Shih Tzu size chart: crate, harness & collar
What the published charts say for a Shih Tzu, across 19 harnesses, 6 crates and 7 collars. Every answer says how it was reached, and none of them replaces measuring your dog.
Note: AKC gives one height range for both sexes; copied to male and female.
Note: AKC gives one weight range for both sexes; copied to male and female.
Adult Shih Tzu
- Height at the shoulder
- 9–10.5 in22.9–26.7 cm
- Adult weight
- 9–16 lb4.1–7.3 kg
- Chest girth
- 16–21 in40.6–53.3 cm
- Neck
- 11–15 in27.9–38.1 cm
AKC prints: “Height: 9-10.5 inches”, “Weight: 9-16 pounds”.
Source: AKC breed page, checked Nov 4, 2026.
Source: Hund & Shore, "Dog Collar & Harness Size Chart by Breed" (breed row: Shih Tzu; typical range, not sex-specific), checked Nov 4, 2026. Girth is a published chart range, not a breed-standard measurement, and is not split by sex.
These are published breed figures, not your dog. Measure your dog — chest girth for a harness, neck for a collar, length and height for a crate.
Harness sizes
| Harnesses (19) | Size | How it was worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Julius-K9 IDC Powerharness | Baby2 to Mini (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Julius-K9’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Ruffwear Front Range Harness | XXS or XS | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “In between sizes? Choose the larger size.” |
| Ruffwear Flagline Harness | XXS or XS | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “In between sizes? Choose the larger size.” |
| Ruffwear Web Master Harness | XXS or XS | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “In between sizes? Choose the smaller size.” |
| Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness (quick release) | X-Small to Medium (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Kurgo’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| PetSafe Easy Walk Harness | Petite to Small / Medium (4 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “If your dog is between two sizes, choose a size up.”PetSafe’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| PetSafe Easy Walk 3 in 1 Harness | X-Small or Small | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “if your pet falls in between sizes, size down” |
| Rabbitgoo ControlPro No-Pull Harness (ControlPro series) | XS to XL (5 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Rabbitgoo’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Blue-9 Balance Harness | XS to M (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Blue-9’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| 2 Hounds Design Freedom No-Pull Harness | 3/8" XXSmall (Mini) to 5/8" Small (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “choose the SMALLEST size that fits the chest measurement”2 Hounds Design’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Wild One Classic Cushioned Dog Harness (with neck buckle) | XS to M (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “in between sizes, size up”Wild One’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Wild One Step-In Dog Harness | S or M | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “between sizes, size up” |
| Voyager (Best Pet Supplies) Step-In Air Pet Harness | S to XL (4 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Voyager (Best Pet Supplies)’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Gooby Comfort X Head-In Harness | M to XL (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. The maker says: “between sizes, size up”Gooby’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Puppia RiteFit Harness (PAJA-AC617) | S to L (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Puppia’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Puppia Soft Harness (PDCF-AC30) | S to L (3 sizes) | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Puppia’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart. |
| Chai's Choice Outdoor Adventure Dog Harness (3M reflective) | XS or S | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy. |
| Embark Adventure No-Pull Harness | XS or SMALL | by chest girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy. |
| Carhartt Training Dog Harness (Nylon Duck Training Harness, PH0341) | SMALL | by chest girth |
Where a size reads as a span, the breed’s published range reaches across that many of the maker’s sizes. This site shows the span rather than choosing one for you.
Crate sizes
| Crates (6) | Size | How it was worked out |
|---|---|---|
| MidWest Homes for Pets iCrate Single Door Folding Dog Crate | 22-inch or 24-inch | by weightBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.MidWest Homes for Pets lists the outside of the box; the usable inside is smaller. |
| MidWest Homes for Pets LifeStages Single Door Dog Crate | 22-inch or 24-inch | by weightBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.MidWest Homes for Pets lists the outside of the box; the usable inside is smaller. |
| Petmate Sky Kennel | 21" | by weight |
| Diggs Revol Collapsible Dog Crate | Small | by weight |
| Impact Dog Crates Collapsible Dog Crate | Sizes by measurement only | Impact Dog Crates publishes no dog weight. Use the crate calculator.estimated interior, about ½ in smaller than Impact’s exterior size (Impact’s own note) |
| Frisco (Chewy) Fold & Carry Single Door Collapsible Wire Dog Crate | XX-Small to Small (3 sizes) | by weightBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Frisco (Chewy)’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s chest and check the maker’s chart.Frisco (Chewy) lists the outside of the box; the usable inside is smaller. |
Every crate row above is by the maker’s weight guidance, because no published body length exists per breed. A crate is sized on the body: use the calculator below with your own measurements.
Where a size reads as a span, the breed’s published range reaches across that many of the maker’s sizes. This site shows the span rather than choosing one for you.
Collar sizes
| Collars (7) | Size | How it was worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Ruffwear Front Range Collar | 11"-14" or 14"-20" | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy. |
| Blueberry Pet Classic Solid Color Adjustable Dog Collar | XS to M (3 sizes) | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Blueberry Pet’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s neck and check the maker’s chart. |
| PetSafe Martingale Collar | Small to Large (4 sizes) | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.PetSafe’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s neck and check the maker’s chart. |
| Max and Neo Martingale All Nylon Dog Collar | X-Small or Small | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy. |
| Wild One Waterproof Dog Collar | Small to Large (3 sizes) | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.Wild One’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s neck and check the maker’s chart. |
| 2 Hounds Design Side Release (Buckle) Collar / Buckle Martingale | XS to MD (3 sizes) | by neck girthBetween sizes. Check the maker’s chart before you buy.2 Hounds Design’s sizes overlap, so one dog can fall in several. Measure your dog’s neck and check the maker’s chart. |
| Carhartt Dog Collar | MEDIUM | by neck girth |
Where a size reads as a span, the breed’s published range reaches across that many of the maker’s sizes. This site shows the span rather than choosing one for you.
Puppy?
Size for the adult and use a divider. A crate bought to fit a puppy is outgrown in weeks, and a crate with a spare end stops working as a den. Buy the adult size and move the divider back as the dog grows. A harness or collar is the opposite: buy for the dog you have now, because adult-sized straps slip on a puppy.
Is your dog a mix?
Mixes vary a lot. Measure your dog. A breed figure describes a published standard, and a mix is not held to one. Two dogs from the same litter can land two sizes apart on the same chart.
Measure your Shih Tzu
The tables above start from a published breed range. This starts from your dog. Crates need a body length and a standing height, plus 4 in of room.
Size your Shih Tzu
Enter what you have measured. Every answer below is the maker’s own published range against your number — a starting point, not a fitting.
Published range for the Shih Tzu: 16 to 21 in chest, 11 to 15 in neck (Hund & Shore, "Dog Collar & Harness Size Chart by Breed").
Measure your dog and enter it. A published range is a range: the boxes below stay empty because the middle of a range is a number nobody published. Full Shih Tzu size chart
Where to put the tape. Leave a box empty and the answers that need it say so, rather than guessing.
Enter a measurement above to see what each maker's chart says.
Sizes come from each maker’s own published chart. Check the maker’s current chart before you buy: charts change, and nothing here is a guarantee of fit.
Common questions
- What size harness for a Shih Tzu?
- On the charts published by their makers, a Shih Tzu comes out at Julius-K9 IDC Powerharness Baby2 to Mini (3 sizes), Ruffwear Front Range Harness XXS or XS, Ruffwear Flagline Harness XXS or XS (by published chest girth), with 19 of 19 charts giving a size. Size labels are not comparable between brands, so read the range rather than the letter. Measure your dog's chest girth at the widest part of the rib cage and check it against the maker's own chart before you buy.
- What size crate for a Shih Tzu?
- By the makers' own weight guidance, a Shih Tzu comes out at MidWest Homes for Pets iCrate Single Door Folding Dog Crate 22-inch or 24-inch, MidWest Homes for Pets LifeStages Single Door Dog Crate 22-inch or 24-inch, Petmate Sky Kennel 21". Weight is the rougher route: a crate is sized on the body. Measure your dog from the nose to the base of the tail and from the floor to the top of the head while standing, add 4 inches to each, and compare that with the crate's interior, not its outside.
- How big does a Shih Tzu get?
- An adult Shih Tzu is 9–10.5 in tall at the shoulder, 9–16 lb. Published sizing charts give a chest girth of 16–21 in and a neck of 11–15 in. These are breed-standard ranges, not your dog: individual dogs sit outside them. Measure your dog.
Other small breeds
Breeds in the same size group on this site. The group is worked out here from adult male weight; it is not an AKC category.
Compare every chart instead: harness size charts, crate size charts, collar size charts.