If your dog has never worn a dog halloween costume before and isn’t accustomed to wearing clothing, don’t expect your dog to love his or her costume right away.   Dogs don’t naturally wear clothing, so they will need to learn this behavior.  It will typically take several treat-based training sessions spread out of a couple of days to get your dog acclimated to wearing a dog costume.

First start with laying the costume down next to your dog, allowing him or her to sniff the costume and get comfortable with the clothing.  Give a your dog a treat after laying the costume down on the floor.  Do this for several sessions throughout the day.

For the next day or so, drape the costume over the dog (do not put the costume fully on) to get your dog accustomed to the feeling of something being placed on him or her.  Leave the costume on for a few seconds and reward with a treat.  Gradually increase the time your dog has the costume placed on him or her and always reward with a treat and praise. If your dog seems to adapt quickly to having the costume placed on him or her, you can advance to the next stage.  If not, you may need to repeat this process over the course of a couple of days.

After you feel confident your dog is ready to put her costume on, carefully place the costume loosely on your dog.  Reward with praise and a treat.  Leave the dog costume on for a few seconds and gradually increase the session until your dog is comfortable with his or her costume on for several minutes.

Once your dog is comfortable with wearing the costume loosely affixed to him or her, secure the full costume and give your dog lots of praise and reward with a treat.  Gradually increase the amount of time your dog is in full costume.

Once your dog is able to have his or her costume on for several minutes, practice walking your dog around the house and having him or her obey the basic commands he/she is already familiar with.  Don’t forget to give praise and a treat to reward your dog upon each successful completion of the command you give him/her.

After a few training sessions, your dog will be happy to see you bring out the costume and will be ready for you to take pictures, attend a dog Halloween costume party or just simply be happy to wear the costume.

Dog Halloween Costumes are a great way for you to be able to share this great holiday with your pooch. And with the right preparation, you can make wearing a dog costume fun for your dog!  Just remember to give your dog ample time to get accustomed to the costume and don’t rush the process.