It seems like it was summer just a second ago, but hey! Halloween is almost upon us! If you’re looking for last-minute, DIY pet costumes, we’re here to help. Keep reading to check out our favourite costume ideas!
🧸Teddy Bear Dog Costume
We’re starting with a simple one here! This works best with a smaller dog, but really you could size the costume to your dog! All you need is a pair of sharp scissors and a stuffed teddy bear. Look for a bear that is similar in size and colour to your dog.
-Measure the height of your dog from their feet to the top of their head. You want this measurement to be the same (or close) to the length of the bear from feet to the top of their face.
-Cut out the bear’s face and the bottom of their feet and remove the stuffing except for what’s in the arms.
-Put your dog’s face through where the bear’s used to be, and their front paws into the legs.
-Use a piece of string to tie the bear on so that the head doesn’t fall forward of your pup’s eyes.
🎃Beanie Baby Costume
Here’s another simple, but cute one!
-Find a high-quality image online of the Beanie Baby heart tag.
-Print this out (make sure you scale the size up to match your dog). Try to find an image that has both sides of the tag.
-It works best to glue or tape the picture to a piece of cardboard so that it’s durable enough.
-Cut the tag out and fold it in half, then use a single hole punch to make a hole in the top left corner.
-Use a piece of string and tie the tag onto your dog’s collar. You can even write your dog’s name and birthdate on the inside!
🦈Shark Fin (With Optional Matching Human Surfer)
You’ll need some foamcore and a sharp utility or Exacto knife for this one, as well as a piece of fabric. There is the option to make yourself a coordinating costume too.
-Take the first piece of foamcore and cut out a shark fin shape. It is easiest to sketch one in pencil first.
-Make sure it fits the length of your pup’s back
-Cut out a rectangle that will act as a support base for the fin
-You’ll need a piece of fabric big enough to fit around the largest part of your dog’s chest. A stretchy fabric works best!
-Measure the fabric to allow for a few inches of overlap.
-Either sew or use a self-adhesive Velcros strip to the fabric to fasten the two ends together
-Attach the support base on the underside of the fabric, and the fin on the top side using fabric glue
-It is recommended to carefully use your utility knife to peel back the layers of the foamcore and flay it out to make the base of the fin wider
-If you want to coordinate with your dog, create a surfboard for yourself out of foamcore
-Make the point slightly rounded and then cut out a few bite marks at the other end
-You can use bright washi tape or paint to make it look like a surfboard, and wear a bathing suit or wetsuit to complete the look
🐢Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
For this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume, you’ll repurpose a tinfoil pan.
-Paint the pan with a sponge brush. First dab on a layer of brown paint
-Once the paint is dry, add a layer of green paint using the same method
-Add a layer of modge podge to prevent the paint chipping off
-You’ll also need a green t-shirt that fits your dog
-Poke small holes in the top and bottom of your shell and hand sew the top and bottom of the shell to your t-shirt
-Select whichever colour ribbon coordinates for your favourite turtle
-Cut a small slit on either side of the turtle shell and feed the ribbon through the holes and tie it under your dog’s chest
-You can also find a coordinating bandana or tie an extra piece of ribbon to your dog’s neck, if you’d like!
-Lastly you can add pieces of ribbon with some self-adhesive Velcro to make matching cuffs for your pup’s front paws
🎭Cone Costumes
If you have a cone or e-collar at home, you can use this for a variety of easy DIY pet costumes! We won’t list them all here, but you can use your imagination! Here are some of our favourite ideas we’ve seen:
-a flower
-a basketball net
-a pup-tini
-a satellite dish
-McDonald’s fries
No matter what DIY pet costumes you choose for your dog, make sure that you work on getting your dog used to their costume before Halloween. Pick their favourite healthybud treat and work on positive associations with the costume beside them, then touching them with the costume, and finally, putting it on them & keeping it on. This is especially important if your pup will have to put their head through any part of the costume. Don’t forget to tag us in your photos!!
Stay healthy, stay happy, stay curious #healthygang!
Lots of love,
- The healthybud team
