When looking to buy your dog a new harness, collar, or winter-ready dog coat, you will always need to know your dog's measurements. While it might be tempting to select a product size based on your best guess, this can lead to unnecessary and time-consuming exchanges or returns down the road.

Dog apparel outfitters like DJANGO use a few key dog measurements in their size charts: chest girth, neck girth, back length, and height (also known as "withers"). Not sure what some or all of these mean?

We (Steph and Mike) know that measuring your dog for harnesses, clothes, pet carriers and shoes is confusing and may make you want to hide your measuring tape. In this DJANGO Dog Blog article, we cover how to correctly measure your dog's neck girth, chest girth, back length, height, and paws.

If you’re a new dog owner, you are probably feeling equal parts excited and overwhelmed. After all, the joy of being a dog owner is unparalleled. But it is difficult to get on top of everything that is involved with dog ownership, especially if owning a dog is uncharted territory for you.

To ensure you’re as prepared as possible for this new and exciting responsibility, we’ve highlighted three vital things to keep in mind. Following them will help ensure you get off to the right start from the get-go.

Mike and I (Steph) were extremely excited when we decided to welcome an adorable 4.5lb dachshund puppy into our home back in late 2015. We had found a reputable breeder in upstate NY (we were living in Brooklyn at the time) and we're counting down the days until Django could come home.

When Django's breeder unexpectedly called us a week early to say she was coming to NYC the following day and could drop Django off at our apartment, Mike and I freaked out. We hadn't yet had time to prepare for Django's arrival and literally had zero new puppy essentials... no dog food, no dog crate or bed, no dog harness or leash. We ultimately had to postpone Django's arrival by a week.  We needed time to figure out what puppy items were needed and how we'd keep Django safe in our tiny one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment.

If you are getting ready to bring home your first puppy, you might not be aware of everything you need for the new dog's arrival. Here are the most essential pet items to get prior to bringing home your new four-legged family.