There’s nothing cuter than dogs dressed in hoodies, sweaters, raincoats, and costumes. It’s clear that they tolerate it. But do they actually like it?
Most canine companions can be trained to wear clothes without protest. And yes, even sorta kinda like it, if it keeps them cozy and earns them valuable attention. If you follow these training tips, you should be able to convince your dog to wear just about anything—anything within reason, that is. Your dog has standards just like everyone else.
Training Your Dog to Wear Costumes for Halloween (and Other Holidays)
If you haven’t put clothes on your dog before, Halloween is a great time to start. Once you’ve convinced them it’s fun to dress up as a pirate, ghost, superhero, or even a cat (heaven forbid), they might also be willing to wear a turkey tail for Thanksgiving, or wear an ugly sweater for Christmas.
Top Training Tips for Dog Costumes
Halloween costumes may include masks, floppy hats, billowy sleeves, extra tails, moving parts, or other extras that weren’t designed for comfort.
Encouraging your dog’s participation will take patience, perseverance, and much love and encouragement, but it can be done. Here are some time-tested training tips.
Buy or make the right kind of costume
Your dog deserves to be comfortable in their costume, and it’s your responsibility to ensure they are. Select or create a dog costume that:
