How to Make Dog Cones

Creating a homemade dog cone can save you money.

Often dogs are required to wear a dog cone, also known as an Elizabethan collar or E-collar, to prevent them from licking or chewing an area of their body after an operation or injury. Commercially manufactured dog cones are costly and constructed from hard plastic. An alternative to purchasing a dog cone from a veterinarian or pet store is to create one at home.

Things You'll Need

• Heavy poster board or large cardboard box
• Scissors
• Dog collar

Instructions

1. Draw a cone shape that will fit your dog on heavy poster board or a large cardboard box. Use the dog's collar to obtain the required neck circumference for the cone, marking the collar's outer edge on the poster board or box.

2. Cut out the cone shape you drew on the poster board or cardboard box.

3. Puncture slits or holes in both ends of the makeshift cone. Lace the dog's collar through the slits or holes.

4. Mold the poster board or cardboard into a cone, and place it on the dog's head.

5. Secure the cone onto the dog's neck with the dog collar.

Tips & Warnings

• You may make a cone for a small dog by cutting a circle out of the center of a paper plate. Trim the plate's edges if the plate is too big.

• Accommodate larger dogs by creating a hole in the bottom of a plastic bucket. The hole must be large enough for the dog's head to slide through. Then sand down the rough, newly cut edges.

References

• Dog Health and PetPlace.com: Homemade Elizabethan Collar