Buying a Dog Halloween Costume

Have you considered buying a dog Halloween costume so you can take your pet trick or treating with you? There are many places that you can purchase a Halloween costume for your canine friend. This can be done at many stores, including your local pet store, and online. Except for the more elaborate costumes, the prices for pet costumes are quite reasonable, usually between ten and thirty dollars. In most cases the size of your pet pooch will not influence the price of the costume.

The most popular costumes are one of these movie characters; Darth Vader, Superman and Spiderman, though, there are so many more to choose from. How about those of you who want something a little more feminine for your girl dogs? There are options for you as well. What about dressing your dog as a cowgirl, a rag doll, a French maid or a fairy? These costumes let your princess look just like a princess on Halloween. There are also costumes that allow you to dress them up as other animals and creatures, such as cows, pigs, space aliens or little devils.

If you would prefer to have a movie theme there are many more characters that you can dress your canine companion up as. These include Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Batman or Shrek. You can get a dog Halloween costume that allows your pet to look like a football hero, a baseball star or the cheerleader who is encouraging them to play ball!

Maybe what you want is something simple instead of a whole costume. If this is the case then you could buy a dog Halloween costume that gently hangs from their necks instead. This could be something that has a Halloween message on it or a collar or bow tie. This gives you the chance to dress your dog up without feeling you are going overboard. What you choose really depends on your own Halloween spirit. Some people like to dress their dogs up as other dogs; ones they have watched in favorite cartoons. There are several options if this is what you want to do. You can buy your dog a costume and dress him up as Astro the dog from the Jetsons or as Scooby Doo. But if the Wizard of Oz is your favorite movie there are costumes of all the main characters to buy for your dog for Halloween. Baby Boomers can even dress their canine friends as hippies.

In order to get the right size for your pet, there are several measurements you should make of your dog. Don't assume that they are a medium or large, when they may actually be an extra large! The weight of your animal isn't an accurate predictor of what size they are, as they may have a very large chest, such as the Alaskan Malamute.

To measure your dog for a costume, have them stand, not sit.

• With the measuring tape, measure their chest size. Do this by wrapping the measuring tape around their chest and directly behind their front legs.
• Measure them from the base of their neck to the end of their hind quarters (not including the tail).
• Measure them across their chest in front, across the broadest part.
• Measure the circumference of their neck.
• Measure them from the top of their head to the floor (this measurement is usually for costumes that very small dogs may wear, such as the type that are fastened around the neck and hang down in front.

Most retail costume sellers state the approximate size on the package of the costume (i.e. small, medium, large and X-large). If in doubt, buy the next size larger for your animal. If you have these measurements handy when you go shopping, it should help you in selecting the right sized costume, no matter what type of costume design it may be.

Many dog owners have dogs that are very amiable and willing to wear costumes, or parts of costumes to please their owners. However, always think of the comfort of your canine friend.

• A costume shouldn’t drag on the ground, which has the potential of getting caught on something and causing injury.
• It should be made so that the animal can go to the bathroom without getting the costume dirty.
• Nothing should be tight fitting on the head, as this would be very uncomfortable for the animal.
• An orange and black ribbon tied around their collar, a Halloween-themed scrunchie or scarf may work just as well, and in most cases won't upset your animal like a full costume would.
• If your dog displays anxiety or irritability with the costume on, take it off immediately. Your dog doesn’t have to participate in every holiday, and maybe Halloween just isn’t for him or her.