Halloween is a fun time of year for you and your pup to flex your creative muscles and dress up in adorable costumes. But, coming up with the best Halloween costumes for dogs takes a lot of imagination, especially if you prefer not to use a store-bought, pre-made costume.
While pre-made costumes can be cute, they may not be the best option for your pup. They are often too thin for cold weather and won’t keep your pup sufficiently warm when out trick-or-treating or attending your neighbourhood’s Halloween dog costume contest. Plus, these costumes are often ill-fitting, making it hard for your dog to move around comfortably.
Nobody wants a wardrobe malfunction on Halloween!
Embracing your creativity and using pet apparel to create your own costume is the best way to ensure your dog is comfortable on Halloween and to have a lasting garment that you can still make use of afterwards! With simple modifications, you can transform your dog’s Canada Pooch clothing into an adorable (and comfy) costume! We’ve suggested a few fun ideas below in this guide for DIY dog halloween costumes to help you get started!
But remember, for your dog’s safety, you should never leave them unsupervised in their costume.
Rainbow with a Pot of Gold
There are few things to treasure more than your perfect pup, so why not dress them up as a rainbow with a pot of gold for Halloween?! Our Over the Rainbow Sweater makes the ideal foundation for this adorable DIY puppy or adult dog costume concept.
This rainbow rib-knit sweater will keep your dog warm and cozy while you’re out trick-or-treating. It slips on over your dog’s head and features a half-zip neck, so you can roll the collar back or unzip it to best fit your dog’s neck. The sweater features a small opening in the back so your dog can wear a harness underneath and you can easily attach a leash for walking without covering up your dog’s costume.
For the rest of the DIY dog costume, source some felt fabric in white, black, and gold and cut out clouds, a pot, and gold nuggets. Then, use a needle and thread to stitch the shapes together to create a pot of gold and some puffy clouds. If you prefer not to sew, you could use a glue gun to secure the shapes to one another. To give the costume a more luxe look, instead of felt, you could opt for fabric with interesting textures, perhaps faux shearling for the clouds or faux leather for the pot.
Once you’ve cut them out, attach your clouds and your pot of gold to the Over the Rainbow Sweater to complete the costume. Attach the shapes using a method you feel most comfortable using with your dog’s safety in mind. We suggest using a few loose hand stitches to attach the shapes so that way, you can remove them after Halloween and return the sweater to your pup’s everyday wardrobe!
Army Cadet
An army cadet is a classic Halloween costume for dogs. Thanks to Canada Pooch’s Glow-In-The-Dark Camo Sweater, it’s incredibly easy to pull together a homemade dog costume! Best of all, the glow-in-the-dark fabric will help your dog remain visible if you’re out trick or treating after dark!
The Glow-In-The-Dark Sweater is made from a stretchy, knit fabric that will help your pup stay warm in cool fall weather. It slips on over your dog’s head and features an opening on the back to easily attach a leash to a harness or collar underneath. This sweater comes in sizes 8 through 28, so it will fit a wide range of dog breeds and sizes.
Pairing a few accessories with the Glow-In-The-Dark Sweater will complete the army cadet DIY dog Halloween costume. Purchase a set of “dog tags” for your pup to wear around their neck, or make them out of tin foil!
