Training Your Dog To Wear Dog Clothing and Costumes

If you want to dress you pet for success, finding perfect dog clothing is only half the battle.  If you think you are going to put together the most perfect ensemble and instantly play dress up with your faithful companion, you’re sure to be disappointed.

When you first try and dress your dog an a cute little outfit, he’ll likely immediately try and squirm his way out of it.  Some dogs will simply paw at it and some will really freak out.  If you want your dog to wear a sweater or costume without it stressing him out too much, you need to take the time to prepare him for his big debut.

The first thing you should do is make sure your dog is accustomed to wearing simple things like sweaters.  If he won’t even let you dress him in a sweater, there’s no chance he’s going to wear a tuxedo and top hat.  After he’s comfortable with a sweater, you can prepare him for more elaborate dog clothing like a special costume. The way I start to teach my dogs to accept this may surprise you. I use something that most people wouldn’t consider when they are thinking of dog training equipment; simple hair bands.  That’s right, if you want your dog to be comfortable wearing a costume, starting with something as simple as hair bands can really do the trick.

I use several varieties and here’s how I start.  I take a large hair band.  One that is large enough to loosely fit over different parts of my dog’s body. I like to use scruchies for this. Sometimes I have to loop several together for big dogs but they still work just as well when fashioned this way. 

I start by putting one on his leg and try to distract him with something fun to take his mind of of this object that is hanging on him. Then before he has a chance to get upset about the fact that he’s wearing a scrunchie around his leg, I take it off of him. Then, after a minute put it back on him and slide it farther up his leg. Be sure and tell him that he’s a good dog when he lets you put it on him and not to make him wear it too long or he’ll start looking for a way to get it off. We don’t want that.  Be really careful not to praise him if he is trying to get it off.  This is a sure fire way to train him to undress himself just as fast as you dress him.

Only praise him as you’re putting it on and only then if he’s accepting it. If he’s fussing, distract him so that he’s not thinking about it, praise him and then take it off. You don’t want to praise him after you take it off either. This will only teach him that he will be rewarded when the clothing comes off.

Proper timing is EVERYTHING when it comes to training your dog to accept wearing articles of clothing. Keep in mind that this is not a natural thing for them. Wearing clothing seems very natural to you because you do it every day and you don’t have fur to keep you warm.  To a dog, something as simple as lightweight sweater can be really scary.

Keep in mind that at first you praise him in his favorite way just as you put the hair band on him.  Maybe your dog is crazy for affection and a happy voice or maybe your pooch will do anything for a cookie or a chance to play with a squeak toy.  It’s important to reward him with something that he’ll really appreciate.   Each time he keeps the hair band on a bit longer, praise him more and more being sure to praise him while he is wearing it and not when he’s fussing or trying to get it off. 

Be sure to keep these early training sessions short.  At first accept one second without fussing as a win.  Then two seconds, then three, and so on.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to go from five seconds to one minute all at once.  You want to be sure and take advantage of every chance to tell him he is a good boy.  I would put the hair band on him for a second or two and tell him that he is a good boy.  Then take it off and do something else with him for a minute.  Now put it back on, leave it for a few more seconds, praise him with love or a cookie, and take it off.  You want him to have as many good experiences as possible.  If you leave it on too long and he gets stressed out, he might develop a strong fear of being dressed and wearing clothing.  I’m sure you don’t want that.

After he’s comfortable wearing a scrunchie around his legs, neck, belly, chest, and tail, you’re ready to move on to some actual dog clothing. I like to use a loose fitting t-shirt that I have cut down the middle. What I do is put it on him like blanket and then take it off of him. Just like before, we’re going to slowly work up to the point that we can put it on him for longer time spans. I like to use the t-shirt tha is cut up the middle so I can take it off of my dog quickly. I want the item of clothing for this stage of the training to be really easy for me to put on and even easier for me to get off him.

When he’s accepting this without a problem, I progress to a regular doggie t-shirt. It’s important that this item fit well because if it’s too small it will be uncomfortable for him. If it’s too large, he’ll step on it while he’s walking and this might scare him. We want to avoid him becoming frightened because this will set us back in our training. Remember to praise him while you’re putting it on him and while he’s wearing it. Don’t praise as you are taking it off of him or after it has been removed or you’re teaching the wrong thing.

When he’s accepting the t-shirt, you can progress to other items. Keep in mind that just because he’s comfortable wearing a particular item of clothing this doesn’t mean that he’ll be comfortable with anything you want to put on him. If you put a waterproof rain coat on him, it’s going to have a different texture, it’s also going to rustle and make a sound which isn’t something he’ll be used to. It will also smell different to him. Always take the time to introduce a new item of clothing to him slowly so he doesn’t develop a fear of it.

When it comes to training a dog to wear a costume, you’ll want to introduce each element of the costume to him by itself instead of trying to force him into the costume minutes before a party. When you’re sure that no parts of the costume are going to scare him, you can put the entire outfit on him.

If you always remember to be patient and take things slow, your pampered pup will be proudly showing off his new costume or outfits in no time.

Here’s a video that shows another dog trainers method of getting a dog to the point that they are comfortable wearing a costume for you to watch.

Thanks for visiting my dog clothes blog. I hope you’ll come back soon and that you’ll tell your friends about my website.