“Sizing recommendations for a typical 25 lb frenchie?” One owner asked that on r/Frenchbulldogs. It is the question this page answers first.
Twenty-five pounds is 11.3 kg. That is inside the weight range of the XL, 10 to 14 kg (22 to 31 lb). But weight does not pick the size here. The chest tape does.
Tape his chest just behind the front legs, flat and snug. The tape reads M from 43 cm (16.9 in), L from 50.5 cm (19.9 in) and XL from 55 cm (21.7 in). If his weight points to another size, go with the tape.
The breed standard stops at 28 lb, or 12.7 kg. A Frenchie right at that limit is still inside the weight range of the XL.
This is a step-in harness in brushed suede-style cloth. His front paws go through two loops, and one buckle closes on his back. A 1.5 m leash comes in the box.
“Doesn’t go over the head (which my guy hates).” That is how one owner described the harness he wanted. This one is built that way.
Open the buckle and lay the harness flat, chest panel up. You will see two open loops. Let him put one front paw in each. Lift the straps over his back and click the buckle shut.
Paws in, straps up, click. His head stays out of the whole routine.
The buckle is a plastic side-release. It sits on the gray strap in the middle of his back. Here is every part, counted, so you can picture it before it arrives.
| Part | How many | Where it sits, what it does |
|---|---|---|
| Side-release buckle, plastic | 1 | On the gray strap in the middle of his back. Closes the harness after he steps in. |
| Sliders, gray plastic | 4 | Two on the shoulder straps, two on the side straps. This is where you set the fit. |
| Silver D-rings, back | 2 | Side by side on the back strap, just above the buckle. The leash clips here. |
| Small ring, chest | 1 | Hangs from a fabric tab at the bottom of the chest panel. For a name tag or a clip-on light. |
| Reflective gray | 3 areas | Piping along the panel edge, short strips on the panel, and the gray strap on his back. |
| Leash | 1 | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) flat strap in the body color, with a metal snap hook. |
Set the four sliders before the first walk. The two on the shoulder straps decide how high the rings sit on his back. The two on the side straps decide how snug it is behind his front legs.
Start with all four loose. Put the harness on him and close the buckle. Take up the two shoulder sliders first, until the rings sit on top of his back. Then take up the two side sliders until two flat fingers slide under the strap.
Last, walk him across the room. If the buckle has slid back toward his tail, take up the shoulders again.
Two silver D-rings sit side by side on his back strap, just above the buckle. The leash clips there.
The small ring on the chest does a different job. It hangs from a short fabric tab at the bottom of the panel, under a round patch with a small dog’s face. It takes a name tag or a clip-on light. Keep the leash off it.
Here’s what that means on a walk. A back ring pulls from between his shoulder blades, straight back along his spine. He keeps facing forward. A dog who leans keeps leaning.
“The harness tends to pull and twist to the side a lot.” If that sentence is yours, look at the strap ends first. Compare how much strap sticks out past each shoulder slider. Make the two sides match.
Start with the chest tape. Weight and neck only check it.
| Size | Chest adjusts to | Neck adjusts to | Dog weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | 43–51 cm / 16.9–20.1″ | 32–40 cm / 12.6–15.7″ | 3.5–6.5 kg / 7.7–14.3 lb |
| L | 50–56 cm / 19.7–22.0″ | 40–45 cm / 15.7–17.7″ | 7–10 kg / 15.4–22.0 lb |
| XL | 54–62 cm / 21.3–24.4″ | 45–54 cm / 17.7–21.3″ | 10–14 kg / 22.0–30.9 lb |
Put a soft tape around his chest, right behind his front legs. Keep the tape flat and snug and read the number as it is. Below 43 cm (16.9 in) it is under the M. From 43 cm it says M, from 50.5 cm (19.9 in) it says L, and from 55 cm (21.7 in) it says XL.
The chest ranges overlap, M and L from 50 to 51 cm and L and XL from 54 to 56 cm. The weight ranges leave a gap from 6.5 to 7 kg and meet at 10 kg, so weight cannot settle those dogs. The tape can.
Then tape his neck, loosely, at the base where the strap will lie. If that number is under the lower neck figure for the size his chest points to, message us before you order.
The columns show how far the straps open and close. They are not his measurements, and no dog fills the whole range. If his weight points to another size than the tape does, go with the tape. Where two sizes reach him, the one that leaves his number farther from the end of its range wins, and a tie goes to the larger. The sliders can take up slack. Nothing can loosen a harness that is too small.
“I’m getting my first bulldog a week from now and making all my purchases now.” If that is you, there is no dog to tape yet. Ask the breeder for his chest measurement, taken just behind the front legs. That is the number the size table uses. His weight is only the check. If the breeder has only a weight, wait and tape him on day one.
The smallest size here is the M. It closes from a chest of 43 cm, or 16.9 in. A puppy who tapes less than that is below it, and our Frenchie Puppy Harness closes from a 32 cm chest. The M is printed for 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) and up, so a puppy lighter than that is below it too.
Do not buy the XL for a puppy to grow into. A harness that hangs loose slides to one side. Then the side straps end up where the leg meets the body.
On day one, tape him behind his front legs and keep the tape flat and snug. Then read the number against the size table above: M from 43 cm, L from 50.5 cm, XL from 55 cm.
“Always causes chafing/redness under my pup’s armpits.” Owners write that about harness after harness. On a step-in, the place to look is easy to name.
Stand him up with the harness on. Then run through the three places in this table.
| Where | What to do | What you should see |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder straps | Slide two flat fingers under each one. | They go in without a fight and do not fall out. |
| Side straps, behind the front legs | Lift one front leg forward. | The strap lies against his ribs, behind the elbow, not in the hollow where the leg meets his body. |
| Buckle and rings | Look down at his back from above. | They sit in the middle of his back, not slid toward his tail. |
Look at his coat after the first, the third and the tenth walk. Fur lying flat in one line, or hair rubbed thin, shows where a strap pressed. Loosen the slider on that side.
The edge around each leg opening is a soft rolled trim. A slider can move a strap that sits in the wrong place. It cannot fix skin that is already red or sore. If you see that, stop using the harness and call your vet.
Three parts of this harness are reflective gray. There is piping along the edge of the chest panel, short strips on the panel, and the strap on his back that carries the rings and the buckle.
When a headlight or a flashlight hits them, the light comes back toward where it came from. They are not a lamp. In the dark with no light on them, they look like gray cloth.
Want him lit? The small chest ring takes a clip-on light.
Each color pairs one shade for the panel and straps with another for the edge.
| Color | Panel and straps | Edge trim | Leash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | Orange | Pale blue | Orange |
| Blue | Bright teal | Orange | Teal |
| Purple | Purple | Yellow | Purple |
| Red | Red | Orange | Red |
A round patch with a small dog’s face is sewn on the chest panel. The leash is a flat strap, 1.5 m long, with a metal snap hook. It matches the panel and the straps, not the edge.
If he pulls, the position of the ring matters more than the cloth. This table puts the numbers next to each other.
| This suede step-in | Frenchie Step-In Harness | Front-Clip Harness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leash ring on the chest | No, tag ring only | No, tag ring only | Yes |
| Leash rings on the back | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Widest chest it closes on | 62 cm / 24.4″ | 58 cm / 22.8″ | No chest range given. Sized by weight, up to 17.5 kg / 38.6 lb |
A back ring will not turn a dog who leans into every step. Our Front-Clip Harness has a chest ring for the leash. A front ring turns him. It does not teach him to stop.
If he walks beside you on a slack leash, a back ring does the job. This harness has two, and its XL closes on a chest up to 62 cm (24.4 in).
First, a dog over 62 cm around the chest (24.4 in). The XL stops there. The L of our Frenchie Y Step-In Harness reaches 66 cm.
Second, a puppy whose chest tapes under 43 cm (16.9 in). Look at our Frenchie Puppy Harness instead, which closes on a chest from 32 to 49 cm (12.6 to 19.3 in).
Third, a dog who lunges at every corner. A back ring cannot turn him. The Front-Clip Harness can.
Fourth, anyone who wants a handle to lift him over a curb. There is none on this harness. The Frenchie Grip-Handle Harness has one.
Fifth, a dog who yanks his paws away when you touch them. Stepping in needs both paws to go into the loops.
“She was just stubbornly sitting and wouldn’t move.” A new strap on his body does that to some dogs. The sidewalk is the wrong place to find out.
Lay the harness open next to his bowl and let him sniff it. Drop a treat into each loop, so his paws land where they will go later.
Once he steps in for the treat, click the buckle and put his meal down. Take the harness off when the bowl is empty. Do the same the next day.
Clip the leash on only when he walks around the apartment without a fuss. On the second day, walk him from the kitchen to the front door and back. Then take him out for a short first walk.
If he sits down outside, stop and stand still. Let him decide to get up. Do not drag him along.
Plan on 14 days. Your harness is pulled off the shelf, checked, packed and handed to the carrier — then it travels to you. When carriers are swamped, a busy week before Christmas or a storm across half the country, it can take a few days more.
Shipping is free on every order. No minimum and no handling fee, and duty and import tax are included too — the price you see is the price you pay, with nothing to settle at the door.
A tracking number appears on our tracking page the day your parcel leaves the warehouse. Before that there is nothing to track, so we show you the stage instead.
If day 14 passes and nothing has moved, email hello@frenchieharness.com with your order number. We will chase the carrier and tell you what we find.
Measure the chest behind the front legs.
| Size | Chest | Neck | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | 43–51 cm / 16.9–20.1″ | 32–40 cm / 12.6–15.7″ | Puppies and small adults |
| L | 50–56 cm / 19.7–22.0″ | 40–45 cm / 15.7–17.7″ | Average adults |
| XL | 54–62 cm / 21.3–24.4″ | 45–54 cm / 17.7–21.3″ | Broad adults |
The tape reads M from 43 cm, L from 50.5 cm and XL from 55 cm. Where two sizes reach him, the one that leaves his number farther from the end of its range wins, and a tie goes to the larger. A chest under 43 cm (16.9″) or over 62 cm (24.4″) is outside this harness. The suede face has no stretch, so a tight one stays tight.
Measure snug, straight off the tape. Do not add centimetres for slack — the chart already has it.
No tape at home? Use a shoelace, mark it, then hold it against a ruler. If his number falls in the gap between two sizes, take the larger one, because the smaller one stops short of him. If two sizes both cover his number, take the one where it sits farther from the edge of its range: that strap has room to tighten and to let out. If it sits exactly on the line where one size ends and the next begins, take the larger, because a harness can be taken in but not let out.
You have 30 days from delivery to send an item back. It has to be unused and in the condition it arrived in, with the tags on.
Return postage is yours. We do not send a prepaid label. If we sent the wrong item or it arrived damaged, that one is on us — postage included.
Email hello@frenchieharness.com with your order number to start one. You get the return address by reply, usually the same working day. Do not send anything back before you have it.
Once your parcel reaches us we approve the refund within a working day or two; your bank then posts it back within 5–7 working days.
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Frenchie Harness
