Halloween isn’t every dog’s cup of tea, but some four-footers love getting in on the action! But to properly enjoy the holiday, your doggo needs a costume!
There are a ton of commercially made dog Halloween costumes on the market, but crafty mutt moms and doggie dads may want to simply make a DIY dog costume instead. And that’s what we’re going to help you do today!
Below, we’ll share some of our favorite DIY dog Halloween costume ideas for your pet, ranging from the super simple to the challengingly complex. So grab your floof, gather your craft tools and supplies, and get to work! s
Are you running out of time? Did you just decide to give your canine a costume?
No worries! We’ve put together a few last minute dog Halloween costume ideas that you should be able to put together in a jiff!
The Best DIY Halloween Pet Costumes!
We’re sharing some of our favorite DIY Halloween costumes for dogs below. Just be sure that you select one that’ll work well with your canine friend, and keep her comfy and safe while showing off her great get up!
1. Simple Halloween Bandana
About: If you’re looking for something easy yet festive, take a page from one of our own contributors, Jocelyn Okamoto! These festive Halloween bandanas are super easy to make and are perfect for pups who are new to costumes or clothing.
Supplies:
- Cotton fabric and matching thread (you can also use a blank bandana from the dollar store if sewing isn’t your forte)
- Fabric markers or acrylic paint and fabric painting medium (Puffy Paint also works!)
Directions:
- Start by sewing a simple triangle dog banana with cotton fabric.
- Use fabric paint or markers to decorate.
- Secure around your dog’s neck.
- Let the good times roll!
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Dog Costume
About: Is your furball ready to join the fearsome fighting team? Luckily, Crafts by Courtney has created this amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costume for pups. This clever costume converts a turkey pan into a turtle shell for your sweetheart.
Supplies:
- Turkey pan
- Brown and green paint
- Mod Podge
- Velcro
- Ribbon
- Large green shirt
Directions:
- Paint the turkey pan with brown and green paint to create the appearance of a turtle shell and let dry.
- Sew the top and bottom of the “shell” onto the backside of the T-shirt.
- Fit your dog with the shirt and shell and tie a long ribbon around the waist over the back of the shell.
- Cut fabric to create a matching bandana and wrist cuffs.
3. Business Man Dog Costume
About: Send your woofer to work in this hilarious business man dog costume from HGTV. This is a great way to upcycle an old collared shirt and it’s sure to make your pooch the talk of the neighborhood!
Supplies:
- Kid’s clip-on tie
- Old collared shirt
- Seam ripper
- Sewing machine
- Velcro tape
Directions:
- Cut off the collar of a shirt and mark the length of your dog’s neck for later.
- Cut off the shirt’s cuffs, remove any buttons and create a clean seam.
- Measure the length of your dog’s paws on the cuffs, cut off the excess fabric, and add Velcro to create complete cuffs.
- Add Velcro to the collar to create a removable closure the length of your dog’s neck.
- Add the clip-on tie to the collar once it’s affixed on your dog’s neck.
4. Beanie Baby
About: This adorable Beanie Baby costume by BRIT + CO is super easy to make and is super cute. The Beanie Baby tag is affixed to a ribbon or your dog’s collar, so it’s a great festive pick for pups who don’t enjoy full-blown costumes.
Supplies:
- Beanie Baby “TY” tag print out
- Red and white felt
- Scissors
- Ribbon
- Hot Glue
Directions:
- Use your print out of the iconic red and white TY tag to stencil out a red heart and the TY letters on corresponding sheets of felt.
- Cut out the felt pieces, then arrange and secure them with hot glue.
- Hot glue the felt to a ribbon the length of your dog’s typical collar.
- Attach the ribbon to your dog’s collar or gently wrap the ribbon around your pooch for an adorable photo op.
5. Mutt Mummy
About: Turn your mutt into a magnificent mummy with this adorable costume idea from Costume Works. Plus, you can probably make this costume with items you have around the house! Just note that this costume takes a lot of medical gauze, so it might be a better pick for smaller furry friends.
Supplies:
- Medical gauze
- Black tea
- Sewing machine and thread
- White dog onesie (something like this would work)
Directions:
- Soak a generous amount of medical gauze in brewed black tea to create an older appearance and set the gauze out to dry.
- Sew colored gauze to the outside of white dog pajamas.
9. Dinosaur Dog Hoodies
About: These DIY dinosaur hoodies from Pitties in the City are super festive and give your pooch a little extra warmth for an October stroll. These hoodies are pretty easy for beginner sewers and they should feel pretty comfy for most pooches.
Supplies:
- Dog hoodie
- Felt
- Sewing machine
- Iron
Directions:
- Cut out diamond-shaped pieces of felt.
- Sew these pieces along the “spine” of your dog’s hoodie.
- Flat iron the pieces to help them stand out as “spikes” for your dog.
10. Pinata Pup
About: Is your pup always ready to party? If so, this adorable Pinata Pup costume from HGTV is perfect for Halloween. This costume can be worn with or without the festive hat based on your pup’s preferences.
Supplies:
- Multiple colors of felt
- Coordinating colors of ribbon
- Small piece of elastic
- Blank dog t-shirt
- Pom poms
- Hot glue gun
Directions:
- Cut 1-inch strips of different colors of felt, scoring half an inch flats across each strip.
- Layer each strip on the dog t-shirt.
- Use remaining felt and hot glue to create cones for the hat.
- Cover the hat in additional strips of felt. Add pom pom to the top of each cone.
- Use hot glue to affix the cones on to the elastic to create a hat.
11. No Sew Pirate Costume
About: If you’re not a savvy seamstress, you can still make this awe-inspiring pirate costume for your pooch from Luigi & Me. You’ll have to take a trip to a Halloween store for the pirate accessories, but the bulk of the outfit can be made using items you have around the house.
Supplies:
- Striped tank top
- Elastic
- Black fabric
- Fake pirate sword
- Pirate cap
- Hot glue
Directions:
- Cut and tie the tank to fit your dog’s size.
- Glue the pirate sword to the black fabric, creating a “belt” for your dog.
- Fix the pirate cap on your canine for a quick snap. For longer wear, you might want to get a small piece of elastic to glue to the cap so that it stays put while you and your pooch head out.
12. Canine Cupcake
About: Turn your canine companion into a cupcake with this adorable costume from Lovely Indeed. This cupcake costume is super cute, but it may take a bit more time to assemble, so it’s a great pick for serious crafters.
Supplies:
- Round paper mache box
- Various felt colors
- Polyfill
- Neutral scrapbook paper
- 3/4″ elastic
- Glue gun
- Needle and thread
Directions:
- Cut out equally-sized arched portions of the round box to fit the curve of your dog’s body.
- Attach elastic to the edges of the box so that you can strap the cupcake to your dog’s back.
- Attach a felt piece around the perimeter of your “cupcake” and fill with polyfill before gathering in the middle and stitching.
- Bend paper into an accordion style and glue around the box layer to create a “wrapper.”
- Layer wavy sections and small rectangles of felt to create icing and sprinkles on top of your cupcake. Hot glue them into place.
13. Minion
About: Minion characters were all the rage this year, so why not turn your pooch into one with this adorable costume from Celebrity Dachshund? This costume is perfect for savvy crafters and is sure to earn you lots of compliments for your canine. However, this costume only works for petite pooches up to 15 pounds since it utilizes a small minion toy.
Supplies:
- Plush minion toy
- Minion overalls
- Black fabric
- Coat hanger
- Pliers
- Hot glue
- Cardboard
- Velcro
Directions:
- Hollow out most of the plush toy to create a housing for the costume.
- Using the provided patterns cut out cardboard and insert them into the hollowed toy to help create the desired shape.
- Bend coat hanger pieces and insert into plush arms to create hands.
- Attach Velcro to overall straps and to the area surrounding your dog’s neck on the plush housing.
- Connect the overalls and the plush housing and adjust the measurements to suit your dog’s size.
14. Court Jester
About: Do you have a canine clown at home? Build your best buddy the perfect costume with this adorable Jester costume from HGTV. This costume is easier to make than it looks, as the creator provides free print outs so that you can quickly cut out all of the needed pieces.
Supplies:
- Free collar, hat, and horn printable templates
- Felt in 8 different colors
- Small bells (optional)
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Polyfill
- Velcro
Directions:
- Print out all templates and use the cut out shapes to create all needed felt pieces.
- Create horns and stuff them with polyfill before sewing them shut.
- Attach the horns to the hat base.
- Create hat and collar straps, affixing Velcro to the ends to create a secure fit.
- Assemble the collar by creating a Velcro closure and sewing mini bells at the point of each diamond.
15. Unicorn
About: Our pups add plenty of sparkle to our lives, making this unicorn costume by Craftbox Girls a great idea! This costume probably looks best on dogs with white fur, but it’s a festive pick for any furry friend!
Supplies:
- White felt
- Shiny gold fabric
- Hot glue
- Rainbow yarn
- Needle and thread
- Polyfil
- Ribbon
Directions:
- Create a unicorn horn by making a cone shape with the gold fabric, filling it with polyfil and threading it shut.
- Affix the horn onto a long white sheet of felt, roughly the length of your dog’s head.
- Hot glue rainbow strands across the top of the white sheet around the base of the horn to create unicorn hair.
- Sew a ribbon to the underside of the white felt, allowing enough ribbon to tie comfortably around your dog’s neck.
16. Scarecrow Human and Hound Costume
About: Looking for a matching outfit for you and your precious pooch? Get in the Halloween spirit with these complimentary scarecrow costumes from Aleenes. You could also dress your pooch up as a scarecrow, while you dress up as a crow, or you could do a The Wizard of Oz theme and dress as the tin man.
Supplies:
- Doggy overalls
- Dog straw hat
- Faux fall leaves
- Festive fall fabric
- Aleene’s Fabric Fusion (or another fabric adhesive)
- Rafia
Directions:
- Cut patches of fabric into various shapes.
- Layout sections of fabric pieces, leaves, and rafia strips and glue to the overalls according to taste.
17. Strawberry
About: This strawberry costume from Shari’s Berries is berry adorable! This costume takes a little bit of sewing, but the results are clearly worth it! As an added bonus, Shari’s Berries provides similar costume designs for two-footers, so you can match your mutt!
Supplies:
- Red, green, and black felt
- ⅜ inch elastic
- Velcro
- Sewing machine
- Hot glue gun
Directions:
- Cut out the red felt according to the sewing pattern.
- Sew together the red base according to your dog’s measurements with a Velcro closure.
- Sew on the black strips of felt to act as “seeds” and the green leaf shapes along the collar of the costume.
18. Ladybug
About: Your furbal will earn plenty of scritches with this adorable ladybug costume from HGTV. Best of all, this costume doesn’t require any sewing and can be made with basic craft supplies making it a great pick for owners new to crafting.
Supplies:
- Red and black tulle
- 1/2″ wide elastic (for waistband and shoulder straps)
- 1/4″ wide black elastic (for antennae)
- Scissors
- 2 red pipe cleaners
- 2 black pom-poms
- Wire hanger
- Black tights
- Hot glue
- Black felt
Directions:
- Create the tutu with red tulle according to the provided model and your dog’s measurements.
- Build the wings by bending the wire hanger and gluing black tulle and felt to the surface of the structure.
- Build antennae with pipe cleaners and pom poms at the end and secure them into place with hot glue. Attach an elastic to wrap around your dog’s body to the dried wings.
- Attach the antennae to a strip of black felt and add an elastic across to create a headband that fits your pooch.
19. Butterfly
About: Turn your canine cutie into a beautiful butterfly with this free wing template from Apartment Therapy. This adorable costume and accompanied by a DIY black wire headpiece to complete the look with antennae.
Supplies:
- Free printable wing templates
- 2 sheets black felt
- 1 sheet yellow felt
- Fabric glue
- 12-gauge black wire
- Velcro
Directions:
- Print out the wing templates and cut out the sample shapes.
- Trace the shape of the wings on the felt and cut out black felt.
- Using the wing section template, cut out pieces on the yellow felt and arrange on black wing felt base.
- Glue yellow pieces on the black base.
- Bend the wire around the perimeter of the wing, securing it in place with tape and fabric glue.
- Attach the wings with fabric glue to a strip of black felt with Velcro at the ends.
- Secure the wings by looping through your dog’s harness.
20. Bloody Bandana
About: Perhaps you’re seeking a spookier solution for your hound’s Halloween look. Luckily, Sew Doggy Style has provided this amazing template for a bloody bandana! All you need is a red bandana and a little creativity to make this costume come together.
Supplies:
- Red bandana
- Old cardboard
- Black and silver markers
- Red puffy paint
- Velcro
- Hot glue
Directions:
- Draw out an outline on the red bandana to create the appearance of a blood.
- Cut out the bloody outline shape and cover the outline marks with red puffy paint.
- Cut out a knife shape on cardboard. Color in the cardboard knife with markers and cut out the knife with a blade and handle separated.
- Attach the sides of the knife to opposite sides of the bandana with hot glue to create the appearance of the knife going through the bandana.
- Once dried, cover the hot glue with more paint and add some paint to the tip of the knife for a spooky effect.
21. Superhero
About: Looking for a super easy costume for your canine? This superhero cape from Kidspot gives you the chance to upcycle an old T-shirt – and you don’t need to do any sewing at all! While this DIY is technically made for a human kid, you can easily resize and adopt the instructions for your fur baby.
Supplies:
- Old t-shirt
- Felt
- Fabric glue
- Velcro fasteners
Directions:
- Cut out the shape of the cape, creating space between the T-shirt and T-shirt collar to create room for your dog’s head.
- Cut out several shapes of your choosing in felt and glue them to the back of the cape.
- For extra flair, create superhero cuffs with remaining fabric and Velcro fasteners to put around your pup’s wrists.
22. Fairy
About: This dreamy fairy costume from HGTV upgrades your dog’s fall vest or jacket to a new level with ethereal wings. Best of all, this costume requires no sewing, so it’s an easy way to showcase your furball’s festive spirit.
Supplies:
- 2 sheets of blue-glittered cardstock
- 2 sheets of purple-glittered cardstock
- Glue stick
- spray adhesive
- 3″ foam sphere
- Hot glue gun
- Clear glitter
- Pink acrylic paint
- Dog vest
Directions:
- Cut out the wing shapes on cardstock using the provided template.
- Glue the wings together.
- Paint the foam sphere with glitter paint.
- Insert wings into the foam by creating slats with an Exact-o knife and using spray adhesive to secure.
- Take the wing structure and secure it on the back of your dog’s vest or sweater with hot glue.
23. Mini M&Ms
About: This mini M&Ms costume by Beagles & Bargains is a fantastic option for your four footer (especially if you have a chocolate Lab). This DIY costume is a bit more elaborate than some of the other DIY options, but it’s a great labor of love for crafty pet parents.
Supplies:
- Dog T-shirt
- 14 sheets of felt (various colors)
- 1 sheet of white felt
- Cotton stuffing
- White yarn
- Fabric glue
- Adhesive Velcro
- Large fabric needle
Directions:
- Cut out felt circles in different colors. Fill each with cotton stuffing and sew shut to create “M&Ms.”
- Cut out “M”s on white felt and glue them to small M&Ms.
- Sew or glue the M&Ms on to the back of the T-shirt.
24. Pineapple
About: Do you live somewhere where the weather is always sunny? Perhaps a fitting Halloween costume for your hound is this hilarious pineapple number from Brit + Co. This no-sew costume gives you all of the fun without requiring you to touch a needle and thread – hot glue does the trick for this amazing costume.
Supplies:
- Yellow dog t-shirt
- Yellow Velcro
- Gold paint pen
- Green felt
- Hot glue
- Elastic
Directions:
- Draw some cross-hatching on a yellow shirt.
- Cut out some leaf shapes on green felt.
- Use another green strip of felt to create a cylinder shape for the top of the pineapple and secure it with hot glue.
- Glue the leaf pieces around the closed cylinder.
- Secure an elastic strip around either side of the cylinder to complete the pineapple topper head piece.
25. Rocket Dog
About: Is your pooch out of this world? If so, this rocket dog costume by Costume Works is a perfect pick! This adorable outfit upcycles old soda bottles to create a jetpack truly worthy of blasting off. Plus, this costume is compatible with harnesses if you plan on taking your pooch out for trick or treating.
Supplies:
- Empty soda bottles
- Silver spray paint
- Duct tape
- Red, orange, and yellow tissue paper
- Printed out NASA Logo
- Harness
Directions:
- Print out a NASA logo on black paper.
- Spray paint the soda bottles gray.
- Connect the soda bottles to the back of your dog’s harness, taping the NASA sheet in the center of the two bottles.
- Tape strips of tissue paper in the caps of the bottles to create the appearance of flames and secure them with duct tape.
If time is tight, you may want to just use some dog hair dye to make your four-footer appropriately festive!
Don’t worry, hair dyes made specifically for dogs are only temporary, and most of ’em are pretty affordable too. Best of all, they only take a few minutes to apply!
Dog Halloween Safety Tips
Whether you’re making homemade costumes or using store-bought alternatives, you’ll want to keep your canine safe and sound on Halloween with these key safety considerations:
- Keep candy away from the canines. Candy, chocolate, and artificial sugars like xylitol are toxic to our furry friends. Save the candy for humans and whip up some homemade dog treats for your dog instead.
- Your dog’s comfort comes first. If your dog is easily aroused by the doorbell or doesn’t like visitors, it might make the most sense to keep your dog safely confined inside and hand out candy directly from the porch. Other dogs who love meeting new people and dogs might enjoy coming with you while trick or treating. Just make sure that you adjust your plans according to your pup’s personal needs.
- Try out your canine costume ahead of time. Make sure your pup is comfortable with his costume before heading out on the town. Some dogs might only have the patience to let you snap a festive photo or two rather than wearing their costumes the entire night. Respect your best buddy’s boundaries – some dogs just don’t like costumes, and that’s OK.
- Be careful with decorations. Glow sticks, jack-o’-lanterns, and other Halloween decorations can be dangerous for dogs. Make sure these are kept well out of your pup’s reach to keep everyone safe.
- Make sure your dog’s ID tags are up to date. If your dog is joining you for trick or treating, make sure his ID tags are up to date. It also might make sense to pick up an LED light up collar for the occasion.
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Do you have any great DIY dog Halloween costumes to share? Send us pics of your cute dog costumes via our photo uploader or tag us on Instagram (@k9ofminedogs)!
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