the food should be next to the lens.
- Slip the leash off at the last moment and keep a hand on the collar just outside the crop.
- Shoot in daylight. A dog late in the evening has already decided the day is over.
- Take a few frames without the pajamas too. The shot you end up printing is often the one where nobody, including the dog, was performing.
When to buy family and pet Christmas pajamas
A matching set does not sell out all at once. It sells down one size at a time, and the constrained sizes go first: the pet sizes, the newborn end, and the top of the adult range.
That changes the order you should shop in. Start from the most constrained size in your group and choose the print from what still carries it, rather than falling for a print and discovering afterwards that the dog's size, or the 4XL, is gone. Pet sizes also sit on a smaller share of the range than mid-range human sizes do, so they thin out earlier than you would expect.
Our Christmas pajama size guide sets the charts against live stock for the collection, so you can see which sizes are already thin before committing. The full print range sits in matching family Christmas pajamas, with the adult end in plus size Christmas pajamas. Outside December, the same coordination works year round in matching family pajamas.
If you are shooting a Christmas card in October, which most families who send cards are, order in September. Sizing problems are fixable in September and not in the week of the shoot.
How to wash dog Christmas pajamas
Christmas pajamas for dogs need washing more often than any other piece in the set. Wash the set before the first wear, and wash the pet piece separately from everyone else's afterwards.
Cold water, gentle cycle, inside out. Skip high heat in the dryer: it wears down elastic and fades prints faster than anything else you will do to the garment, and a pet set gets washed far more often than a human one because it collects drool, dirt and fur at a completely different rate. Shake the piece out or run a lint roller over it before it goes in the machine, unless you want the fur redistributed across the rest of the family's pajamas.
Dog Christmas pajama questions
What size Christmas pajamas does my dog need? Measure the neck first. S(Pets) is cut for a 9.8 to 16.5 inch neck and 8.8 to 39.5 lb; L(Pets) covers 16.5 to 20.5 inches and 39.5 to 70.5 lb.
My dog is right between the two sizes. Which one? Let weight decide — under 39.5 lb take the S, over it take the L. If neck and weight point in opposite directions, order to the neck, because that is the part you cannot work around.
Do dog pajamas run big or small? Neither. We size on neck rather than back length, so a dog proportioned differently from average finds one dimension right and the other slightly off. Order to the neck.
Can my dog sleep in them overnight? No, we would not leave them on unsupervised. Pet apparel is not covered by the children's sleepwear standards that apply to the kids' pieces in the same set, and both veterinary and AKC guidance is to supervise any dog in clothing.
Are they safe for French Bulldogs and Pugs? Yes, with closer supervision. Flat-faced breeds work harder to breathe and to shed heat, so check that nothing presses at the neck or chest and take the set off at the first sign of heavy panting.
Do you make cat pajamas too? Yes. Several prints come in cat styles cut looser through the neck and legs, and since most cats sit below the S weight range, fit comes down to the neck.
What if my dog is over 70 lb? Our pet range stops at 70.5 lb and a 20.5 inch neck. Above that, coordinate with a bandana or a collar ribbon in one of the set's colors rather than sizing down into something tight.
Will a dog pajama size from another brand fit? Usually not. Most brands size on back length and chest girth while we size on neck and weight, so the same letter sits on different measurements.
Can puppies wear them? Yes, but size to where they are heading, since a growing puppy will be a different dog by December. Supervise closely, because puppies chew, and keep sessions short.
When should I order the pet size? At the same time as everyone else's, and ideally before you settle on a print. Pet sizes appear on a smaller share of the range than mid-range human sizes, so they run thin first.
Whether your dog should wear pajamas at all
Most of this guide assumes the answer is yes. For some dogs it is not, and the honest version of a sizing guide says so.
Dogs that generally do fine in a pajama: short-coated breeds that feel the cold, small dogs, older dogs, and any dog who has worn a coat or a harness happily. For these, a well-fitting garment for a photograph or a cold evening is unremarkable.
Dogs where it needs more thought:
- Flat-faced breeds. Pugs, French bulldogs, boxers and similar breeds regulate heat less efficiently than other dogs, and an extra layer indoors adds to that. Keep sessions short and indoors cool, and take the garment off if breathing changes at all.
- Heavy double-coated breeds. Huskies, malamutes and similar already carry their own insulation. A pajama on top is warmth they did not need.
- Dogs with skin conditions or healing wounds. A vet may specifically want the area uncovered, or may want a purpose-made recovery garment rather than a novelty one.
- Dogs who visibly dislike it. Freezing, tucking the tail, refusing to move or trying to back out of the garment are all a clear answer. A photograph is not worth it.
The two hard rules regardless of breed: never leave a dog unsupervised in clothing, because a garment can catch or be chewed, and take it off if the dog is panting more than usual. Pet apparel is not covered by children’s sleepwear standards, so there is no flammability or fit regulation behind it at all, and the supervision is doing the work those rules would otherwise do.
Getting a dog used to wearing something
A dog who has never worn clothing will not enjoy a pajama put on five minutes before a photograph. A few short sessions beforehand change the outcome completely.
- Let them investigate the garment first, on the floor, with no attempt to put it on.
- Drape it over the back for a few seconds, then remove it and reward. Repeat over a couple of days.
- Put it on properly for under a minute, then take it off while the dog is still relaxed rather than waiting for them to object.
- Build up to a few minutes, with something they enjoy happening while it is on.
- Only then attempt the photograph, which by that point is a short version of something already familiar.
What not to do: put it on for the first time on the day, hold the dog still, or leave it on because they have stopped struggling. A dog who has gone still in clothing is frequently not comfortable, they have given up, and that is the point to take it off rather than the point to take the picture.
Start this a week before you need it. It is the difference between a dog who tolerates the garment and one who will not let it near them next year.
About this article
Written and fact-checked by the PatPat Editorial Team. How we research, source and review what we publish is set out on our editorial standards page.
Method. Size figures in this article are read from PatPat’s own published size chart rather than from an industry table. No garments were measured on animals for this article, and stock depth changes daily.
Sources. Breed weight ranges: American Kennel Club breed profiles. Measurements for the human sizes in a matching set: PatPat size chart. How the human halves of a matching set are sized and when to order them is in what size to order and when, and the wider coordination question is in buying matching family pyjamas.
Note on regulation. Pet apparel is not covered by the children’s sleepwear flammability standards described elsewhere on this blog. There is no equivalent rule for pet garments, which is why supervision rather than certification is the safeguard.
This is not veterinary advice. If your dog has a breathing condition, a skin condition, or is recovering from surgery, talk to your vet before dressing them.
Last updated 17 September 2026 · Next review September 2027
