Glossary

Withers

The ridge between a dog's shoulder blades at the base of the neck, the standard point from which a dog's height is measured.

Also called: wither, shoulder height, height at the withers, dog height measurement

The withers are the highest point of a dog's shoulders, the bony ridge where the neck meets the back between the shoulder blades. It is the standard measuring point for a dog's height. A dog's height is taken from the ground to the top of the withers while the dog stands squarely, not from the top of the head.

Height at the withers appears in breed standards and in the size ranges listed for each breed, and some sports use it to place dogs in classes, such as jump height in dog agility. It is also used to size a coat, a harness or a dog door.

The measurement does not show how heavy or long a dog is, since two dogs of the same height can differ a great deal in build. The withers are separate from the hock, which is on the hind leg.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Hock The joint on a dog's hind leg between the lower thigh and the foot, roughly the equivalent of a human ankle, used in judging structure and movement. Stack The standing pose a show dog holds so a judge can see its structure, set by the handler (hand stack) or held by the dog on its own (free stack). Breed standard The written description of an ideal dog of a breed, covering size, proportions, coat, colour, movement and temperament, used to judge dogs and guide breeding. Dewclaw A small extra digit on the inner side of a dog's leg above the paw, found on the front legs of most dogs and on the hind legs of some breeds.