38 DIY Dog Costumes for Halloween

Make your pup the star of this year’s Halloween parade with one of our clever homemade Halloween costumes. When crafting your pet’s costume, be sure to use only soft, lightweight materials that don't obstruct their movement, eyes, nose or mouth.

If you don’t have time to make your pet’s costume, check out our favorite Halloween costumes from Etsy and Amazon. Also, take a look at these hilarious Halloween costumes for cats. Even if your cat wants no part of a costume, you’ll get a kick out of these costumed felines.

First up on our list of DIY dog costumes (many of which also work for cats): a prima ballerina. A tiara, tutu and pink leg warmers can make anyone feel like a princess. To make this costume, pink baby socks are cut and embellished with trim and bows. Pink tulle and elastic are used to make the tutu skirt. The neckband may be crafted from pink nylon and elastic, but a rhinestone pink collar or harness will work, as well. Just remember to top off the costume with an elegant tiara.

Honor your pup's inner goofball with a Halloween costume that celebrates his true colors. Colorful fabric remnants, basic machine sewing and our free printable costume templates make this a DIY project you can complete while binge-watching your favorite show.

Who doesn't like a good pun? With a dog shirt, strips of felt fabric and printed watch faces, your canine companion will be ready for a good time. Start with a plain dog shirt that fits your pooch comfortably. To make the watch bands, cut strips of peel-and-stick felt and adhere them to the back and sides of the dog shirt. Cut out printed watch faces and then hot glue them to the felt watch bands. Space the watch faces so that they don’t overlap. Use a black marker to draw some buckle holes on the watch bands.

It’s not that hard to make this saguaro cactus costume if you’ve got some basic sewing skills. Find a sewing pattern for a basic dog hoodie. Instead of looking all around for green fabric with subtle stripes, purchase microfiber dish towels — it’ll make sewing easier because you’ll already have finished edges. To get the cactus arms to stand up straight, stuff them with batting or straw. If they still need a little extra help, line the arms with pipe cleaners, just make sure to have them folded in a way that won't poke your dog. Follow the how-to project below for instructions on felt flowers and cactus needles.

With a few simple items and no more than one hour of your time, your dog can have a perfectly spellbinding Halloween costume. Print the pattern and cut the felt using the black lines as your guide. Be sure to cut the notches on the inside of the brim shape. Overlap the edges of the cone shape as indicated in gray on your pattern and hot glue along the edge. Attach the brim to the pointy hat by gluing the notches to the inside bottom edge of the cone. Cut a strip of green felt 1” x 12-1/2” long and glue it around base of the hat. To create the yarn braids, make a small bundle of yarn about 18” long and tie a knot at the top. Braid the yarn and tie it off with a piece of yarn and then trim the bottom so the end is even. Repeat for the second braid then hot glue the yarn hair to the inside of the hat on either side of the bottom edge. Measure your dog from ear to ear and cut a piece of elastic to that measurement. Glue the elastic strap inside the hat.

To replicate Venice, Italy’s famous boat drivers, find a black-and-white striped pet shirt, or adjust a child’s shirt to fit your pooch. Wicker hats for pets are readily available and inexpensive. Use stick-on letters to spell out “Venezia” on the hat’s band. Complete the look by tying a red ascot to their collar.

Bring the 80s back by dressing your pooch as a punk rocker. Use non-toxic hair gel and temporary hair dye meant for pets to create a colorful mohawk hairdo. A black leather biker jacket and a collar with silver studs and spikes will complete the look.

Feeling lucky? Dress your pooch as dice this Halloween. Find a lightweight box that has enough room to cut out a hole for the dog’s head and tail. This costume was created using white and black felt, but the same effect can be made using craft paint.

A simple cape with a collar and a bowtie makes for a debonair Dracula costume. To make the cape cut two half-circle pieces of lightweight nylon fabric — we used black and red. Be sure it’s not too long that your pooch will trip over it. Place the right sides of the fabric together and sew them with a 1/2” seam allowance. Leave a small gap so you can turn the fabric right-side out. For the collar, it’s easiest to use one from an upcycled boy's dress shirt. Leave the top button intact so you can fasten it around your pooch’s neck. Sew the collar and cape together — closing the gap you left on the cape. Attach red elastic to a bowtie and once the cape is in place, slip the bowtie over the collar.

If your pooch has a hard time with a full-body costume, but will agree to wear headgear, try this easy-to-make monster hat. You’ll need a lime-green bandana or felt cut into a triangle, white felt, a trio of Ping-Pong balls and hot glue. Start by cutting triangle shapes from the white felt to make the monster’s teeth and then glue or sew them onto the underside of the bandana. Use a permanent marker to draw X’s on the Ping-Pong balls then glue them on the top of the bandana.

Giving new meaning to the phrase, "working like a dog," this costume cleverly repurposes closet castoffs to create a costume that's easy on and off and is comfy for your pet.

This costume is sure to invoke laughter for everyone who had a Chia Pet back in the 80s or 90s. Use orange felt to sew the legs. Use laundry starch or white glue to stiffen the felt so that the legs will stand up. Taper them at the bottom so they won’t slide off your dog’s legs. For the top, hot glue or stitch faux greenery to a green dog shirt or sweater.

Transform your pup into a fashionable canine sensation with a costume made from a child's tie-dye shirt. Pair round-rim sunglasses and a handmade peace sign necklace made from beads and craft foam. Now your pup’s an instant throwback to some groovy times.

Their favorite jacket and a few inexpensive craft materials are all you need to magic up a (cute!) winged Halloween pet costume for your pup.

Encircle your pup in petals this Halloween. For each petal, cut two pieces of pink felt. Place the right sides together and sew around the edge. Place a piece of lightweight wire along that edge and enclose it by sewing another seam a 1/4” from the first seam. Turn the petal right-side out and shape the wire into a petal. Repeat for the other petals. When all the petals are complete, sew the bottom of each petal onto a piece of elastic. Measure the elastic around your dog’s head to get a snug fit and secure both ends of the elastic together.

Ooh-la-la! Your dog or cat will be the cutest chef on four legs in this crafty Halloween costume. Use tissue paper and card stock to create a mini version of a chef's toque blanche and a bit of red fabric to stitch up a jaunty neckerchief.

Your dog will be ready to hula with the best of them in this Hawaiian shirt ensemble, complete with a lei and stylish shades. Measure your pup and find a child-sized tropical print shirt that fits. With the addition of some kid’s sunglasses and a colorful party lei, your pooch will look like they are ready to relax on the beach.

Turn your pup into a sugary delight that won't melt. We filled a clear plastic bag — the kind that is used for gift baskets — with blue and pink cotton craft filling then glued a printed label onto the bag. Fluff the fillings and then stuff them into the large bag until it looks full and puffy. Attach elastic strips to the bottom of the bag so that it will comfortably fit on your pup’s back. Tie off the open end of the bag with a strip of ribbon. Slip the bag onto your dog with the ruffle-end tied toward their head for an extra cute effect.

These fashion-forward hats — aka fascinators — are usually seen at high-society events and royal weddings, but these pups decided they’d be perfect for Halloween. To construct the blue hat, foam sheets were secured with hot glue. Stretch cording keeps the hat comfortably on top of the dog’s head while wispy white feathers and a purple rosette complete the look. The gold fascinator was constructed from flexible pipe cleaners covered in a lightweight fabric. An elastic band wasn't strong enough to prevent shifting so ribbon was stitched to a fabric-covered disk that was sewn directly onto a blonde dog wig.

Turn your dog or cat into the king of the jungle. This cute costume is comfy for your pet and can be constructed out of felt in less than an afternoon.

Felt, pipe cleaners and a bit of Velcro are all you need to dress your furry friend as a winged bat for Halloween. This costume is not only easy to craft with our step-by-step instructions, it's also lightweight so it's comfortable for your dog or cat.

For HGTV fan Sara Alavi, dressing her dogs up in Halloween costumes is a tradition. To create the Little Bo Peep costume, Sara stitched up the dress herself and then topped it off with a curly blonde dog wig (yes, there's such a thing). Sara also crafted the sheep costume using faux fur for the body and hood and pink felt for the interior of the ears. Velcro strips added to each costume ensure easy on and off should either pup become overheated.

This year, celebrate Halloween fiesta-style with your best friend. Easily craft a piñata-inspired costume for your dog using felt, hot glue and just a bit of hand stitching.

Easily turn craft foam sheets into an oversized flower costume for your furball. Attaching the foam flower to your pet's harness ensures they can move freely and be comfortable while enjoying the Halloween festivities.

This year dress your pooch up as a "pup-tato." To make the white part of the potato, crinkle a large piece of white felt into a wrinkly, oblong puff and then attach it to a rectangular piece of craft foam using hot glue. Attach two strips of elastic to the bottom of the puff, so that it fits on the dog’s back like a saddle. Glue on strips of orange paper for the cheese, green felt for chives and a square piece of yellow foam rubber for a pat of butter. The bacon is made by gluing thin brown craft foam strips over red craft foam and cutting it into pieces. For the potato skin, cut a single zigzag edge on brown felt and hot glue it around the sides of the white puff. Next, cut shiny silver wrapping paper into two half-moon shapes large enough to cover the sides of your dog. Crinkle them up and glue them to the sides of the potato to create the tin foil.

Disguise your dog in a cute ladybug costume you can create in under an hour using basic craft materials and a no-sew method.

Not only is Eli the Chihuahua a ship-shape sailor, but he's also a canine celebrity who starred in the reality series Doggie Moms on a local public television station in New York City. His mom and HGTV fan, Karen Biehl, capped off Eli's sailor costume by adding star stickers, a bit of white ribbon and a thin elastic band to a paper ice cream cup to craft his diminutive sailor's hat.

Pugs are like M&Ms — you can’t have just one. To make the costumes, the owner sewed colorful fabric remnants, filled with a thin foam circle, into round pillows that she then embellished them with iron-on letters. A small fabric loop that attaches to their collars plus a wide strap that attaches with Velcro under each pup's middle keeps the pillows from shifting.

Dress your dog as a high-grade tuna roll this Halloween. To make this costume you’ll need black, white and pink or orange fleece or felt, plus a scrap of green felt, batting and Velcro. To make the rice, cut two ovals of white fabric slightly larger than your dog’s back. Glue the pieces together leaving a 4-inch gap. Turn the piece inside out and stuff it with batting. Close the gap using hot glue, tucking in the edges as you go. Create the fish pieces by cutting strips of orange or pink fabric about the same length as the rice. Cut two triangles of green felt for a little garnish. Glue the fish piece and garnish to the top of the rice. Measure your dog from shoulder to shoulder across the chest, cut a piece of white fabric 2 inches wide and slightly longer than that measurement, and hot glue it to the front corners of your rice piece to create a neck strap. To create the seaweed wrap, place the rice on your dog and measure around the rice and their belly. Add 4 inches for overlap and cut a rectangle of black fabric about 4 inches wide and that long. Glue 4-inch segments of Velcro to opposite sides of the short ends of the seaweed piece. Glue the center of the seaweed piece to the top of the sushi piece. Loop the chest piece over your pup, attach the Velcro under his belly, and you’re ready for Halloween.

This crispy supreme taco costume starts with a piece of yellow poster board, cut in half, and then cut into two half-circle pieces. Add flecks of brown craft paint to the outside for a stone ground corn effect. Attach two strips of elastic to the inside bottom of the halves using hot glue. On the inside top of each half of the shell, glue ruffly pieces of green fabric for lettuce and strips of orange craft foam for shredded cheese. Join the two sides of the taco shell by gluing a strip of white felt or batting between the tops of the two halves. Top with red paper or craft foam for diced tomatoes and orange felt strips for the cheese.

Your dog will be the talk of the Wild West with this cowboy sheriff costume featuring a mini cowboy hat, red bandana and a sheriff’s badge. Make an oversized sheriff’s star by cutting the shape out of craft foam, painting it silver and spelling out "sheriff" with alphabet stickers. Top it off with a doggie cowboy hat, and your pooch is ready to patrol.

Create a bee-autiful costume for pup this Halloween. Black and yellow tulle come together to create a tutu. The wings are created from a coat hanger, felt and black hosiery. The antennae was also easy to make with pipe cleaners and pom-poms.

Dressing your cat for Halloween is a feat attempted by only the bravest of pet owners, but if your cat is willing, try turning your kitty into a seafaring rogue with a custom-stitched puffy shirt and felt pirate's hat. Just be sure to sleep with one eye open for a while.

Trick-or-treaters will definitely do a double-take of this clever Halloween costume that uses toddler-size clothing on a well-crafted body to resemble the Headless Horseman and his horse, Daredevil. This amazing pet costume actually weighs in at less than 5 pounds total and even includes a custom-stitched saddle and bridle to accurately recreate the look.

Turn your pooch into an adorable mummy. Dip dye medical gauze in strongly brewed tea to give an aged look. Allow the gauze to dry, then gently pull with your fingers to create a distressed look. Start wrapping the gauze around your dog's body, leaving space for them to walk comfortably. Wrap the gauze loosely around their legs, ensuring they can move freely.

A Great Dane is sure to turn heads any day — but add a furry lion's mane and tail and you can literally stop traffic. This pet owner put her sewing skills to work to stitch up a thick, faux-fur mane to slide over her pup's head. A soft, fabric-covered band over his nose attaches to the inside of the mane to prevent it from shifting.

Transform your dog into a caped crusader with this easy no-sew costume. You’ll need a solid-color T-shirt. Using a sharp scissors, cut off the sleeves then cut out the front of the shirt, leaving the woven neck band of the shirt intact. Trim any excess fabric away from the neckband. A logo or a letter can be added to the back of the cape, in patch or felt cutout form. Our bold paw print symbol was painted on using a homemade stencil that was cut out of a sturdy piece of paper.