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In a Pinch? Here are 9 Super Simple DIY Dog Costumes for Halloween.

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If those racks on racks on racks of dog costumes presented to you at every pet store in your neighborhood fail to excite you, why not create your dog’s very own last minute costume?

Making your dog’s own costume is a cheap and fun alternative — not to mention a great bonding activity — to get your dog ready to be a stand out at this year’s Halloween party. Unlike picking up a generic store bought costume, each take will be seen as your dog’s own and will be entirely authentic – and many are quite simple.

Here are some simple DIY costume ideas for you and your dog.

1. ET

Arrive at the party on a bike. Make sure you have a basket on the front of your bike that your dog can safely chill in. You will wear a red sweater with your hood up the whole evening. Your dog will be swaddled in a white towel like the alien baby she is. You could also transition little ET from the basket to a BabyBjorn when you get into the party. If you really want to go the full nine yards, make an over-sized papier-mâché moon to carry around with you as well.

Materials needed: red sweater, bike, basket, white towel, BabyBjorn (optional), papier-mâché, white paint, scissors.

2. Don ‘Dog’ Draper

The only Donald we will suggest being this year, calls for one skinny tie and some dog-friendly hair gel. As your dog sits and stays at the party, you can place a brief case, a stack of pitches or to make it easier, some ads you’ve torn from a magazine that has been laying around your apartment, along with a glass of scotch near them (okay, apple juice,). And there you’ll have it. A pensive, brooding, ad-man circa 1960.

Materials needed: Skinny tie, hair gel, brief case, bottle of scotch, ads from magazines.

3. Ghost

Instagram/Caio_Luna

Instagram/Caio_Lima

For the lazy or the authentically scary, we will recommend a DIY ghost costume for your dog every year. Simple. To the point. Kind of reminds us of Patrick Swayze. Takes one sheet, white, or heck maybe your dog wants to be a colored ghost — yellow, blue, pink, whatever floats your boat –and cut it right down to the size of your dog. Make sure to cut eye holes so that your dog can move around throughout the night whilst haunting people.

Materials needed: white sheet, scissors.

4. Hipster

What even is a hipster? Who knows. This one will be the internet’s version of a hipster. Throw on some black rimmed dollar-store glasses or whatever glasses you have laying around your house that fit your dog, a scarf and a small fedora or some other silly little hat like an upside down visor. If your head is oversized and none of your hats have a chance of fitting on your dog’s small head, be creative and make one out of cardboard.

Materials needed: glasses, scarf, fedora/visor, cardboard, scissors.

5. Unicorn

Being called a unicorn is the highest compliment one can receive. Truly. For this special one, you’ll need some sparkly, shimmery, silver or pink fabric, some cotton to stuff inside of the fabric, some thread/yarn, a needle and a glue gun. That will take care of the unicorn horn. Then attach it to a stretchy strap that will comfortably fit around your dog’s head for the evening. If you choose, you can add more to the costume, including a pipe-cleaner horse tail.

Materials needed: fabric for unicorn, white fabric, cotton balls, thread, yarn, needle, glue gun, scissors and other “unicorny” stuff. (More details here.)

6. A Bunch of Grapes/ One of the Many Grape Varietals of Bordeaux 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenelent/15629366791/in/photolist-5yd65o-5z9gMN-8Twsgo-8Qrug4-3hGguj-5xomZh-gKrwap-akDroK-fKAhqf-aAoBFq-77Lwr1-pP7Aee-7cFCxX-8NSa4J-5y8GEz-5yd4No-B1HQQJ-fqF7cY-BsS6Ze-BkyMnB-8ZLxBm-8E68EF-5y8Gqg-5y8FU8-7BqUxg-8TtmsB-8PEu5c-8NS9sj-8E68B4-5y8GXT-F7i1S-5yd5BJ-8E68G6-dks1Lu-5yd5SA-rgzb7-5umH9P-8E9hw5-8ACx4b-5xnQP7-8M8qT2-7ciqFB-FuHU27-zxunVm-8Ttmy4-8MbvD7-8PiETg-duopZr-G4HfbE-az7ouj

Flickr/Diane Greene Lent

With that nose your dog has, he’s probably a sommelier at heart. So, this costume is essentially perfect. A green or purple jacket or t-shirt as a base is best. Next, when you’re not feeling too light headed blow up a bunch of purple balloons. Stick the purple balloons to the shirt your dog is wearing. Heck throw some plastic vines on there to be a little more realistic and call them Cabernet Sauvignon.

Materials needed: Green shirt/jacket, purple balloons, glue gun, plastic vine.

7. French Chef — Oui Oui

Perhaps the French chef could accompany Cabernet Sauvignon to the party. Use tissue paper and card stock to create a lil chef’s toque blanche for your dog. Rummage through your closet for something red or checkered that you don’t really care about anymore. Cut this something red in a way that you will be able to create a pretentious neckerchief for your dog and there you have your Michelin Star French dog chef.

Materials needed: tissue paper, card stock, red/checkered fabric, scissors, glue gun.

8. Cereal Killer

Cereal Killer

Literally scary. If you don’t eat cereal, go to the store, get some of those miniature boxes of cereal they give out at hotels, eat it for breakfast for several days and then use it to create this terrifyingly real costume. Decorate a black or white t-shirt big enough for your dog with the small cereal boxes. Splatter red paint, attach knife handles and other spooky details on the boxes.

Materials needed: small cereal boxes, knife handles, red paint, glue gun, scissors.

9. Chia Pet

Ugh, because growing a Chia Pet properly was really hard. Every Chia Pet is super original, you saw the infomercials, and this costume takes like two seconds.

Materials needed: plastic greenery, green and orange felt, green buttons and thread, scissors.

 

By Sarah Iannone

Sarah Iannone writes in-depth features for This Dog's Life, with a love for stories having an art angle. She aso oversees our social-media platforms. SarahIannone@thisdogslife.co

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