Dressing up Dogs: On Clothing & Costumes

If you’ve been following the blog, you’ve probably noticed the dogs are wearing different items of clothing in many of the pictures. Ares is my first dog and Chaos came shortly after him so it’s been a learning process figuring out everything that comes with being a dog owner. I had seen dogs wearing clothes before: on TV, in movies, at pet stores, ect. I never thought my dog would join those ranks though. 

Ares became mine in early September when it’s still warm in the Cincinnati area. Our vet had talked to me about Ares being a “smushy faced dog” (that’s the technical term of course)and requiring a coat or sweater for winter temperatures but I hadn’t really thought too much about it after that. Once mid-October came around I remembered that conversation as Ares shivered one day on our walk. So I went out and bought him a little hoodie to keep him warm. His first item of clothing was actually a Bengals jersey but he quickly grew out it. It was getting close to Halloween and the pet stores had all the doggie costumes out on display. I didn’t think it would hurt to check them out and the next thing I knew I was taking home a little frog costume. And that was really the gateway into dressing my dogs on a regular basis.

As a first time dog owner I didn’t know that it’s not always as simple as buying dog clothes and just putting them on your dog. Ares not only didn’t seem to mind wearing clothes, he actually seemed to rather enjoy it. Even when he was small he’d sit still while I dressed him and eventually would get things out of his box on his own and drop them at my feet and then sit and wait while I put it on him. I now know that this is not the way it works for every dog.

Chaos joined the family just a couple days after Christmas so it was already cold. I put Ares’s old hoodie on him those first couple days but quickly realized that Chaos wasn’t a fan of having clothes on him. I tried some different things but nothing was to his liking so I just gave up, not wanting him to be uncomfortable. He was never outside for very long that first winter with him being so young so lack of clothing wasn’t really an issue. When he got a little older we tried bandanas around his neck and he seemed to be fine with that. 

And then fall came and with that start of football season. Chris is a diehard Michigan fan so he wanted to try Michigan jerseys for the dogs. We found this on PetCo.’s website and I ordered one for each dog. I actually had to buy the flexible measuring tape to take their measurements so I could order the correct sizes. Chaos was afraid of it at first so I had to toss it on the ground and let him check it out before I could touch him with it!

Chris has actually been in school for dog training since last summer so when the jerseys arrived he had a plan to get Chaos comfortable with wearing his. If it didn’t work out, we wouldn’t be out too much money. But it was worth a try, especially with winter coming and the fact that he would probably need a coat. The goal was to get Chaos to have a positive association with clothing and having it on his body.

We didn’t want to force it so it started out with just tossing the jersey on the floor. A dog’s natural reaction to something new is to sniff it. Every time he got close to or sniffed the jersey he’d get treats. He actually laid down on it after a few minutes so he got more treats and then it was put away. A little while later we brought it back out and repeated the process the same as before. Then I tried to put it over his head just to see his reaction. He stayed still and he didn’t seem to be bothered so I left it like that and gave him more treats. Finally I put his legs through the holes and pulled it down his back so he was fully wearing the jersey. His tail was waggling around so I just kept giving him treats while he was walking around. The next time the jersey came out he was excited because he had formed positive association with it. Mission accomplished.

Luckily for us this positive association transferred to all clothing items after the jersey so he was happy to put on hoodies, his Halloween costume, his winter coat and snood when the time came. This may not be the case for all dogs so the process may have to be repeated for each new clothing item. The process may also take more time for other dogs. Chaos changed his mind pretty quickly about wearing clothes once I took a step back and eased him into the idea. He now helps by sticking his head through the neck hole if I hold it open for him and lifting his paws to go into the leg holes.

The positive association is something that worked for us but may not work for every dog. I would never suggest making your dog wear something they aren’t comfortable in unless it’s absolutely necessary, such as medical reasons. Then again some dogs may just seem to be born ready to wear clothes like Ares. The clothes are now in a box on top of a shelf in the laundry room so sometimes he will stand outside the door and bark until I come ask him what he wants. He then paws at the door so I open it and he walks in stands under the box of clothes and barks at me until I take it down and he can get out what he wants. After the hoodie or tshirt is on him he’s back about his doggie business.

If your dogs wear clothes, did you have to ease them into wearing them? How did you do it? Are they just tolerant or do they actually seem happy to wear clothes?

Picky Pets: On Choosing their Person

Piper was my first furry kid. She was given to me as a Christmas present when I was 16 and I was immediately smitten. My sister was thrilled as well but my parents, not so much. My dad isn’t a cat person and my mom well, she was actually kind of afraid of little 6 month old Piper at first. Animals are pretty in tune with the energy we put off so you really can’t lie to them. Piper knew mom and dad weren’t her biggest fans and therefore she committed to winning them over, and eventually did. Now she knew that I was her mommy and has always come to me for attention, at times of her choosing of course, but she tried extra hard with mom especially. The first time I moved out I couldn’t take Piper with me so she stayed with mom and dad. Later on when I moved to a new apartment, finally Piper came too. 

And then we met Chris.

Miss Piper has always been shy of strangers and would tend to hide in the closet or under the bed if someone she didn’t know came over. Eventually she would come around and meet new people and sometimes even allow some attention, but mostly she’s always been a more aloof type of cat with people she doesn’t live with. That was not the case with Chris. As soon as he starting coming around she would be right there by him. If he wasn’t petting her she’d rub her head on his arm until he did. I was shocked. It was like she knew he was going to be her new daddy all along.

Now that Piper gets to live with her daddy she is constantly by his side every time he turns around. Her favorite thing to do is sit on the arm of the chair in the back room while Chris is in there playing video games. She still comes to mommy for attention so I don’t feel forgotten but daddy is “her person”. I sometimes wonder if I was just filling in her whole life while she waited for her special person to come along. She’ll always be mommy’s little princess and my first baby but I really think she’s more proud of being daddy’s little princess.

Since Piper was my first, I didn’t know if her choosing her favorite person was just something unique to her or if other pets do that too. 2 dogs and another cat later I found out that was a pattern, at least in our household. It didn’t happen right away but we did start to notice with each one that they tended to gravitate more towards one of us. Ares was just 6 weeks old when I brought him home and Chris worked a job where he was out of town for weeks at a time. I did see of course see him when he was home but we didn’t live together back then so our time together was limited. He switched jobs and was able to spend more time with us as Ares got older and as Ares neared his 1^st birthday it was becoming clear he was also going to choose Chris. As with Piper, it’s not like I feel a lack of attention from Ares, it’s just that he spends more time snuggling with Chris than with me. If Chris is in one room and I’m in another, chances are you will find Ares with him.

Chaos also did not make his choice of favorite person known until he was about 6 months old. He became mommy’s Pit Bull shaped shadow, following me around and always wanting to be by my side. Chaos is a sensitive boy and loves to snuggle over almost anything else so that’s probably why he’s more drawn to me. He cuddles with his brothers and sister and daddy too but his favorite spot is in mommy’s lap.

Last but not least, Little O also chose mommy. Maybe he just did it to even up the score and be fair but either way, we each are now “the person” for 2 pets. Little O likes to snuggle up right underneath my chin. He nestles in like he just can’t get close enough. I actually had to kick him out of my bedroom at night because he would essentially build a nest in my hair, combing through it with his claws, and I’d wake up with a tangled mess I to brush through.

I'm not going to lie, I'd probably be pretty upset if nobody chose me, but the goal is just that they are happy, healthy and feel loved. If there is more than one person in your house or someone who visits often like Chris used to, have your pets chosen a favorite? Or are they unlike ours and like all family members equally? Maybe your pet’s favorite is not even a person but another pet? Share in the comments section.

These are a Few of our Favorite Things: Buffalo Horns

This past Christmas my best friends and I decided to do Furbaby Secret Santa. Yes, this means we put all of our furry kid’s names in a bowl and drew one for each Secret Santa. While I realize many people would find this completely ridiculous, it was really fun.

Chaos’s present included a buffalo horn. I had actually never seen one before and did not even know they were sold at pet stores. Chaos immediately loved his horn. He took it and started chewing on it right away like he knew it was just for him. Ares had his own presents to play with but after Christmas we discovered that Ares was a fan of the buffalo horn too.

Luckily our dogs don’t usually have a problem sharing toys so we figured they could just take turns with the horn. But eventually we realized they both loved the horn so much we should get Ares his own. When we went out to Pet Co., where the original horn was bought, we found only one buffalo horn left. We had intended to get a smaller one for Ares’s smaller mouth but that last one was actually bigger than Chaos’s. Of course we went ahead and bought it and now they actually both trade off with each one at home.

The horn is really the perfect “toy” for the boys because it’s tough and dense enough to hold up against Chaos’s hard chewing. Durability is hard to come by with a strong chewer. The horn is also great for both dogs because scraping their teeth on the hard surface helps remove plaque and keep their gums healthy. The curved shape lends itself to a better grip for chewing so they aren’t bringing the slobbery thing to mommy or daddy to hold for them. Yes, they really do that with other toys. And finally, the horns are not expensive! It depends on the size but we got our larger one for $9.00.

You know your dog loves his toy when it slides under couch by accident and he’s whining and attempting to stick his big head under there and dig to get it back.

What are your dogs’ favorite toys? Do they have the one that you know will have to be replaced if it’s lost or ruined because they love it so much?