Puppy growth and backpack sizing (wolfpack)

[rwinner]

Hi all! Brahms' training took a turn for the better a month or so ago and I am looking to get him a backpack in the near future so he begins to get used to the idea that backpack=working (plus, who doesn't love a dog in a backpack). I'm not planning on putting any real weight in it until I am sure he is done growing. The problem is, funds are short and I would really only like to get him one pack to last him, but he is still growing ferociously so I'm unsure of size. He's just barely seven months, but already 23.5 inches at the withers. Every week and a half or so he'll sleep for a few days straight and suddenly he's an inch taller. Not sure on his weight, haven't been around a scale lately, but it's safe to say he has a lot of filling out to do. He's got the gangly adolescent look going on. His current girth is 23". I'm planning on going with wolfpacks after some research on this forum. I was just uncertain because a couple people on here said that the small didn't fit their smaller sized border collies even though they fit into the size range on the website, and Brahms seems like he is going to be huge.

 

My main concern isn't really "how big of a pack can I get that still fits" because its main purpose will be for service work rather than overnight hikes. It also seems as if the medium may be bordering on too long for him (at least right now). As a side note, if anyone has an opinion on what age I can get him a nice adult collar rather than a cheap temporary one as he's about to outgrow the current one, I'd also appreciate that.

[teresaserrano]

If it helps, my Tess grew nearly 4 inches around the chest from 15 to 19 mo. And she's a small female. She also grew a bit taller but it was mainly filling out.

[medic09]

If you can shop with him, I recommend going to few places that have dog packs and try on packs from different manufacturers. Like anything else, the packs can be cut a bit differently. Trying them on is the best way to see what fits.