About our dog coats

Our dog coats are quilted, water-resistant jackets lined with soft teddy fleece, made to keep your dog warm and dry on cold-weather walks. Each one fastens with adjustable velcro at the neck and belly, so it takes seconds to put on and adapts as your dog grows or puts on a winter coat of their own.

The detail that matters most is the lead opening on the back. It means your dog can wear their harness underneath and still be clipped up normally — no undressing them at the car, no threading a lead up a sleeve, and no choosing between staying warm and staying attached.

What's in the range

The range centres on our quilted coat, available in two designs. Foxbury Plaid is a classic autumn tartan, and it's part of a full matching set — the same print runs across our harness, collar, lead, poo bag holder and sailor bow, so your dog can go out coordinated head to tail.

Khaki Tweed takes a countryside direction, with tweed collar and chest-strap detailing over a khaki quilted body. The darker tone is the practical choice if your walks involve mud, puddles and wet fields — it hides the splashes that show up immediately on a pale coat.

Both share the same construction: a water-resistant quilted shell, teddy-fleece lining, velcro fastening at neck and belly, a lead opening for harness use, and a cut that stays clear of the rear for mess-free toilet stops. Both are machine washable at 30°C.

How to choose the right dog coat

Start with measurements, not breed. Measure your dog's back length from the base of the neck to the base of the tail, and their chest at the widest point just behind the front legs. Those two numbers decide the size; two dogs of the same breed can easily need different ones.

Next, decide how the coat needs to work with your walking kit. If your dog wears a harness — and most dogs who pull, or who carry a collapsing-trachea or IVDD risk, should — you need a coat with a lead opening, or you will be taking the coat off every time you clip up. Ours have one as standard.

Then think about weather. Water-resistant is right for drizzle, wet grass and the usual British damp; a fully waterproof shell is what you want for a long day out in steady rain. A teddy-fleece lining is what delivers actual warmth, as opposed to a thin shell that only blocks wind.

Finally, if your dog sits between two sizes, size up. A little generosity leaves room for a harness or a thin fleece underneath on the coldest days, and a slightly roomy coat is far more comfortable than one pulling across the shoulders. If you are unsure, send us your measurements and we will tell you honestly which size to order.

Types of dog coat explained

• Quilted coat — a padded, water-resistant shell with a warm lining. The all-rounder for cold, damp UK walks, and what our range is built around.
• Fleece-lined coat — prioritises warmth over weatherproofing. Our quilted coats are teddy-fleece lined, so you get both in one layer.
• Harness-compatible coat — has an opening on the back so a lead can reach the harness D-ring underneath. Essential if your dog walks in a harness.
• Waterproof raincoat — a thin, fully waterproof shell for heavy rain. Keeps water out but adds little warmth on its own.
• Fleece with legs — a step-in style covering the legs as well as the body, favoured for long-haired and low-slung breeds who collect mud.
• Drying robe — absorbent towelling worn after a swim, a bath or a soaking, rather than during the walk itself.
• Reflective coat — built with high-visibility panels or piping for dark winter mornings and evenings.
• Jumper or knit — indoor and garden warmth for thin-coated dogs. Soft, but not weatherproof.

Dog coat or dog jumper?

A coat and a jumper solve different problems. A quilted coat has a water-resistant outer, so it handles the walk itself: drizzle, wet undergrowth, wind and cold. A jumper or knit is softer and warmer against the skin but soaks straight through, which makes it an indoor, garden or car-journey layer rather than a walking one.

If you only buy one, buy the coat — it covers far more situations, and the teddy-fleece lining means you are not sacrificing warmth to get weather protection. The one case for owning both is a thin-coated or elderly dog in deep winter, where a light jumper underneath the coat adds warmth without restricting movement. That is another reason to size up if you are between sizes.

Coats by dog size and shape

Toy and very small dogs — chihuahuas, toy poodles, Yorkshire terriers. These dogs lose heat fastest and benefit most from a coat, but they are also the easiest to swamp with one. Go by back length rather than guessing, and check the coat is not so long that it interferes with toileting.

Long-backed dogs — dachshunds above all, plus corgis and basset hounds. Back length is the measurement that decides fit here, and it is usually longer relative to chest than a generic size chart assumes. These breeds are also the most likely to be walking in a harness for spinal reasons, so a lead opening is not a nice-to-have — see our dachshund harness guide for the fitting detail.

Deep-chested and barrel-chested dogs — French bulldogs, pugs, whippets, Staffies. Chest girth is the limiting measurement, not back length, and it is where most ill-fitting coats pull. Measure at the widest point behind the front legs and size to that; our French bulldog guide covers the same shape problem for harnesses.

Small to medium dogs — cockapoos, cavapoos, cocker spaniels, miniature schnauzers. The most straightforward fit, and the core of our size range. Curly-coated dogs in particular benefit from a water-resistant outer, since a soaked curly coat takes hours to dry. Our small dog guide is a useful companion read.

Larger dogs — labradors, retrievers, collies. There is no size L, but size M stretches further than a fixed-size coat would. The velcro at the neck and chest has a wide adjustment range, so girth is rarely what stops a bigger dog wearing one. The limit is back length, because that is set by the panel rather than the fastenings. Check your dog's back length against M in the size guide above, and if that works the velcro will almost certainly handle the rest — or send us the measurement and we will tell you straight.

Matching coats and accessories

If you like your dog's kit to match, the Foxbury Plaid coat slots into a complete set: the Rugged Rover™ harness, collar, lead, poo bag holder and sailor bow all share the same tartan. Because the Rugged Rover™ harness fastens with a lockable neck clasp instead of going over your dog's head, it is genuinely quick to layer underneath a coat. For indoors and the car, our drying robes finish things off.

Why PupClub Couture

We are a small UK brand designing our own prints rather than reselling generic stock, which is why you will not pass three other dogs in the same coat at the park. Everything we make gets tested on our own dogs first, and we would sooner tell you a size will not work than take the sale and process a return.

Practically, that shows up in the details: a lead opening because we know your dog wears a harness, velcro rather than fiddly buckles because you are doing this in the dark with cold hands, and a cut that stays clear of the rear because nobody wants to wash a coat after every walk. If you are unsure about sizing, message us — a real person will answer.