5 Costume Ideas for Your Shihpoo this Halloween

If you love finding the perfect Halloween costume as much as I do, you’ll love these ideas for dressing up your Shihpoo this October 31st. Just imagine the joy your disguised little teddy bear puppy will bring the trick or treaters at your door as you both pass out the goodies.

Some costumes work best when they incorporate subtle assumptions about the costume wearer or the costume itself or both. Other costumes work because of what is popular in the media or arts, from movies to politics. Start with this list of ideas about your own Shihpoo and popular culture.

• Shihpoos are known as the Teddy Bear dog breed
• Shihpoos look like Ewoks from Star Wars
• Shihpoos have a funny name

Make One or Buy One

The costume ideas below can all be made relatively easily, though some require sewing skills. If you prefer to keep your Halloween simple and are willing to pay for a costume to put your puppy in disguise, check out some of these available from Chewy.com at prices starting around $3 going up to $40. If you decide to pay for a costume, consider getting one that you can use more than once a year. Here’s one that you can use any time you have a special dinner with family or friends and want to “formalize” your Shihpoo: males and females.

Getting the Costume On

While many Shihpoos tend to be pretty laid back, keep in mind that most dogs do not find humor in wearing an uncomfortable costume. You can spend hours creating the perfect costume for your puppy only to find that he or she hates it. Whether they find it uncomfortable, constrictive, or just plain strange, they may tear at it, struggle to get it off, or otherwise put up some major resistance.

Keep a stash of their favorite treats on hand (quite literally) to share before, during and after your put attempt to put the costume on your puppy. This will distract him or her enough to focus on the food and not on the costume around his or her neck.

You should plan to test the costume out several times before Halloween night to work out the kinks and to get your Shihpoo used to the experience. You may also consider spritzing your puppy before you put on the costume to minimize static cling.

Shihpoo Costume #1: The Teddy Bear

Okay, so this one is obvious, but that is why it works. Shihpoos are known as the Teddy Bear dogs so why not make it a reality?

Photo Courtesy of www.SpiritHalloween.com

Level of Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Cost: $1-$10

Find any teddy bear you like (thrift stores are great places to find cheap ideas), cut the face out of its head straight through the back (sounds gruesome, but it is Halloween, after all), and stick Shihpoo’s head through it.

If you remove all the stuffing from what was the teddy bear’s head, you will not even need to do any sewing. Finally, attach one large elastic band to each side of the bear and wrap it loosely around the puppy’s shoulders to hold the body of the bear in place, attaching two smaller bands to the back of the bear’s legs to secure them to the puppy’s front legs.

Shihpoo Costume #2: The Ewok

This one is a lot easier than you might think. Using the same idea from the #1 Teddy Bear costume, just add a leather (or faux-leather, leather-like) head covering, almost like a balaclava.

Photo Courtesy of OddityMail.com

Level of Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Cost: $5-$10

Once you secure the head scarf or cap using an elastic headband, you will want to secure the stuffed bear’s feet to your puppy’s front legs with other elastic bands. Once this is done, it’s time to celebrate, Ewok style: Alaay loo ta nuv (“celebrate the love”).

Shihpoo Costume #3: The Little Lamb

This costume works particularly well for your black Shihpoo. If it is trimming time, you may even ask the groomer to shave your Shihpoo’s face “poodle style” to give your puppy a strong “Shawn the Sheep” look. Skinny black legs would really finish the entire look you are going for. Be careful, though, not to shave your Shihpoo just for this purpose, especially if you live in a cold climate.

Photo Courtesy of Witch Crafters

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Cost: $1-$10

You can either find a white, woolly lamb version of costume #1 or a simple white woolly blanket to secure around the puppy’s neck and waist. A white woolly headband with the addition of pink ears will really sell the look.

Shihpoo Costume #4: The Poop Emoji

Your puppy IS a ShihPOO after all. Maybe it’s not so subtle, but it’s still funny. Whether it is in your face funny or on the bottom of your shoe, this accessory costume on your Shihpoo is bound to extract immediate and delayed laughs. Plus, if you have a girl Shihpoo, it may be the best time to introduce her with the alternative pronunciation: My “She-Poo.”

Photo Courtesy of InspireMore.com

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Cost: $2-$5

Purchase a thick, brown foam sheet and a white marker. Cut out the shape of the Poop emoji (approximately 5″-6″ high), color on the mouth and eyes (use a black permanent marker for the pupils… or poopils) and attach to an elastic headband.

Shihpoo Costume #5: The Collectible Toy

This one fits into the subtle but hilarious category. Plus, it’s SO simple. TY collectibles are known for selling adorably cute and very small teddy bears. Your Shihpoo may be just a few pounds heavier than a TY bear, but you will likely find you prefer the live version to the collectible stuffed bear.

Photo Courtesy of Cuteness-Overload.com

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Cost: $1-$10

Just find a popular toy tag, such as a red, square Ty collection tag, and place it around your puppy’s head. Make sure there is no possibility of choking, of course. You may also purchase a white foam sheet and cut out a 3″ heart. Next, use a black permanent marker to draw a border around the heart. Then, add a yellow start to the top right corner of the heart. Next, use a red permanent marker to outline the two letters, TY in the middle of the heart. Fill in the rest of the heart (all but inside the letters and the star) with your red marker.

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Related Questions

Where can you find clothing for a Shihpoo?
Your local Walmart, Target, Petsmart, department stores and even dollar stores will carry a limited variety of clothing for dogs. For greater variety, check out the usual online consumer sites like Amazon, as well as Etsy.

Where can you purchase costumes for a Shihpoo?
Fun costumes are available for Shihpoos on Amazon, eBay and Chewy.com. Etsy is another great resource for fun, one-of-a-kind costumes. Make sure that you order the proper size for your Shihpoo, typically a small for dogs 10 lbs to 18 lbs and extra small for your Shihpoo weighing less than 10 lbs

Published September 23, 2019