If you’re here because you just lost your dog, you’re probably not looking for “options” in the abstract. You want a clear answer that helps you make a choice you won’t have to second-guess later. And if you’re planning ahead (which many families do after a close call, a new diagnosis, or simply because funeral planning feels gentler when it’s not urgent), you’re doing the same thing: you’re trying to replace anxiety with something solid and practical.
That’s why this dog urn size guide starts with one steady truth: weight is the real sizing driver, not breed. Breed can be a helpful shortcut when you’re trying to estimate, but the urn doesn’t “hold a Labrador” or “hold a German Shepherd.” It holds a specific volume of cremated remains, and volume is tied most closely to the dog’s body size and bone structure.
At the same time, families search for answers like dog urn size by breed, urn size chart dog breeds, what size urn for a Labrador, what size urn for a German Shepherd, and what size urn for a Chihuahua because breed is what we know off the top of our heads. So this guide does both: it leads with weight (the right way to choose), and it offers breed examples (the convenient way to estimate).
It’s also worth naming the bigger context: cremation is now the norm in many places, which is why more families than ever are making choices about cremation urns, pet urns, and memorial keepsakes. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate was projected at 63.4% in 2025. The Cremation Association of North America also reports continued growth, including a 61.8% U.S. cremation rate in 2024. Even though those figures are about people, they mirror what many pet families experience: cremation is common, and choosing pet urns for ashes has become a normal part of saying goodbye.
The One Number That Matters Most: Your Dog’s Adult Weight
When families ask “what size urn do I need,” what they’re really asking is, “How do I avoid getting this wrong?” The simplest way to protect yourself from that feeling is to size by your dog’s healthy adult weight (or the most accurate weight you have from a recent vet visit).
Breed comes into the conversation because it’s familiar, but it can mislead in two common ways. First, many breeds have wide ranges by sex and build. Second, a dog’s “typical” weight and your dog’s actual weight may be different—because of age, illness, medication, body condition, or simply because your dog was built like a tank (or built like a feather). If your dog was significantly above or below the breed’s typical range, use the real number, not the breed estimate.
If you’re browsing options right now, Funeral.com organizes pet cremation urns in a way that matches how families think—by dog-specific styles and by practical size ranges. You can start broad with Pet Urns for Dogs, or jump straight to the size tiers that match this guide: Small Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, Medium Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, and Extra Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes. (We’ll connect those directly to weight ranges in the chart below.)
The Weight-to-Capacity Rule in Plain English
Urn capacity is measured in cubic inches. That sounds technical until you translate it into a single guideline most families can actually use.
A widely used rule of thumb is about one cubic inch of urn capacity per pound of body weight. Urns.com describes this as a common sizing baseline, while also noting that ash volume can vary based on bone structure. In real life, that means a 10-pound dog typically fits comfortably in a 10 cubic-inch urn, and a 70-pound dog typically fits in a 70 cubic-inch urn.
Here’s the part families appreciate hearing upfront: you do not need to calculate this down to the last cubic inch. It is completely reasonable—and often wise—to give yourself a little breathing room. If your dog was near the top of a range, or if you simply want peace of mind, sizing up modestly is usually better than sizing too tight. Funeral.com’s own capacity guide explains the same “weight-to-cubic-inches” concept and why it’s a helpful shortcut when you’re making a decision under stress: Choosing the Right Urn Size: Capacity Guide for Adults, Children, and Pets.
So, if you’re thinking in practical examples:
A Labrador Retriever commonly falls in a weight range that places many Labs in the “large” tier. If your dog was 65–80 pounds, you’re generally looking for something in the 65–80 cubic-inch neighborhood (and it’s perfectly fine to choose a bit higher if the design you love comes in a larger capacity). For a German Shepherd in a similar range, the answer is usually similar. For a Chihuahua—often under 6 pounds—the answer is usually a small, compact urn, or even a keepsake option if your plan is to share ashes among family members.
Printable One-Page Dog Urn Size Chart by Breed
This chart is designed to be print-friendly. If it helps, you can print this page (or copy/paste the chart into a document) and use it as a quick reference while you browse pet urn capacity by breed options.
The breed weights below are based on the American Kennel Club’s breed weight chart as a general reference point. Your dog may fall outside these ranges, and mixed breeds should always be sized by actual weight.
Quick Weight-to-Urn Capacity Chart (Use This First)
| Dog Weight (lbs) | Suggested Minimum Urn Capacity (cu in) | Funeral.com Size Collection Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| 2–10 | 3–12 | Small Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes |
| 11–25 | 12–28 | Small Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes |
| 26–60 | 28–60 | Medium Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes |
| 61–100 | 60–100 | Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes |
| 101–180+ | 100–180+ | Extra Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes |
Dog Urn Size by Breed (Examples)
| Breed (Common Examples) | Typical Adult Weight Range (lbs) | Suggested Minimum Urn Capacity (cu in) |
|---|---|---|
| Chihuahua | 3–6 | 3–6 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 4–7 | 4–7 |
| Pomeranian | 3–7 | 3–7 |
| Dachshund (Standard) | 16–32 | 16–32 |
| Dachshund (Miniature) | 8–11 | 8–11 |
| Shih Tzu | 9–16 | 9–16 |
| Pug | 14–18 | 14–18 |
| Boston Terrier | 12–25 | 12–25 |
| French Bulldog | 16–28 | 16–28 |
| Beagle | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Border Collie | 30–55 | 30–55 |
| Australian Shepherd | 40–65 | 40–65 |
| Brittany | 30–40 | 30–40 |
| Bulldog | 40–50 | 40–50 |
| Boxer | 50–80 | 50–80 |
| Standard Poodle | 40–70 | 40–70 |
| Labrador Retriever | 55–80 | 55–80 |
| Golden Retriever | 55–75 | 55–75 |
| German Shepherd Dog | 50–90 | 50–90 |
| Siberian Husky | 35–60 | 35–60 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 60–100 | 60–100 |
| Rottweiler | 80–135 | 80–135 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | 70–115 | 70–115 |
| Great Dane | 110–175 | 110–175 |
| Mastiff | 120–230 | 120–230 |
| Saint Bernard | 120–180 | 120–180 |
| Newfoundland | 100–150 | 100–150 |
| Irish Wolfhound | 105–180 | 105–180 |
If your dog’s weight sits right on a border, it’s completely reasonable to choose the next size up. In practice, the “best” fit is the one that lets you stop worrying.
Matching the Chart to Real Urn Options on Funeral.com
Once you know your target capacity range, choosing the urn itself gets simpler, because you’re no longer browsing everything—you’re browsing what fits.
If you want the broadest selection of pet urns built with dogs in mind, start with Pet Urns for Dogs or the full Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection. If you already know your size tier, jump directly to Small Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, Medium Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes, or Extra Large Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes.
And if you want the memorial to feel visually like “them,” many families find comfort in a more sculptural tribute—Funeral.com’s Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes are designed for that blend of remembrance and display.
When the Urn Is Only Part of the Plan
Urn sizing is practical, but what families are really doing is making a plan for closeness. That plan can look like a single centerpiece urn on a shelf, or it can look like a shared approach where one person keeps the main urn, someone else keeps a token keepsake, and another person chooses jewelry they can wear on hard days.
If sharing is part of your story, keepsake urns are often the calmest solution because they allow each person to hold a small portion without turning the main urn into something that gets opened repeatedly. For pet families specifically, Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes are designed for smaller portions, and for families who are thinking more generally about sharing or splitting, Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes and small cremation urns like Small Cremation Urns for Ashes can also play a role—especially when a family wants the main urn to stay “whole,” but still wants a second memorial point in another home.
For people who want something even more discreet, cremation jewelry can be surprisingly grounding. A well-made pendant isn’t about showing grief; it’s about having a private anchor. If that resonates, Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry 101 explains how these pieces work, and the Cremation Necklaces collection shows real-world styles of cremation necklaces that hold a symbolic portion.
Then there’s the question many families don’t ask until later: keeping ashes at home—what’s respectful, what’s safe, and what helps the home still feel like a home. Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home is a practical companion when you’re deciding where the urn will live.
If your plans involve scattering, you may also find yourself weighing what to do with ashes in a way that includes both emotion and logistics. Funeral.com’s Scattering Ashes vs Keeping an Urn at Home can help you think through the tradeoffs without pressure.
And because families often ask about water burial and sea ceremonies: it’s important to know that U.S. rules for “burial at sea” apply to human remains. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains the reporting requirement and also states that the federal general permit for burial at sea is for human remains, not pets, and that pet ashes cannot be comingled with cremated human remains under that permit. If you’re exploring water-based memorial symbolism, Funeral.com’s Understanding What Happens During a Water Burial Ceremony and Eco-Conscious Choices: Biodegradable Urns for Ashes are useful context for how families approach the idea thoughtfully.
A Brief Word on Costs and Planning (So Nothing Sneaks Up on You)
Even when your focus is a dog urn, cost questions tend to spill into the room—because grief has a way of making families want to regain control of the practicals. If you’re also navigating human aftercare decisions (or simply trying to understand the landscape of how much does cremation cost), the National Funeral Directors Association lists national median costs and trend statistics, including the median cost of a funeral with cremation in 2023. Funeral.com’s How Much Does Cremation Cost? and Average Funeral and Cremation Costs Today are helpful if you want to compare quotes calmly, without feeling rushed.
The planning takeaway is simple: once you’ve chosen the right capacity and the right memorial form—whether that’s one of many cremation urns for ashes, a dog-specific urn, a keepsake, or cremation jewelry—write down the “where” and the “who.” Where the urn will live, who will hold it if you move, and what your long-term preference is. That small act of funeral planning can prevent family tension later and protect the meaning you’re trying to preserve now.
