How to Design Small Puppy Clothes
Pet accessories are a growing business, with owners buying Fido everything from leopard-print dog couches to goggles that cost more than a human's designer shades. A lucrative niche in this market is the design and marketing of puppy clothes. Whether you plan to market your designs or simply dress up your own pretty puppy, you need to follow a few basic guidelines that will keep the wearer(s) comfortable and safe.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
-
1
Use doll clothes or infant clothing as a guide. You may even be able to find some simple doll or infant clothing and adapt it to you needs, rather than creating a whole new outfit.
-
2
If you are going to design an outfit from scratch, measure your puppy from his neck to his tail, around his belly and around his neck to get the right sizing. Make sure to add 1/2" or so to your measurements so the puppy is not constricted.
-
3
Keep it simple. You don’t want to create a puppy outfit that is massively elaborate, is full of bells and whistles, or has too many straps or strips to fasten. Remember, puppies are very small, so you don’t have a lot of room to get very fancy, anyway.
-
4
You will also want to design for a simple and comfortable fabric, like cotton, that is easy to wash when the puppy finds the next mud puddle. Forget brocade, corduroy or fancy silk or velvet.
-
5
Make for easy dressing. The clothing you design should easily fit over the puppy’s head and either include tiny armholes or a simple strap around his belly. The strap can be a very loose elastic, or (better yet) secured with Velcro.
-
6
Take care with fasteners. You don’t want to use too many of them to hold the clothing on, nor do you want to employ buttons, snaps or laces. Steer clear of things that can easily fall off, be chewed off, come loose or get hooked on things and harm the puppy.
-
7
Don’t forget the puppy has to be potty trained. He should be able to do his business while leaving his clothes on. Leave the proper openings, making sure they're roomy and don’t constrict him from his running, jumping, playing and hiding under the couch.
-
8
Never include feathers, spikes, small beads or jewels, toxic glue, or anything else that can harm the puppy if he decides to chew on his clothes, which many of them will try to do.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Like children, puppies grow very quickly. Don’t design anything that is going to be massively expensive to make, as it won’t fit in a few weeks.
Don’t forget a hole for his tail if your design goes that long.
Related Searches
- Photo Credit Illustration by Ryn Gargulinski
