Mikey Davis, Author at Chihuahua Clothes

Costumes for Dogs: The Funny Side of Dog Clothing

I’ve been talking about some serious things related to chihuahua clothes (if that’s possible) on this blog lately and offering some advice, but I feel it’s time to kick back a bit more and have fun with this post: I’m talking about costumes for dogs this time. Exactly what are these dog costumes, some of you who have been living under a very large rock might ask? Dog costumes are insanely cute little outfits and clothes for dogs, both big and small, from pit bulls to chihuahuas, designed to make you and everyone who has eyes in your vecinity burst with laughter and hilarious glee!

I was seriously considering writing another article for this little site about chihuahua clothes that would have taken these costumes for dogs seriously; but how would you start that? “Ahem, today I have a very important issue to discuss with you: the topic of dog costumes…” I don’t think so. Dog costumes are perhaps the truest sign that the universe has a sense of humor: some of my hardest laughing moments where caused by a dog walking by in an outlandish or ridiculous costume of some sort. So for fun, and to honor what I think is the true nature of these little costumes for our K-9 friends, let’s have a look at a few typical dog costumes today and discuss the qualities of these funny and fine dog costumes:

The Superman dog. I love these superhero dog costumes: they’re so easy to get your dog into. They typically hang on the front of your dog’s neck, and they give the appearance that your dog is really a little being with arms and legs and the whole bit. The first time you see one of these little dog costumes, you are doomed to an almost fatal laughter; that is to say that you will probably laugh so hard that you won’t be able to breath for a minute or two. I hope you have a good lung capacity!

While we’re one the subject, it needs to be said: superheroes work in teams. What better than to dress up the entire pack in super hero attire? Now, these hero dog costumes are normally intended for a laugh on Halloween, but why not bust these out on a monthly basis? Why not take the Halloween dog costumes out of the October box and make one day each month for dressing your dogs up, each in super hero clothing, and walking them down the street with absolutely no explanation whatsoever? People will look, some will take pictures, and you’ll create a moment in the universe of absolute hilarity. What could be more fun on a dull, overcast Sunday afternoon than walking down a busy street with a pack of German shepherds dressed to the K-9s in costumes for big dogs?

Is that Simba? Or is that a pit bull? It’s so hard to tell these days, especially when the latter is wearing the former’s costume! Seriously, if you were to walk down the street with your dog wearing the lion dog costume, I suspect you would end up scaring a great majority of the people you’d pass on the sidewalk. You’d walk by and as the other person’s peripheral vision came to noticing the maine of this beast passing by beside them, they’d have that instinctive freakout reaction of “..??.whaATTT THE HECK IS THATTT!!? AHHHhh…ooh,… just a dog.. ahem.. I knew that,.. haha, just kidding!!.. I was just kidding, ahahaha. What a cute little doggy woggy in his dog lion costume…” (adjusting his neck tie and wiping sweat from his brow.) Can you imagine the fun this could be if you coupled this with a digital camera in hand, recording video of these walk-by reactions? It could be quite fun! At any rate, these animal costumes for dogs are very cool in that they definitely suit our little furry beast and can look very real for a few seconds while your mind figures out exactly what you’re looking at. Just check out this next one:

Ah, the skunk-dog. Should I run? Should I bend down and pet him? I just can’t make up my mind! Normally, I take off when I see a skunk, but there’s just something so. damn. cute. about this one! Maybe it’s the wagging fluffy white tail, or maybe it’s his adorably huge proportions–it is no matter: the important thing is that this dog is freaking cute in his skunk costume!

Ah yes, the food inspired costumes for our dogs. These are always good for a laugh; I just hope the Chinese aren’t watching when I dress my dog up like this! I kid, of course, but seriously people: dogs are not food! And don’t you dare let me catch you dressing your wiener dog dachshund in a hot dog costume; that’s just garishly over the top.

Ah yes, who could resist the McHappy Meal pack? You’ve got Mr. Big Mack over there, the Jack in the Box dog, the Mr. Supersize Fries pooch, and the slaving line cook over there on the left! What a team! I’m not sure you’d want to actually dress them all like this at the same time and walk them together because you might actually send people into cardiac arrest on sight with something as ridiculously, absurdly funny as this… You’ve been warned.

How adorable: the Johny football star quarterback dog costume. I have one of these for my little chihuahua and it is darling. Sports have never been that important to me, but I’d be a lot more stoked about getting involved with them if my dog were running around with little costumes for dogs like this on! You can find these in just about any sport,so if you’re into hockey, there’s a chihuahua clothes hockey costume out there, or a tennis one if you’re into rackets, shorts, and Polo shirts…

This is one of my favorites, although I can’t say the same for the dog wearing it here… he doesn’t look too impressed, does he? I think the whole “oh my god–my dog is being eaten by a crocodile” effect could be enhanced significantly if you could train your dog to take off running on command, while also barking loudly. If you could also train your dog to jump into the river and swim across to the other side and then keep running through a busy pedestrian street with this thing attached to him, water dripping off and everything, I think you might just be the next YouTube star…

Ah, the sweetie pie costumes. The princess dog costume would have to be one of the most popular among little dog owners. I cannot tell you how many little yorkies and chihuahuas I have seen in the past month dressed up in medieval princess costume like this!

And what dog wardrobe is complete without the bride and groom matching set? Seriously, if you have two little dogs, one a boy and the other a girl, you have to get these for them: this is the prima ballerina of dog costumes for small dogs, and getting this set is actually required by dog costume law, in fact. If you’re caught without these two too-cute costumes in your possession, well, …you’re in trouble, I hear. If you love people to swoon and screech at your dogs’ cuteness, then just train them to quietly green your guests at the door and dress them up in these matching dog outfits. It is certain to be a hit. Among the pug costumes you can buy out there, this one takes the formal wedding cake, hands down.

For extra bonus points, try taking your dog into a crowded elevator while he’s wearing any of these clothes: you’re sure to be a hit. Lol.

If you’re interested in buying a few of these for your own dog, I found a few good stores that sell costumes for dogs that you should check out:

http://www.costumecraze.com/dog-costumes.html for costumes

http://www.gwlittle.com/prod_detail_list/dog_dresses for little dog dress costumes

or Amazon.com’s dog costume selection–they’ve got some good ones!

This post about crazy costumes for dogs was inspired by this article here: http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2008/01/some-amazing-dog-costumes-9-of-the-best/ , to give attribution where it is due. None of the photos on the page are my own: I stole each every one of them off of some other page on the net so that I could provide you with my semi-insane commentary on them. If you own any of the photos in this post on crazy dog costumes, then just leave me a comment below and I’ll happily swap it for another.

Well that covers this zany episode from the chihuahua clothes blog. I’ll see you next time when I hit you with something probably a little less crazy than the insane world of costumes for dogs, but hopefully something just as fun! Have fun, folks! -Michelle

Small Dog Clothing: Cute and Adorable Clothes For Your Little Dog

Small dog clothing is available in greater variety than clothes for bigger dogs, and this is one of the advantages of owning a chihuahua dog or other similarly small breed. At the pet store, you’ll notice there are more costumes for dogs that are little than the bigger breed dogs. The bigger breeds primarily have their coats for keeping them warm in cool weather, but smaller dogs have clothing that comes much more in both types: functional dog clothing to keep them warm, as well as the adorable dog costumes you use to dress them up into cute, adorable bundles of K9 fluff and chihuahua clothes hilarity.

An example: If you have a golden retriever, you’re probably not going to find too many polka dot costumes with rabbit ears for him at your local pet store. What you will find are winter and rain coats for him in all likelihood, along with some dog boots to help protect your retriever’s pads in certain circumstances, and maybe–just maybe–you’ll see the odd Superman costume that you can hang around his neck to make him look like a ridiculously cute and hilarious K9 superhero.

But if you’ve got a smaller dog like chihuahua, you will find that same style in small dog clothing for him at the store, with a bunch of companies making warm chihuahua dog clothes and little rain coats and other apparel for small dogs in the same style as that bigger dog clothing. But you’ll also likely find the other side of smaller dog clothing: the dog costumes for small dogs! You’ll be able to find that rabbit costume, that farmer outfit, and that freaky pumpkin costume that you don’t quite know whether you should be laughing at it or perhaps checking yourself into a mental hospital for buying it and dressing your little dog up in it–haha!–when you go shopping for clothes for smaller dogs! Of course not all of the customers are that extreme, and in fact you’ll often see combination clothing that are both dog coat and costume, mixing function in with the small dog fashion:

Clothing for small dogs comes in more variety in other words, and it makes owning a small breed dog a lot of fun. It’s so much fun to dress up your little puppy in a costume outfit and walk him around the neighborhood and meet all the other dogs along the way! And of course if you bump into a friend along the way, or if you’re back at home and your little chihuahua is there in his toy dog clothing, it’s an endless talking piece if you want to go there.

One of the best parts of there being both of these types of clothes for small dogs is that you can make your little dog wear both at the same time, so you can cover both bases at once: keeping him warm as well as making him look adorable and cute! I actually see this a lot among chihuahua owners: they’ll put a shirt and a sweater on their dog and then over top of that have the chihuahua wearing a chiuaua clothes costume of some sort, be it a cute toy costume or a pair of fairy wings or some sort of three headed beast or some other funky kind of costume–I see it a lot, actually! Most owners start by addressing their small dog’s need for comfort by buying the pooch sweaters and the dog coats and those shirts for keeping your dog warm; and then afterward they explore the very cool, very fun and very adorable world of small dog costumes for their chihuahua or their yorkie, or whatever little breed of dog they have! It can be a very, very enjoyable little hobby! Be sure to check back soon for the latest news on small dog clothing and other attire and funky, cute fashion for chihuahuas!

Cheap Dog Clothes: Avoid An Itching Dog By Trying Before Buying

I love cheap dog clothes, especially when I find them for my little chihuahua. They’re cute, they’re snuggly, they’re cheap, and they tend to make everyone in sight love your little bundle of chihuahua joy, instantly!

But something I’ve learned you have to look out for when purchasing cheaper clothes for dogs is the itch factor. Sometimes you can go to buy a cheap shirt for your dog, perhaps a knit sweater of some kind that’s made of wool, and you’ll put it on your little dog and it will make her itch her like crazy. You’ll put it on your poor chihuahua and her back foot will arch up and start scratching behind the ears and along the side, and the head will be twisting and contorting so she can reach that spot! Darn it!–I…must.. just…reach…. that spot! 🙂

My joking asside, it can be a good idea to test out dog clothes for this first, before you buy them. The easiest way to do this of course to is to simply take your chihuahua with you to the pet store (or whatever breed you have) and try them before buying them. Most pet stores allow you to bring your dog in with you these days, so you can take advantage of that and bring your little chihuahua dog in with you, bring her to the isle of dog clothes, and then test out those you’re interested in. Pick the sweater or coat that you think you’d like to buy, and then test it out on her: put the clothes on her and let her wear it for a few minutes while you browse the rest of the small dog clothing, and see pay attention and observe your chihuahua to see if she’s itching at all as a result of the clothes.

Most of the time, itching never comes up and this isn’t a problem, in my experience. But I’ve just recently had an experience with my chihuahua where I bought her a cute new pink little dog parka. I put it on her and everyone was absolutely swooning over how cute it was, but then I noticed something I’ve never seen her do before in response to wearing her clothes: she started itching! It it wasn’t just like a little scratch either: I’m talking a full blown itch-o-mania! It was kind of crazy.

At the time, I was thinking my little chihuahua was having some kind of allergic reaction to the material this parka was made of, but it was weird because the parka didn’t appear to be made of anything special or different from the cheap clothes my chihuahua or any of my little dogs have worn in the past.

It was a truly bizarre moment!

So I took the clothes back to the store and returned them. And with my little dog with me, we went and tested out a few more affordable coats for little dogs. Lo and behold, after a few minutes of testing different ones, we came across yet another article of clothing that was itching her like crazy! It bore no resemblance to the pink parka I’d returned, but it was causing the same itch reaction with my poor chihuahua. Weird.

The only thing I can think of is that somewhere along the way, one of the employees accidentally dropped a few of these coats onto something like fiberglass insulation or something similarly irritating to the skin, and then those pieces of dog clothing somehow they made their way onto the store shelves. Now, I’m swinging at air here, but that’s about the only explanation that comes to mind for me. The two coats we tried out on my chihuahua dog were completely different in every sense: different material, different design, and from a different company.

Luckily, we found a few good inexpensive dog shirts for her to wear this spring, so we’re both very happy about that: her with the added cuteness she’ll be sporting, and me here with the camera ready! Oh god, something tells me I’m turning into one of those crazy dog persons. Anyway, keep this in weird thing in mind: if your chihuahua starts itching the bejesus out of herself after you put that new chihuahua clothing on her, you may be experiencing something similar to what we went through here with these itchy cheap dog clothes, and you may consider returning them to the store like we did to try out some different shirts and sweaters instead.

Help Socialize Your Puppy By Using Chihuahua Clothes As An Aid

A weird but nonetheless true way of looking at chihuahua clothes is that they can be used as a training device. If you have a chihuahua puppy, dressing her up in little dog shirts and costumes to draw in a lot of people and have them wanting to pet and touch your dog can aid you in your socialization efforts with your little chihuahua. Go with me on this. When you have a new puppy, one of the main things you need to do to condition your puppy into being a balanced dog for life is to properly socialize her, both around dogs and people, during these impressionable months. Well when you put chihuahua clothes on your little dog, what happens? Exactly!–people come running from all corners of the earth–OK, bit of an exaggeration, but at least from across the street, to check out your little cute and cuddly puppy with her adorable sweater and coat and pet her and see how cute she is and use that high pitched squeaky voice and tell you how cute your chihuahua is in her little clothing. In this way, chihuahua clothing serves a very useful function in aiding your efforts in socializing your chihuahua dogs with humans.

Now don’t get me wrong: I think chihuahuas are cute enough without the clothes, but they are even cute with, and if you’re going to do something, you may as well do it well, with your chihuahua wearing the human magnets that are chihuahua clothes!

Something to keep in mind when employing this strategy seriously is that chihuahuas are famous for being excited and not-very-balanced dogs, psychologically speaking and, as a result, with regards to their temperment and outward behavior. This is probably because for their whole life, pretty much all they’ve known from people is that excited, unbalanced energy of “OOOOHHHHH!! HOW CUTE!!! OH, SHE”S JUST SO ADORABLE!!! CAN I PET HER!?? NO, OH WELL NEVER MIND YOU–I”M GOING TO ANYWAY!!! OHH!!!! HELLO CUTIE PIE!!! OhoohOOHHOO!!!…” So unless you want your dog to be semi-screwed up for life in this way, you’re probably going to want to encourage people to interact with and help socialize your chihuahua dogs in a more calm, relaxed, balanced manner, regarless of how cute and adorable they look in their little doggy clothes. To this end, chihuahua clothes by default and on their own are largely going to work against this purpose because they tend to attract that kind of unbalanced attention from people. But, if you set a rule for people and you enforce it and use the small dog clothing to attract people over but require people interact with your chihuahua in a calm way, you can see amazing results in your socialization methods.

Using this method with the little dog clothes has made socializing my little dogs a snap: it has never been much effort for me to accomplish adequate socialization of my own chihuahuas for this very reason. My little doggies are usually wearing chihuahua clothes anyways, and when we go out for our daily walks, they usually attract people like crazy. So if you’ve got a young chihuahua or some other breed of small dog, try this out and use the little dog clothing to pull in the people and have them help socialize your pups. It’s pretty easy and it makes the task a lot simpler!

Can Chihuahuas Live in Cold Climates? Yes, With Coats For Dogs, They Can

I’ve had many chihuahuas throughout my life, and in conversations with potential owners, many people ask me if chihuahuas can live in cold weather or ask me “can a chihuahua live outside?” The answer is a resounding yes, they can, but will almost always need to pair your chihuahua dog with some chihuahua clothes and a few coats for dogs.

Chihuahuas tend to cool off and get cold more easily than other breeds of dogs. They originate from a warm part of the planet–whether it was really in Mexico as many believe or in the Mediterranean as some experts suggest–and so genetically speaking, they’re more geared for the heat than a lot of other breeds. In addition, their smaller bodies have a higher metabolism, which makes them cool down quicker than bigger dogs with lower metabolic rates. So if you live in a place like Canada or the UK or a state in the US where it really cools down at some point in the day or for part of the year, then you can just pick up a pieces of clothing for your little dog and play chihuahua dress up with him, and that’s all you really need to do.

I’ve lived with a number of chihuahuas in Canada that I brought up from Mexico, and they do find it cold without the clothes, but you put a sweater on them and then dress them up in a chihuahua coat that is specifically made for dogs, and they stay warm just like any other kind of dog would. It’s really not a problem, and they’re perfectly fine when they have their clothes. Even without the clothes, they do alright, but you want make sure they’re comfortable in your home and when they go out for a walk when they’re cold, so that’s what the doggy clothes are for. It’s pretty simple.

Every chihuahua dog owner I’ve ever seen who lives in a cooler climate has a little collection of clothes for their little K-9… it’s kind of cute, actually. The more you walk around the neighborhood in the winter, the more you get to see your neighbors’ dog clothes wardrobes, haha, with all the chihuahua winter coats and the shirts and sweaters, and tons of different coats for dogs. So yes, it is normal for people to have chihuahuas in colder weather and in cold climates, and live with Chihuahuas in Canada in the winter, and in other cold places too, of course. To take them outside, just pick up a few chihuahua clothes for the little pooches, and they’re good to go.