If you’re one of the many pet parents who cannot resist a chance to dress up your dog, there are opportunities all year long. National Dress Up Your Pet Day in January, Halloween in October, dog-friendly pop culture events, parades, and any other excuses throughout the year work for us!
Now you could just go to the store and buy your dog an already made doggy costume, but why not try getting creative with it? Try making your own DIY dog costumes!
We always encourage everyone to dress up your pets responsibly. If your dog is not into wearing a costume, it’s better to let them be happy and enjoy photos of other dogs in costumes. Make sure that the costume you pick for your dog doesn’t limit vision or mobility.
It’s best to get your photos and then take the costume off your dog. Never leave a dog unattended in a costume. It could be dangerous.
With that said, here are ten easy-to-follow video tutorials of DIY dog costumes that just about anybody can make.
1. Emoji Costume
This DIY tutorial is perfect for those of us who are obsessed with emojis — which, let’s face it, is pretty much everyone these days.
The tutorial above features the pizza and taco, turning your precious dog into adorable food emojis. All you will need is a variety of felts in different colors, a hot glue gun, and a dog harness.
These costumes are sure to get people’s attention.
2. Stuffed Animal
For this cute and budget-friendly costume, all you need is a stuffed animal of your choosing, scissors, a ribbon or something to tie off the back, and a glue gun.
Don’t bother spending much money on the stuffed animal because part of this costume involves cutting out all the stuffing and cutting out the face. You can pick up a stuffed animal at just about any thrift store for a buck or two.
Once you slip your dog into the stuffed animal, you won’t be able to stop smiling. This will definitely make for an Instagram worthy picture.
3. Star Wars Ewok
At the moment, this is the perfect costume since Star Wars is all the rage. Join in on the Star Wars spirit with this adorable homemade, DIY ewok costume.
With just a couple stitches you will have yourself your very own doggy ewok.
Who knows, maybe your pup will be dressed so well that they’ll get cast in the next season of The Mandalorian. You never know. Cross your fingers!
4. Minions
Minions are everywhere, and there’s no stopping their takeover, not even in the form of a dog costume!
This is probably one of the funniest costumes you can put your dog in. It’s a bit more complicated to construct, but if you follow the video tutorial and are a determined crafter, you’re sure to have no problem.
The end product is definitely worth the effort in this case.
5. Butterfly
This is a super simple costume that involves no sewing whatsoever. All you need is a pet pillow and a pair of scissors. Just cut out the stuffing and make a hole in the face, and you’re done.
Your dog will especially enjoy how comfortable and soft this costume is. For this particular tutorial, they chose a butterfly, but you can buy any animal pet pillow and turn it into a costume in the exact same way.
This costume, however, is probably best for a smaller dog, just because pet pillows don’t often come in any bigger sizes.
6. Skunk
This is an adorable way to turn your dog into a skunk for a day, but without the stink part.
You’ll need a little dog t-shirt, but that’s the only part not handmade. The rest is made with the magic of felt, faux fur, and a glue gun.
This costume is sure to turn heads!
7. E.T.
E.T. is such an iconic character that the minute you put your dog in this costume, everyone will instantly recognize them.
This costume actually requires you to dress up alongside your dog, with your dog dressed as E.T. and you dressed as Elliot.
All your pup needs to do is get into a basket and put on a blanket, and there you have it. This costume is actually more complicated for you than your dog.
8. Harry Pawter
If your dog knows the command “Accio” instead of “Fetch,” then you’re probably the perfect Potterhead pet parent to make this costume.
This one may require a trip to the local thrift store for some cheap, kids’ clothes, but it’s pretty straightforward. You won’t need any wizarding magic. Just follow along with the video above.
9. Peacock
The peacock is such a gorgeous animal with its beautiful feather patterns that it definitely makes for an ideal, eye-catching costume.
This DIY costume requires no sewing — just some scissors and felt. No feathers necessary, either.
10. Pirate, Dinosaur, Chia Pet, & MORE!
The full video above features a variety of costumes such as Yoda, a pirate, a dinosaur, and a chia pet. All of the costumes require only a few items that can easily be bought at any craft store.
The chia pet costume is one of the more creative costumes out there, but you might have to explain to your friends that your dog isn’t dressed up as a giant bush.
If you’re super artsy, definitely try these DIY dog costumes because they require a bit more creative skill.
Do you dress your dog up for any special occasions? Have you ever made your own doggy costume? Let us know in the comments below!
