How to Choose (or Make) a Halloween Costume for Your Dog

Consider your pet's safety, comfort and personality when selecting or creating a dog Halloween costume.

Halloween is a fun, relaxed holiday. Candy, costumes, trick or treating and parties all add up to a unique and enjoyable holiday mood. Almost anyone who enjoys Halloween with its sense of fun and great costumes can appreciate the fun of dressing their dog in a costume.

Dressing up in Halloween costumes is entertaining. Pets look cute dressed up, and depending on the dog's personality it may even enjoy wearing a Halloween costume for pets. Choosing the right dog costume can be almost as fun as dressing up the kids and getting dressed up in an adult costume.

The first thing to consider when choosing a Halloween Costume for your dog is the pet's safety. Things that impair the dog's vision are a bad idea. Your dog cannot safely walk if its line of vision is blocked by a floppy hat or fluffy collar. (Please note the pirate dog in the photo accompanying this article safely removed her eye patch before getting off of the sofa.)

A dog costume that has parts - like a flowing cape or long strap - that hang down and trip the dog are also a source of potential danger for your dog. Super Dog might look really cute in that dog costume but a fall could seriously injure your pet. Anything like a cape needs to be short and not too fluffy so your dog can walk safely in its Halloween costume.

Your dog's comfort is the next thing you will want to consider when selecting dog Halloween costumes. Dogs already have fur so choosing a lightweight dog costume will increase their comfort. A short haired dog might be able to comfortably wear a heavy Halloween costume while a longer haired dog will be more at ease in a light costume.

Your dog's personality is the last thing to consider when choosing a dog costume for Halloween. Some dogs love to wear clothes. These are the dogs that are the most fun to dress up for Halloween. They can easily be dressed in almost any type of costume.

Dogs that do not like to be dressed however - might end up biting if someone tries to force their legs into a cute outfit. Dogs with this kind of temperament can still be dressed up for Halloween. It is just easier to find a bandana that matches the owner's costume to tie around their collars. A dog in a bandana might not be as cute as a dog dressed up in a wiener costume or a witch Halloween costume - but people will still be amused if it matches the owner's costume.