What are the Best Halloween Costumes for Dogs?
**Updated 9-4-2016**
It is soon going to be the time of year that little ghosts and goblins come knocking on your door!
If you get a lot of the little monsters coming to your door, you most likely decorate your home for Halloween. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve recently noticed many people get dressed up right along with their kids on Halloween.
Who woulda thought of that way back when? Well, at least my parents never dressed up for Halloween when I was a kid. Oh, well….but, it woulda been fun!
Anyways, there’s a ton of awesome costumes out there! Halloween costumes are not only for us people, but our furry friends as well.
Dogs and cats are getting dressed up in cute and even creepy, scary costumes now…
But First….Safety is Key to a Happy Halloween!
Sorry if I’ve mislead you a bit with the title…I’ll be getting to the Best Halloween Costumes for dogs shortly…
I’m updating this post now, as it’s gotten a bit dated and at the time I first posted it, I didn’t realize my blunder…
I forgot to add them here! My apologies!
If you’d like to check out some of the Best Halloween Costumes for dogs, I’ve already added Superhero Costumes for Dogs and Halloween Costumes for Dogs and Owners…
You can read them by clicking the following links here:
Superhero Costumes
Halloween Costumes for Dogs & Owners
I’m also going to be writing a new post very shortly, which will include a listing of the latest and best costumes for dogs….I’ll add the link here once I get it done…
*Update: Here’s my latest post on Halloween costumes for dogs, which focuses mainly on costumes for large dogs, but some are available in other sizes as well. You can check it out in the post Dog Costumes Large Dogs
Now, on to those Safety Tips!
Dog Halloween Costumes and Safety Tips for Halloween
How about your dog? Why not dress him or her up a little? Most dogs love attention anyway and dressing them up for Halloween will be a sure way to get them a lot of it! Give the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood a surprise!
A nice one, that is…But, well, read on and I’ll explain a bit more about the But!
Friendly Dog or Not So Friendly?
Before doing this, however, make sure your dog is socialized and comfortable being around different people! You wouldn’t want your dog ending up in trouble or you ending up in trouble because it is not used to people and does something drastic like bite one of the little goblins.
Dogs that are more timid and unsure of themselves may become afraid of all the unaccustomed ghosts, goblins, witches, and all the other kinds of costumes imaginable. This could either lead to your dog having behaviors such as barking, hiding, having an accident on the floor, or even biting someone.
This is a natural reaction for any dog if put into a fearful situation, it is more likely to have unwanted behaviors. So, make sure you have helped your dog become a social animal before putting them in a situation with a lot of different people coming and going.
Some dogs do not do well with a lot of strange noise and activity going on around them.
So, for the love of Pete….
don’t force your dog to wear a costume if it doesn’t like it, and if your dog doesn’t do well with people and other dogs, do yourself and your dog a favor. A huge favor…
What kind of favor? You ask.
Keep your dog home and away from the noise and sights on Halloween night!
Don’t push your luck! Keeping your dog in a costume, whether it likes it or not, by the door as you greet the little monsters coming up to it is a great recipe for disaster!
Tips to Keep Your Dog Happy at Home on Halloween
- Keep your dog in another room away from the door
- Keep any Halloween decorations out of your dog’s reach
- Keep any candy out of reach too
- If you don’t have another room that you can close the door to try a baby gate or else put your dog in a crate, which would be the safest thing to do.
- Keep some treats for your dog handy and reward your dog for good behavior: being quiet, laying down, etc.
- Give your dog something to do. Give it a favorite chew toy to keep it busy.
Dogs that are well socialized and friendly with all people including kids should have no problem with going out to greet them on Halloween. If your dog already is the type that is well adjusted to people and goes up to anybody, whether they are adults or children, stranger or not, then it should do really well with wearing a Halloween costume while doing the same thing he or she already does.
But, there’s never a guarantee that things won’t go wrong. No matter how good your dog usually is around people. They have a mind of their own, you know. Or, well, you should!
Dogs are living, breathing, eating…well, you get the point, they have feelings too! They can freak out just as good as anybody.
They get scared, hungry, hot, cold, tired, etc. How do you feel when you are any of those things?
Like you’re going to flip out on the next person who does something stupid, that’s how you feel….
Am I right?
A Few Words of Advice if You Insist on Bringing Your Dog Along
- Keep your dog on a leash if you do decide to take them with you
- Make sure your dog’s costume is not too hot or tight
- Dog should be able to see clearly and move freely while wearing its costume
- Do not go up to people’s doors with your dog! Let the kids do the trick-or-treating. Okay? Otherwise, there may be problems with any dogs that may be behind those doors! Your dog might do well with other dogs, but how do you know if the dogs that may be waiting behind that neighbors door will be happy to see you with your friendly furball! Just don’t do it! Wait by the road with your dog.
- Supervise your dog for any signs of discomfort or distress! You can usually tell when your dog is not liking a situation very much by it’s body language and posture. If your dog appears distressed at all, then bring it home.
Get Your Dog Used to Dressing Up
A good idea before the big day arrives is to get your dog used to wearing clothes or a costume. Put the costume on your dog and see what happens. They do not always seem to like it do they? As long as it fits properly and is not too tight or too hot, your dog should get used to wearing it.
Start out little by little to get your dog used to it. Put the costume on your dog and then give it a reward. Give it some treats, so he or she will associate this with good things!
What do you do if your dog doesn’t like wearing it at all, no matter what you do or try? Then don’t force it to. Simple as that. If you see that your dog hates it and is just miserable wearing it, then take it off.
You can always take a few pictures first. That way you’ll both be happy. You’ll have some cute pictures and your dog will be happy to be naked and free of that darn contraption!
What Kinds of Halloween Costumes are There For Dogs?
There are all kinds of ideas for Halloween costumes for your dog. Just try to think of what would look good or cute on him or her. If you’re having a Halloween party with a certain type of theme, think of a costume that would fit with your theme. This would certainly make it even more of a party to remember if your guests could see your dog dressed up in a Halloween costume that fits perfectly with your party theme!
I think that the best type of Halloween costume for dogs would be something that brings out their own individual personality, and also his or her size and gender. There are a lot of different costume ideas out there and you can usually buy a simple costume for your dog at a pretty cheap price.
Please, Dress Responsibly!
When choosing a costume for your dog make sure to buy the proper size for your dog and also realize that your dog may become too hot in certain costumes for a longer period of time. Keep in mind how long you are planning on keeping it on the dog and whether or not it has parts that can be chewed off. These can become choking hazards if you aren’t paying enough attention to your dog.
What is your opinion… Should people dress up their dog for Halloween or not? I’d love to hear what YOU have to say!
Here’s a few dog costumes that I thought were cute ideas! BTW, the orange and blue tuxedos for dogs are based on the movie “Dumb and Dumber.” Remember that one? Not that I’d ever think of a dog as “dumb,” just thought these look so adorable, I couldn’t help but add these! Whether it’s a small, medium, or large dog, I think these would look fantastic!
Ooh, aren’t these just cute?♥ >>Click the images to find them at Amazon<<
Please feel free to comment and have a safe and happy Halloween with your dog!
Best wishes ~Sherry
such wonderful pictures!
Hi Cynthia,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment! I’m happy to hear from you and hope to hear from you again sometime. Take care and best wishes! 🙂 -Sherry
This is where I absolutely agree. Dogs will be timid and scared when they are out and about. They might even bite first and ask questions later if they see people greeting them in sheets or burger costumes. Then there are other dogs on the street. also scared and dressed in dog costumes.
Dogs and people are unaccustomed to ghosts and goblins, both can freak out on Halloween. This is why I make clothes for dogs with speakers built in at http://www.TheWoofer.com. Play spooky music.
That is definitely why people should make sure that their dog is accustomed to pretty much anything and everything. Dogs that are well socialized are confident and secure in their surroundings no matter what is going on around them.
On the other hand, dogs that are feeling afraid or are insecure often react with aggressive behaviors such as growling, barking, and even biting if it comes to that much of an extreme. Halloween can be quite the experience for any dog, so owners should be aware of their dog’s behaviors and if the dog is becoming upset or is it staying calm and enjoying the situation.