As the spooky season draws near, the compulsion to decorate your house with cobwebs and pumpkins grows stronger. If you’re looking for Halloween decorations with a unique twist, why not focus on doggy-themed décor?
Finding the perfect canine-inspired decorations can be a challenge, which is why many dog lovers search for DIY dog Halloween decoration plans. If you’re feeling crafty this fall season, take a look at these 16 DIY plans and see if any of them satisfy your spooky side and puppyish personality!
Top 16 DIY Dog Halloween Decoration Ideas
1. Ghost Dog Decoration
| Materials: | Tomato cage, styrofoam head, dog mask, large plastic sheet, gauge wire, Halloween candy bucket, white lights (optional) |
| Tools: | Black Sharpie pen, white Sharpie pen, transparent packaging tape, hot glue gun, masking tape |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
It’s impossible to go wrong with a classic Halloween decoration like a ghost, so why not put a doggy spin on it? With this ghost dog decoration plan, you can craft a kid-friendly Halloween decoration with an adorable, puppyish charm.
You’ll need to plan a shopping trip to pick up some of these materials, such as a styrofoam head and a dog mask, whereas other materials may be found around your home. Skills such as sewing or woodworking aren’t necessary for this project, and most of the tools you’ll need to use will be fairly intuitive. However, there are several steps to this project, making it moderately difficult.
2. Halloween Bat Dog Costume
| Materials: | Dog harness, black craft foam, white paint |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun, ruler, black pen, scissors, paintbrush |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Instead of creating a fake dog decoration, what if you turn your dog into a decoration? With this adorable Halloween bat dog costume, you can dress your pet up for the spooky season so they can join in with the fall festivities.
This is a fairly simple project; however, it requires precise measuring, folding, and cutting to make it look just right. You’ll want to be patient to ensure you craft two symmetrical bat wings rather than two misshapen ones. Once your wings are cut out, you will attach them to your dog’s harness to create a wearable canine costume.
3. Demodog Costume
| Materials: | Red felt, black felt, black shoelaces, miniature white pom poms |
| Tools: | Cricut maker machine (optional), scissors, hot glue gun, black Sharpie marker, white paint pen |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
If you’re a fan of the hit television series Stranger Things, you won’t want to miss this adorable canine costume. With felt, shoelaces, and pom poms, you can turn your dog into a spooky monster with a demodog costume.
In the original plan, the costume is made using a Cricut maker machine to produce precise pattern cuts. However, this machine is not necessary to complete this costume. As long as you have patience and a steady hand, you can create your own cut patterns. This may take extra time and increase the difficulty of the project, but for some crafty DIYers, that’s half the fun.
By laying the red felt over the black felt, you can glue them together to create the illusion of a demodog’s mouth. The white pom poms can be added afterward and placed on the red pieces. Once you have your pieces, take the black shoelace and string them together in the shape of a wearable collar. Be sure to measure your dog’s neck to guarantee that this costume is comfortable for them to wear.
4. Spooky Pet Silhouette
| Materials: | Printed silhouette template, cardboard box, acrylic black paint |
| Tools: | X-Acto knife, gluestick, paintbrush |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If you want a fun and easy DIY plan that doesn’t directly involve your pet, this spooky pet silhouette plan is the perfect fit for you. The plan provides three different pet-themed Halloween stencils for your use, so check them out and decide which is your favorite before beginning.
After you have your printed stencil template, glue it to a piece of cardboard and let it dry. Once it’s ready, start cutting around the design with the X-Acto knife. Then, you can paint the cut-out black to make it look like a true silhouette.
5. Harry Potter Doggy Costume
| Materials: | Black felt, white felt, red felt, yellow felt, black pipe cleaners |
| Tools: | Scissors, measuring tool, hot glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
The challenge with DIY costumes is that so many of them require sewing. If you aren’t handy with a needle and thread, don’t fret; this Harry Potter doggy costume requires no sewing whatsoever. You’ll need multiple colors of felt for this project (specifically, whatever Harry Potter house you wish to mimic).
This plan used red and yellow to recreate Gryffindor’s iconic look. If you want to create a costume for the titular character, you will also need black pipe cleaners to create his round spectacles. While this plan requires no sewing, it requires a lot of precise measuring and cutting, making it somewhat difficult.
6. Mini Ghost Dog Decoration
| Materials: | Newspaper, water, flour, toilet paper, cornstarch, clay, yarn |
| Tools: | Scissors, masking tape, whisk, liquid starch or glue, butter knife, large bowl, black marker, paintbrush |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
If you like the ghost dog decoration from earlier but don’t like how big it is, take a look at this mini ghost dog decoration instead. While smaller, this project requires more time and crafting skills, making it better suited for practiced DIYers.
You’ll need the proper materials for paper mache, such as newspaper, water, and flour. You’ll also need molding clay to form the dog’s eyes and nose and paint to design the dog’s mouth. Plan to set aside a day or more for this project since allowing the paper mache to dry can be time-consuming.
7. Painted Puppy Pumpkin
| Materials: | Pumpkin, paint, burlap |
| Tools: | Sharpie pen, paint markers |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If you want a festive decoration that’s more cute than scary, you shouldn’t ignore this painted puppy pumpkin decoration plan. It is an easy DIY Halloween decoration to make since the only required tools are a pen and a paint marker.
The materials you’ll need to gather include a pumpkin, burlap, and your desired colors of paint. If you purchase an orange pumpkin, you’ll need to use a lot of paint to cover up the bright color. However, if you buy a white pumpkin, you only need to paint an occasional spot on the pumpkin to make it look like a puppy face.
8. Doggy Jack-O-Lantern
| Materials: | Pumpkin |
| Tools: | Sharpie pen, carving knife, spoon |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Artists with a talent for drawing on all surfaces will love this doggy jack-o-lantern project. If you have a marker, pumpkin carving tools, and the ability to draw on a pumpkin, this DIY plan will be a breeze. The creator uses a reference picture in the sample to draw a puppy paw print on their pumpkin.
If you want to do the same, you can follow along with the video and get some excellent tips as you go. However, you can also reference a different image if you are looking for a unique challenge.
9. Spooky Dog Diorama
| Materials: | Artificial carving pumpkin, false moss, Halloween figurines, 3-D stickers, false sticks, mini LED lights, dog silhouette |
| Tools: | Carving knife, hot glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
Diorama decorations allow you to express your individuality through the figures you place inside. With this spooky dog diorama plan, you can do just that while creating a festive Halloween decoration at the same time.
This plan suggests that you cut into an artificial pumpkin and place objects like fake moss and Halloween figurines inside. However, the beauty of this DIY plan is that it is highly customizable. You can pick and choose the objects placed inside your diorama to create the perfect seasonal décor for your home.
10. Doggy Pumpkin Hat
| Materials: | Orange fabric, green felt, black felt, cotton, twine, plastic bands |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun, scissors, dinner plate |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
If you’re a fan of puppy Halloween costumes, we have another one for you to check out. This doggy pumpkin hat costume allows your pet to be festive and adorable at the same time!
This plan doesn’t require any sewing, making it a good introduction to creating costumes for new DIYers. At the same time, you will need to cut, measure, and tie pieces carefully, so this project isn’t a complete walk in the park.
When creating this doggy pumpkin cat, be sure to measure your dog’s head. If the hat is too small or too large for your dog, it may be uncomfortable or dangerous.
11. Eerie Chihuahua Pumpkin Carving
| Materials: | Chihuahua stencil, tissue paper, pumpkin |
| Tools: | Fine pen, hand wood carving chisels, lino cutter |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
Many of the DIY plans on this list lean toward the adorable side of Halloween. However, if you want to create something truly spooky, take a shot at this eerie Chihuahua pumpkin carving plan. Completing this project will require precise work and practiced pumpkin carving skills, making it a good challenge for a DIY veteran.
To start this project, you will first need an eerie Chihuahua stencil. The creator of this plan includes a tutorial on how to make pumpkin carving stencils, so check that out for some tips and pointers. You will need specific tools to carve this design, including a fine pen, a lino cutter, and wood-carving chisels. Plan to set aside a significant amount of time for this project, as such highly detailed carving takes patience.
12. Howl-O-Ween Ribbon Wreath
| Materials: | Styrofoam wreath, various Halloween-themed ribbons, chalk paint, plush dog toy |
| Tools: | Paintbrush, scissors, pins |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Christmas isn’t the only season that describes a wreath. This Halloween, you can make a doggy-themed decoration with the howl-o-ween ribbon wreath plan. All you will need is a styrofoam wreath, an assortment of Halloween or dog-themed ribbons, black chalk paint, and a plush dog toy.
You’ll start by painting the styrofoam wreath black so that none of the white styrofoam can be seen. Then, you’ll tie strips of the various ribbons all around the wreath until it is full. Once done, you will pin the plush dog toy to the wreath, completing the look.
While this plan takes time, it is fairly simple. If you like, you can watch a scary movie while you work on this project.
13. Puppy Pumpkin Costume
| Materials: | Two orange shirts, quilt batting, ribbon, brown felt, green felt, leaf template |
| Tools: | Scissors, sewing pins, grid ruler, fabric marking tool, sewing machine, sewing thread, 8-inch dish, safety pin, 6-inch cardboard plate, sewing needle, hot glue gun |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
If you’re itching to bring out a needle and thread this holiday season, this puppy pumpkin costume is just the opportunity you need. For this project, you’ll need two orange shirts, an assortment of felt, quilt batting, ribbons, and a leaf template. You will also want regular sewing tools such as a sewing machine and a grid ruler. This DIY plan requires you to have sewing experience, so ensure you are up for the challenge before you begin.
14. Pug Pumpkin
| Materials: | Two large googly eyes, glitter, light brown acrylic paint, dark brown acrylic paint, white fabric paint, black fabric paint, cardboard, masking tape, pumpkin |
| Tools: | Paintbrush, glue/sealer/finish formula, dish, scissors |
| Difficulty Level: | Moderate |
This pug pumpkin plan is a whimsical way to celebrate the holiday. With a pumpkin, some glitter, and two large googly eyes, you can create the most adorable pumpkin in your neighborhood. In this plan, the creator uses an orange pumpkin and covers it in light brown paint.
You can also choose to find a white pumpkin and cover it in light brown paint, which should require fewer coats of paint. From there, you will add accents of dark brown and cut-out sections of cardboard covered in glitter to create the pug’s face. The large googly eyes add the finishing touch to make this plan a hilarious and adorable decoration.
15. Mad Hatter Dog Costume
| Materials: | Craft foam sheets, glitter (optional) |
| Tools: | Hot glue gun, scissors, cloth tape measurer, clothespins (optional), markers |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
The mad hatter dog costume is a great way to include your pet in the Halloween spirit. The creator of this costume also includes instructions for other costumes, such as a flower, an angel, and a superhero, so check those out to pick your favorite one.
We chose the mad hatter costume because it’s adorable and easy to make. With craft foam sheets, scissors, and a hot glue gun, you can construct a wearable hat and tie for your dog. When creating these costume pieces, don’t forget to take your dog’s measurements so that they will be comfortable and safe while wearing their costume.
16. Halloween Dog Bandana
| Materials: | Halloween fabric, bandana template |
| Tools: | Sewing machine, rotary blade, thread, pins |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy to moderate |
If you want a DIY Halloween project that’s more lowkey, check out this Halloween dog bandana. For this project, you will need to pick out your favorite Halloween-themed fabric so you can craft your dog’s bandana with the template.
You need a sewing machine, a rotary blade, and other essential sewing tools. While this plan is fairly straightforward, it requires you to be familiar with sewing, which is why the difficulty ranges from easy to moderate.
Final Thoughts
Halloween is a special time of year that allows people to decorate their houses with adorable, spooky, or hilarious décor. We hope this article has inspired you to find the DIY dog Halloween decoration plan that suits your style, whether carving a jack-o-lantern, creating a costume, or constructing something incredibly unique.
Featured Image By: Kashaeva Irina, Shutterstock
Contents
- Top 16 DIY Dog Halloween Decoration Ideas
- 1. Ghost Dog Decoration
- 2. Halloween Bat Dog Costume
- 3. Demodog Costume
- 4. Spooky Pet Silhouette
- 5. Harry Potter Doggy Costume
- 6. Mini Ghost Dog Decoration
- 7. Painted Puppy Pumpkin
- 8. Doggy Jack-O-Lantern
- 9. Spooky Dog Diorama
- 10. Doggy Pumpkin Hat
- 11. Eerie Chihuahua Pumpkin Carving
- 12. Howl-O-Ween Ribbon Wreath
- 13. Puppy Pumpkin Costume
- 14. Pug Pumpkin
- 15. Mad Hatter Dog Costume
- 16. Halloween Dog Bandana
- Final Thoughts
