Learning the Hard Way: The Essentials of Dog Halloween Costume Design
Many dog clubs and animal organizations sponsor activities throughout the year that you and your dog can join together. This is especially true on Halloween, when you and your dog will have the opportunity to participate in costume contests, parades, and other events to show off your creativity. Our local Humane Society, for example, has a “Howling Party,” while our dog club has its annual “Fun Fair.” Other organizations organize dog parades. The best part of all of these events is that you get to show off your dog in costume!
Even if you’re staying home this year and waiting for the treats or tricks to arrive, consider having your dog in costume walk you to the door. Or, if he has trained you to open the door to welcome guests, even better! If this is the case, your dog should also be trained not to jump on guests when they arrive. A well-disguised dog greeter could make the neighborhood kids run away before they get their treats if he jumps on them.
Before I became a dog owner, I thought it was silly, unfair, and maybe a little inhumane to dress up dogs for Halloween. Since those days, I became a dog owner and now I realize that dogs love to participate in all activities (except a visit to the vet). Participating in the Halloween festivities together with your favorite furry friend is another opportunity for you to value your time together.
WORDS OF WISDOM ON DOG COSTUMES:
Over the years, I’ve learned a few lessons about dressing dogs for Halloween. Every year as Halloween approached, he would work feverishly trying to create the perfect dog costume. Spending hours sewing parts from vintage mops, I tried to turn my terrier into an instant Komondor (aka Hungarian Sheepdog). For one day, I wanted him to feel like one of those amazing dogs with a Rasta hairstyle. When people saw him, he would exclaim, “Hey, he’s a dog in a dog costume!” But, I really thought, he is a dog disguised as a people!
As she walked proudly down the street with him in her Komondor costume, she decided to shake until her costume fell apart between us. From a distance, I thought he would manage by looking like a street sweeper. But to my despair, he didn’t. As the crowd watched, he just looked like a dog dragging a huge mop down the street, what a shame!
That’s when I learned the first two essential rules for dog costumes:
1. Keep the costume light.
2. Keep the costume simple.
The following year, I had a puppy to wear. Building an adorable lightweight costume was my only goal. Since the pup loved to carry objects in her mouth, I covered a stick with leather for her to chew on and carry. Then I tried putting a pair of panties on her. He screamed frantically, bounced off them and consequently refused to let me get close to her with the panties in her hand.
That’s when I learned the third essential rule of dog costumes:
3. Always give your dog a test run before assuming he’ll wear whatever costume you choose. Or, better yet, have your dog wear the costume around the house before Halloween so he can get used to it. Don’t learn the hard way.
The following year, I made plans to take my older dog to the Halloween dog parade again. As I had learned from experience, I chose to design a costume that was simple, easy to make, and lightweight. My dog was going to be “a walking billboard!” I glued two rectangular pieces of foam core with material in the center and was going to lay it over my dog’s top. This time, however, I was determined to be smart by letting him get used to it beforehand, following my own third rule.
It worked great as I walked around the house and the billboard costume got big laughs from friends and family. She was happy that things would turn out better than the previous two years. When the parade started, we marched together and suddenly he did the unexpected, like he was planning it all along. He crouched down and the billboard became an unyielding tent. He was able to walk out, drawing additional laughter from the crowd, but meant immediate disqualification from the contest.
That’s when I learned the fourth essential rule of dog costumes:
4. Expect the unexpected, even when you think you’ve thought of everything!
The following year, I tied a large helium balloon around the dog’s midsection and put a small, lightweight blanket over him. The blanket had a small box on it with two small stuffed animals. I had ribbons around the bottom of the balloon that I attached to the box. The costume was adorable, or so I thought. It was a balloon ride costume. The floating balloon must have been more exciting for the other dogs because as soon as the other dogs saw it, they started running away from their owners in search of the bright red balloon. Fortunately, I had a pair of scissors and cut the thread. Up, up, up it went. Bailey and I were free, but so was our balloon. And once again, we were disqualified from the parade, as had become the tradition.
That’s when I learned the fifth and sixth essential rules of dog costumes:
5. Be prepared. Before you go to any meeting, think about what to bring in case something needs a quick fix or something goes wrong.
6. Bring your camera and have enough film. I wished I had gotten a picture of my dog in his balloon costume before I cut the rope. Also check the batteries in your camera. And ask a friend to take some photos of you and your dog together; he will enjoy them later.
Last year, however, I took the easy way out. I bought a Superman costume at a costume store. Most costume shops now sell such paraphernalia. The costume was light, which was an advantage. I decided that I would just wear the cape and keep the other parts of the costume as backup. So once again we headed to our annual “Fun Fair” Dog Club and one of the highlights was a Halloween dog parade with a “Best Costume” award.
My dog was dressed upon arrival. I tied the cloak under his chin and that was it. The kids yelled, “He’s Super Dog!” The adults responded by yelling “He’s not original!” Someone came up to me and asked, “What happened? We were hoping you were at least original.” Feeling guilty, I sat there without taking home any prizes. But it was the first time that my “Super Dog” participated in his first Halloween parade. To me, he looked great and I was very proud of him. Then, towards the end of the night, we were called, along with several other “Super Dogs” in the same outfit, for a photo shoot.
Copyright © 2008 Melanie Light
