10 Best Costumes for Dogs (Small & Large Breeds) in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

One of the great things about owning a pet is dressing them up for the holidays and family events. People enjoy looking at him, and they love the attention they receive from family members and strangers. It’s not hard to find a costume that will look great, but you may have some questions about different brands’ quality.

We’ve chosen 10 popular brands of popular dog costumes for both large and small breeds to review for you to help you determine if they are right for your pet. We’ll cover each one’s pros and cons and tell you about any challenges we faced putting them on. We’ve also included a short buyer’s guide, where we discuss how to choose a good costume for your pet.

Keep reading while we discuss durability, cleanability, ease of use, and more to help you make an informed purchase. Here are the best dog costumes for large and small dogs:

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

The 10 Best Dog Costumes:

1. Frisco Front Walking Killer Doll Dog Costume – Best Overall

The Frisco Front Walking Killer Doll Dog Costume is our choice for the best overall dog costume for small and large dogs. It’s a two-piece custom available in six sizes, so you should be able to find one that fits your pet. The resulting costume resembles the killer doll from the movie Child’s Play and is sure to get your dog plenty of attention. The outfit is complete with crazy red hair, a striped shirt, and an ax. It’s only extremely easy to put on and only requires placing the front legs into the costume and fastening it around their neck. A separate wig supplies the crazy hair.

We found the costume to be extremely durable and were able to use it several times. The only problem we had with the Frisco was that it runs a little small. Had we known that we would have ordered a size bigger.

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2. Frisco Formal Dog Tuxedo – Best Value

The Frisco Formal Dog Tuxedo is our choice for the best dog costume for small and large dogs for the money. It’s extremely lightweight and doesn’t get in the way of your pet’s normal behavior. Our dogs didn’t even notice they were wearing it. To put it on your pet, you place the front legs through the armholes in the costume and fasten the hook and latch (Velcro) latch to keep in place. It’s available in five sizes to fit a wide range of dogs, and it has a leash hole so you can safely walk your dog around town wearing the costume. It also machine-washable, so your pet can wear it several times.

The Frisco Formal is an attractive costume that will work just as well at a wedding or other formal event as it will on Halloween. The only downside was that the hook and latch clasp wear out quickly after placing it in the wash a few times.

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3. Rubie’s Costume Robin Dog Costume – Premium Choice

Rubie’s Costume Robin Dog Costume is an officially licensed character cost that turns your pet into Robin from the DC comic Batman and Robin. This three-piece outfit features a shirt, mask, and cape to help create the illusion that your pet is fighting crime. It’s available in six sizes, so there’s a good chance it will fit your pet, and the cape is detachable, so you can take it off if it’s getting in the way or when you’re not taking photos to keep it in good shape.

The only real problem we had with Rubie’s was that it runs small, and you want to take extra care to measure your pet before ordering. Also, after several uses, a cape begins to fall off more frequently as the hook and latch wears out

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4. California Costumes Pet Ups Pal Dog Costume

The California Costumes Pet Ups Pal Dog Costume features 100% polyester fabric for maximum durability. It’s designed to resemble your local UPS delivery driver and includes a cardboard box to complete a look. It’s easy to put on and only requires placing the front legs through the holes and securing it behind and neck with a hook and latch fastener. The two-piece costume also includes a foam visor that attaches with an elastic chin strap. It’s available in four sizes to fit a wide range of dogs.

We notice two problems with California Costumes. The first is that it won’t fit any large breeds or most medium-sized dogs and is really only suitable for small dogs and puppies. It looks adorable in pictures, but the cardboard box gets in the way of their head when they try to walk or lie down, and it looked uncomfortable overall for long-term wear.

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5. Rubie’s Wonder Woman Pet Costume

Rubie’s Wonder Woman Pet Costume is the second officially licensed DC comic book character on our list. This one features the adorable design of Wonder Woman and is available in six sizes. It comes in a two-piece kit that includes the dress and hat. It’s very comfortable for your pet to wear and doesn’t require placing their arms in any sleeves. The crown stays on with an elastic band that didn’t bother our pets, and they left it on for several hours. It’s a very attractive costume that will get the attention of anyone who sees it.

The downside to Rubie’s Wonder Woman Pet Costume is that it’s hard to size correctly. Some sizes seem to run small while others run large and finding the perfect fit for your pet can be a challenge.

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6. Delifur Cowboy Dog Costume

The Delifur Cowboy Dog Costume is a cute costume that makes it look like your dog has a small cowboy riding on its back. The cowboy looks comical, and the simple design allows your dog to participate without being too constrained. The high-quality cotton outfit is washable and easy to put on your pet. It only requires connecting a few hook and latch fasteners.

The downside to the Delifur lies with the hook and latch fasteners. The cowboys too heavy for these fasteners and may quickly lose their grip. Once to fasten a start coming loose, the cowboys slides around and doesn’t stay in place. The stitching and a cowboy could also be a little better, and ours wouldn’t sit up straight without some modifications to the stitches.

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7. Pandaloon Panda Puppy Dog Costume

The Pandaloon Panda Puppy Dog Costume features a very popular design seen on the TV show Shark Tank. Because of its popularity, you can easily find videos of other people’s dogs wearing this costume on YouTube so you can get a good idea of what it looks like before you purchase one. The full-length costume is available in four sizes and is easy to attach to your pet with a few ties behind the head. The bamboo accessory also comes with your purchase.

What we didn’t like about the Pandaloon Panda was that it only looks good at eye level from the front. If you look at it from above or behind, you will not know what it is supposed to be, and it is not attractive. Another problem we experienced was that some dogs didn’t like to wear the headpiece.

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8. Ruolan Dog Lion Mane Costume

The Ruolan Dog Lion Mane Costume is a very simple but attractive costume that turns your dog into the king of the jungle. It’s easy to apply and attaches to your pet by a drawstring mechanism built-in to the mane. It’s durable and doesn’t shed, and you’ll be amazed at how much your dog looks like a lion, especially if it’s the right color.

The biggest problem at Ruolan is quality control. We ordered two of these lion-mane costumes, and one arrived without ears. When we looked on the internet, we saw many other people received a lion mane without ears as well. Another problem you might experience is that many dogs won’t like it on their head.

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9. iChoue Animal Pet Costumes

iChoue Animal Pet Costumes these 100% cotton in their construction for extreme durability, comfort, and moisture removal. It comes in six cute but simple designs and is perfect for big muscle and active dogs featuring more chest padding and wider shoulders. It’s also machine-washable, so you don’t need to worry about what they get into while they’re wearing it.

If we liked that iChoue gives us something we can put on larger dogs, but it can still be a chore to get them in it and applied, there’s no leash hole to attach a harness so you can go for a walk. The head will also stay on long enough to get a picture if you’re lucky; otherwise, it will be dangling in the back or side the entire time.

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10. Casual Canine Lil’ Stinker Dog Costume

The Casual Canine Lil’ Stinker Dog Costume is one of our favorite costume ideas. After all, what’s scarier than a skunk running at you full speed? This costume features a simple design and is available in five sizes. You can have your pet disguised in less than a minute with the easy to use hook and latch closers and the material durable enough to get plenty of use.

The downside to the Casual Canine is that the costume doesn’t stay put. There aren’t enough fasteners to keep it in place, so it will often tilt to the side or become upside down. Keeping it positioned correctly will become a full-time job. There is also no room for the dog the ears, which would help keep the head in place, and no place for the tail, so your skunk will likely have two tails.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the best Dog Costumes

Here are some things to look for while your shopping for a dog costume.

Size

Sizing is the most important part of getting your dog costume right, but it also the hardest. Many companies over or undersize the costume’s size, making it difficult to get the right even when you measure correctly. It’s also important to realize that not all dog breeds will look good in each costume, and it’s important to choose one that fits your dog.

How to measure your dog for costume

It’s not very hard to measure your dog for a costume if you follow these steps.

Easy to Use

Some foreign that the costume isn’t too difficult to get on your pet. Most of the costumes on our list are easy to put on and only require connecting a few hook and latch fasteners, but you may find some complex designs if you continue to shop. Remember to consider also how you will take the costume off, as this often-difficult step is easy to overlook.

High-Quality Material

Always make sure you inspect the costume to ensure it uses a high-quality material. Subpar material will fall apart and clump over time and can begin to look bad if not become unwearable. We recommend costumes that use cotton and polyester fabric as both are durable and easy to keep clean.

Durability

We spoke of the material, but you must also consider the stitching and accessories’ durability when choosing your costume. Dogs are very active, and if there isn’t good stitching, the custom can fall apart very quickly.

Leash Attachment

Once you have your pet wearing its costume, it’s natural to take one to take them out for a walk so they can get the praise and attention they deserve from the neighbors. If this is something you intend to do, you better check to make sure there is a place to hook up the leash when the costume is on.

Easy to Clean

But the dog costume can get dirty very quickly, and you’re going to need one that you can clean easily. Many of the costumes on this list allow you to machine or hand wash them without destroying the fabric, but you’ll have to check with your brand before purchasing.

Easy to Store

You will want to make sure the costume is easy to store away when you’re not using it. Some costumes may not fit in the storage space, and others may develop wrinkles or creases from the folding. The costumes on our list all store away fairly easily, but we’ve seen some very bulky costumes with some accessories.

Stays in Place

Another concern when choosing a costume is that it stays in place. Sometimes a costume can tilt to the side, or the hat can fall off if not properly secured to the body. You also want to make sure there’s room for the ears and the tail. Many costumes have a specific type of ear or tail in mind and may even require it to stay in place. We tried to point out any costumes that didn’t stay in place in our reviews.

Safety

Many costumes can obstruct your pet’s view and can also inhibit their ability to move correctly, which can not only be uncomfortable; it can create a safety risk if it leaves home. Some costumes will allow you to remove the cumbersome parts when they are not needed.

You can also make the costume safer by adding reflectors or lighting that can be better seen by a motor vehicle, especially at nighttime. Dog collars, glow sticks, and other devices are inexpensive and easy to find. Most will enhance the costume and not only make it safer, but it will also increase the attention it gets.

Usefulness

Remember, dog costumes aren’t only for Halloween. It can add life and fun to a graduation, wedding, sporting event, anniversary, and several other holidays, including Valentine’s Day, The 4^th of July, Easter, and Christmas. When choosing your dog costume, think of some other ways you might repurpose it throughout the year to get more fun to your money.

Conclusion

When choosing a costume for your dog, it’s all about the measurements. Before you do anything else, measure your dog several times until you are satisfied that the numbers are accurate. Then compare these numbers with those provided for each costume. Remember that each costume will use different sizing, and many will lean large or small. Once you get the sizing down, we feel it’s hard to beat the Frisco Front Walking Killer Doll Dog Costume that we chose as the best overall. It looks hilarious and is extremely easy to put on and remove. It’s also washable and comes in several sizes to suit most pets. The Frisco Formal Dog Tuxedo is our choice for the best value and is the smart choice for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a long time putting on a complicated costume. The formal design is also useful for weddings, graduations, and other formal events.

We hope you have enjoyed reading over our reviews, and they have helped you get some ideas for next Halloween. We also hope our buyer’s guide has helped answer any questions you may have had. If you have found it useful, please share these 10 best dog costumes for large dogs and small dogs on Facebook and Twitter.

• See Also: 25 Golden Retriever Halloween Costumes

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Featured image credit: Clement Morin, Shutterstock