Since you'll be measuring the dog's girth and length, you'll need a measuring tape, pencil, and paper. It may also help to have someone assist you in holding the dog steady while you take the measurements. Have plenty of treats available that you can use to reward your dog and encourage him to hold still. Get your dog to stand up so that you can measure the circumference around his ribcage (the girth). Try to measure the widest part of the dog's chest, which is generally located just behind the points of the elbows. Ask a friend to feed your dog treats by holding the treat just above your dog's nose. This will get your dog standing as tall as possible. Hold one end of the measuring tape on your dog's spine, just behind his shoulders. Roll the free end of the tape down along his side until it reaches the bottom of the widest point of the ribcage. Wrap the tape underneath the rib cage and back over the opposite side of the body to join the tape where you started. Make sure the tape is snug, but not tight against the skin. The widest point of the rib cage is just behind the front legs behind the points of the elbows. This is equivalent to the part of the elbow a person leans on, when resting her elbows on a desk. Once you've wrapped the measuring tape accurately around your dog's girth, write down the final measurement. Use the measurement you see at the point where the free end of the measuring tape touches the beginning edge. Get your dog to stand upright in order to measure the length of your dog's body between the base of the neck and beginning of the tail. Your friend may want to feed treats to your dog to encourage him to stand upright. Place the beginning edge of the measuring tape at the base of the neck, where it joins the shoulders (the nape of the neck). Extend the free end of the measuring tape along the length of the spine until it reaches the base of the tail. If you are not certain where this is, it helps to visualise where you want the coat to sit around the dog's neck and measure from that point to the base of the tail, since this is the length of coat you wish to purchase. Once you've extended the measuring tape across your dog's spine, use the number you see where the free end of the measuring tape touches the base of the tail. This is your dog's length measurement.

Summary: Gather your supplies. Locate where to measure your dog's girth. Measure your dog's girth. Write down the measurement. Locate where to measure your dog's length. Measure your dog's length. Write down the measurement.


Before you start the detailed work of copy editing, familiarize yourself with the content, tone, and formatting of the entire text. This will help satisfy your curiosity as to what the text is about, and will familiarize you with the author’s writing ability and style.  Make sure that you understand the goal or objective of the piece as well. If you’re editing a long text (say, over 30 pages), you may need to skim a chapter or section at a time. If you’re copy editing your own text, you can probably skip this step. Spelling errors crop up in every text, and it’s mostly up to copy editors to catch and correct them. Also, correct words that, while not misspelled, are incorrectly used. For example, if an author meant to write “thorough” but instead wrote “through,” change the incorrect word.  If you’re editing with a word processing software, it will catch many errors for you. Keep your eyes open for spelling mistakes still, though, since digital spell checkers aren’t perfect and can’t edit based on context. As you edit the copy, make sure that it follows correct grammar rules. Correct any ambiguous or incorrect grammar. While an author may perceive these edits as superficial, correct grammar is integral to the meaning and structure of good copy. If you’re unsure if a specific instance of grammar is correct or not, consult your style guide. Grammar errors that you should spot and correct include:   Subject-verb disagreement. Dangling or misplaced modifiers. Inconsistencies in verb tense. You’ll need to refer to a style guide or grammar manual, which explains correct punctuation usage and rules. Edit the text so that all punctuation adds to the clarity and readability of the copy. An important part of this step is to make sure that authors use commas correctly.  For example, an inexperienced author may place a period or comma outside of quotation marks. Fix any misused em- or en-dashes, or hyphens. Authors who are deeply entrenched in their fields often forget that lay readers will be unfamiliar with many common abbreviations and acronyms. This is especially prevalent in scientific or technical writing. Catch these missing definitions and insert them.  Acronyms should be defined at the first usage. For example, USGS should be defined as or “the U.S. Geological Survey.” Units of measure should also be define. For example, if you’re editing a paper on hydrology, “ppm” should be defined as “parts per million” when first used. Common measurements like “cm” may not need to be defined. Consult your style guide to find out.
Summary: Skim the entire copy before you begin editing. Correct spelling mistakes and word usage. Correct grammar errors. Search for and fix any errors in punctuation. Make sure that all abbreviations are defined.