Imagine you are tasked to evaluate a dog for a friend, but the breed standard you are consulting gives no mention of measuring points for determining length. Your own breed, the Golden Retriever, is quite specific on this: “Length from breastbone to point of buttocks slightly greater than height at withers in ratio of 12:11.”  You’re looking at a Coonhound, and all its standard says it says is: “…muscular back of moderate length.”

Now what?

In Harold R. Spira’s book, “Canine Terminology, he suggests that one rule of thumb is to measure from the dog’s point of shoulder to the point of her buttocks, but it’s not a hard rule. You might be correct to measure this way,  but you might not.  It has everything to do with the breed. 

Needless to say, understanding where the point of shoulder is located on a dog is also crucial for accurate measurements.

The point of shoulder is where the scapula meets the humerus. Additionally, knowing the difference between chest, breast, and forechest is important, though these terms are often used interchangeably.

However, when standards refer to sternum, prosternum, and breastbone, it’s essential to understand their distinctions. The sternum is the bone that ties the rib cage together, extending from the top to the bottom of the chest. The breastbone is often used interchangeably with sternum, referring to the bone along the chest’s center. The prosternum is the top part of the sternum, located at the base of the neck, and because you can feel it, it’s a useful landmark for chest measurements.

Another sticky wicket is to rely on language that many breed standards use: “Length equals height.”   If you want a square dog, a standard that says, “Length equals height” doesn’t always mean a square dog, especially in terriers. The Sealyham Terrier’s overall outline is that of a rectangle, but the standard, reads: “Length from withers to set-on of tail should approximate height at withers, or 10½ inches.” Now one can see the desired square:

And what if the dog has been bred in another country? The Welsh Terrier’s AKC standard reads: “The tail is docked to length meant to complete the image of a “square dog” approximately as high as he is long,” but if the dog’s tail is undocked because it was bred in Europe?  This is when it’s important to know the parts of a dog and read the breed standard!