21 DIY Costumes for Dogs Plans You Can Make Today (With Pictures)
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While your dog’s daily look is adorable and precious, dressing it up in a costume can add to its charm and be a fun way to temporarily change its look. However, finding dog costumes can be difficult if it’s not close to Halloween.
Fortunately, you can create plenty of DIY costumes at any time of year, and there are many easy ones that beginners can complete. Here are some of our personal favorites to help you get inspired.
The 21 DIY Costumes for Dogs You Can Make Today
1. DIY Butterfly by Essy Jae
| Materials: | Black stiff felt, blue felt, white felt, ribbon, pipe cleaner, pom poms, paper |
| Tools: | Glue gun, scissors, pencil |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This cute and simple butterfly costume is perfect for any season. It can be a great way to celebrate the coming of spring or a quick Halloween costume. The best part is that all you need are scissors and a glue gun to complete this project.
While the instructions call for specific colors of felt, you can get really creative and use any color you’d like to make a personalized and unique costume for your dog.
2. DIY Cotton Candy Costume from Brite and Bubbly
| Materials: | Old dog shirt, paper plate, headband, spray paint, cotton filling, stretchy fabric, sticker Velcro, ribbon, cotton candy sticks |
| Tools: | Glue gun, scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This cotton candy costume is a fun DIY project that you can make for your dog, and it comes with instructions for a matching dress for people. All you really have to do is spray paint cotton filling and glue it to a dog shirt. You can glue a paper plate to a headband and add cotton filling to make a headpiece for your dog. Just make sure to find a headband that fits your dog and won’t slip down.
It does take some time to wait for the paint to dry and glue down the cotton filling, so expect this project to take a full day or two to complete.
3. DIY Cupcake Costume by Lovely Indeed
| Materials: | 7-inch round paper mache box, felt, polyfill, scrapbook paper, elastic band |
| Tools: | Scissors, needle and thread, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This fun cupcake costume uses soft felt to create a fun and whimsical look. It takes about an hour to make, but it does require some basic sewing. Once you sew the base of the cupcake, you can use a glue gun to add decorative frosting and sprinkles.
Once you’ve created your cupcake, all you have to do is attach an elastic band, and it’s ready for your dog to wear. This costume is also a cute idea if you have multiple dogs and want to create an assortment of cupcakes.
4. DIY Dinosaur by two pitties in the city
| Materials: | Dog hoodie, felt |
| Tools: | Sewing machine, fabric glue |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If you’re familiar with basic sewing, this project is a quick and easy way to transform your dog into a dinosaur. All you need to do is cut diamond shapes from felt and sew them along the back of the dog hoodie.
You can also use fabric glue to glue on the diamond shapes. Just make sure to use high-quality fabric glue, or the costume may fall apart in the wash.
5. DIY Halloween Bloody Bandana by Sew Doggy Style
| Materials: | Red felt, red 3D fabric paint, cardboard, markers, Velcro |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This costume is a great option if you don’t have too much time. All you need to do is measure out a piece of red felt and draw out a bloody shape. If you have a little bit of extra time, you can use red 3D fabric paint to create a glossy effect on the felt.
Then, cut out a piece of cardboard in the shape of a knife and glue it to the felt. You can use Velcro to attach the ends of the bandana together, or you can simply tie the bandana around your dog’s neck.
6. DIY Hostess Cupcake by Sew Doggy Style
| Materials: | Brown felt, white fabric paint, Velcro |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This easy Hostess cupcake costume is another quick project that requires just a few materials. All you need is brown felt, white fabric paint, and Velcro.
Once you cut out the body of the costume, you just have to paint on the signature curl on the back. If you want to be extra careful, you can use chalk to trace out the shape first and then go over it with white paint.
7. DIY Lego Brick by Five Legs Between Us
| Materials: | Shoebox lid, craft foam, foam can holders, ribbon or string |
| Tools: | Glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If you have a child who loves Legos, this costume is a great way to create matching costumes for your child and dog. It also uses materials that are relatively cheap and easily accessible.
Rather than cutting out a whole box to fit your dog’s shape, you need to use a shoebox lid as the top of the Lego piece and glue craft foam along the sides to make the shoebox look like a thick Lego brick.
8. DIY Martini from Brit + Co
| Materials: | Felt, bamboo skewer, dog cone |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If you have an old dog cone, you can transform it into a fun martini costume. In addition to the cone, you’ll need a bamboo skewer and some red and green felt to create an olive garnish.
You can attach as many olives as you’d like to the skewer. Once you’re done with your garnish, you use a hot glue gun to attach it to the inside of the cone.
9. DIY No-Sew Lion’s Mane by HGTV
| Materials: | Felt, snap tape |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This lion’s mane is a quick costume that takes about an hour to complete once you’ve gathered your materials. You also don’t have to worry about cutting the felt pieces all the same because the varying sizes will add more texture and variety to the mane.
The end result with cover up your dog’s ears. So, you can make extra felt ears and glue them to the mane if you have the time and leftover pieces of felt.
10. DIY Piñata from Mod Podge Rocks
| Materials: | Felt, dog shirt, glitter glue |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This piñata costume is another easy project that requires felt and an old dog shirt. All you have to do is cut fringes along strips of felt and glue them to the shirt. If you want to add extra flair, you can use glitter glue to line the edges of the fringes.
If you plan to reuse the costume, it’ll be best to sew on the fringes instead and refrain from using glitter glue.
11. DIY Pirate Dog Costume by Make
| Materials: | red and white striped fabric, red rib-knit fabric, black satin fabric, red hook-and-loop fastener tap, black hoop-and-loop fastener tape, gold buttons, white foam sheet, black foam sheet, gold braid trim, clear elastic, small fake parrot |
| Tools: | Craft glue, hole punch, common sewing supplies |
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
You can make a special custom pirate costume for your pet by following these instructions. It incorporates fun details, including gold accents and a fake parrot. While it does take some basic sewing knowledge to make this costume, it comes with a complete set of patterns and thorough instructions.
With a little time, you’ll be able to make a custom-fit costume for your dog. The end product is durable, so your dog can wear it multiple times.
12. DIY Spider Dog Costume by Tikkido
| Materials: | Giant pipe cleaner wire, fake fur fabric, felt, stuffing, dog harness |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
This fuzzy spider dog costume doesn’t require any sewing. As with many DIY dog costumes, this one needs a glue gun to keep everything in place.
While the costume doesn’t take too much time to make, it can be difficult getting some materials, particularly the giant pipe cleaner wire. You may have to resort to purchasing it online and waiting for it to be shipped to you.
13. DIY Tutu from Pitlandia
| Materials: | Tulle, elastic band, Velcro |
| Tools: | Scissors, cardboard |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This adorable tutu is a great option for dogs that don’t really like wearing costumes. It’s also pretty quick and easy to make, especially because you don’t need to tie tulle to the underside of the elastic band. This ensures that your dog’s sensitive skin doesn’t touch the tulle.
While the project is simple, you can get really creative with it by using any color of tulle that you want and mixing colors.
14. DIY Superhero Cape from Instructables
| Materials: | Fabric, Velcro |
| Tools: | Glue gun, ruler, scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
You can’t get a costume that’s easier than this superhero cape. This no-sew costume can be made in minutes. All you have to do is measure your dog’s back and add Velcro to help keep the cape on your dog. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can add your dog’s first initial or other decorations onto the cape.
This costume is especially fun if you dress up as a superhero and have your dog as your trusty sidekick.
15. DIY Taco from Brit + Co
| Materials: | Felt, yarn, elastic band, |
| Tools: | Glue gun, scissors, needle, and thread |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
You can get really creative with this taco costume and make it your own by using different materials to create toppings. You can use felt to create lettuce and cheese and yarn to mimic ground beef.
Once you’ve completed the taco, measure and cut an elastic band to a length where it stays securely on your dog. Then, use a hot glue gun or needle and thread to sew it onto the elastic band.
16. DIY Teddy Bear by Make
| Materials: | Stuffed animal |
| Tools: | Scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If you have an old teddy bear or stuffed animal, you can easily make this teddy bear costume. Try to find a stuffed animal that closely matches your dog’s height. Then, cut the back seam and a circle in the front of the face so that it’s big enough for your dog’s head to go through. Then, cut the bottom of the stuffed animal’s feet so that your dog’s feet can slip through.
You’ll have to take out most of the stuffing, but make sure that you keep the arms stuffed, so they’re not hanging limply.
17. DIY Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle from Crafts by Courtney
| Materials: | Foil pans, paint, green dog shirt, ribbons |
| Tools: | Glue gun, scissors |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume uses everyday materials you can find at home. The shell comes with a full tutorial with easy-to-follow instructions. Once you complete the shell, you can quickly attach and secure it onto the shirt.
If you have multiple dogs, you can switch up the color of the ribbons to create a team of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
18. DIY TY Pup Costume from Brit + Co
| Materials: | Felt, ribbon |
| Tools: | Scissors, glue gun |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
This nostalgic costue accessory is a great option if you’re in a time crunch. The instructions include a template, making it very quick to make.
You also don’t have to worry about your dog feeling uncomfortable wearing this costume. Rather than using cardboard paper like the real TY tag, it’s made with felt so that your dog is wearing something more comfortable and flexible around its neck.
19. Pup-to-Go by Whiskers Gone Wild
| Materials: | Cardboard, rope or string, printed Starbucks logo, tape or glue, Starbucks lid |
| Tools: | Scissors, pencil or marker, printer |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
If your doggo is a fan of pup cups, this Pup-to-Go DIY is the perfect costume. With a handful of materials and a few computer skills, you can easily sit down and design this costume. If Starbucks isn’t your pup’s stop of choice, you can easily switch things up and choose a different shop as the logo for this cute outfit.
20. The Mummy by Costume Works
| Materials: | Gauze, white dog pajamas, white thread, acrylic paint, water |
| Tools: | Sewing machine or needle, scissors |
| Difficulty: | Moderate |
Unfortunately, simply wrapping your dog in gauze or tissue to bring the mummy to life isn’t practical. However, with a pair of white doggy PJs, all that can change. This mummy costume takes a bit of sewing prowess but if you’re a DIYer you can easily make your dog look spooky for the holiday season.
21. Mini M&M Costume by Beagles and Bargains
| Materials: | White or black toddler T-shirt, 14 sheets of Velcro, 1 sheet of white felt, cotton stuffing or batting, white yarn, fabric glue, adhesive Velcro |
| Tools: | Fabric pencil or chalk, large needle, scissors, utility knife |
If you’re a craft person, this Mini M&M costume is a great way to show off your skills. Yes, your dog will look amazing, but people in your neighborhood will be amazed at your DIY ability. With a bit of cutting and sewing, you can send your pooch out as one of the world’s favorite candies. It’s a fun way to show off their sweet side.
Conclusion
Making a fun costume for your doing doesn’t have to be complicated. There are plenty of easy DIY projects that you can construct to create something fun with your dog. With a little time and effort, you can transform your dog into just about anything, and they’ll be sure to steal the show and brighten up everyone’s day.
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Featured Image Credit: Goochie Poochie Grooming, Pexels
