To clothe or not to clothe

[Lu]

What's happening folks? You're all too quiet and I want to bark. As you can tell, I dress to impress. But for other dogs, clothes are an odd transition. so let's start the ball rolling this way. Let's go over how to get your pets used tot he idea of clothes. Some just don't mind, while other just stop and sit down the second you slap a sweater on them. Then there are those who fight like crazed maniacs to get the thing off.

So share your tips, or even funny reaction stories for first-timers.

[connie]

definitely when i get my first dog, i'm gonna get her ton of clothes. i guess i never thought of how she might not want to wear clothes --i just assumed she'd want to be looking cute, isn't it natural? j/k lol. :)) do you think the dog whisperer would ever do a show about wearing clothes? LOL :D

[Lu]

It would seem like a good idea for the Dog Whisperer to do. I mean, dogs generally don't wear them and the concept would seem alien. I saw a papillion turn into a statue once when he was dressed up in a sweater. Poor thing wouldn't even move.

[Emmie]

I knew I wanted my dog to wear clothes before I got her. In fact, isn't that the point to small dogs?? No just kidding. My mom's dog was vicious when we tried to dress her up....I mean...she would bite and snarl and not have it. So when I got my dog, I started right away. My dog wasn't thrilled with the idea, but with patience, practice and time, eventually we got to the point where she accepted it. My tips...buy oufits that are easy to get on. Start with things that can velcro clothes instead of the pull over clothes. Just force clothes, if they are too small or don't fit right. Be gentle, don't overbend legs. Remain calm during dressing time. If the dog gets too anxious or starts to bite, take a break and attempt again later. The main thing with Emmie was to show I wasn't giving up the idea.
Nowadays when I want to dress Emmie, she will put her head through the whole of the sweather/shirt, and help me get her paws in and even likes dressing to keep warm.

[ModernTails]

Thanks for the tips Emmie! Sometimes people are disappointed their dog doesn't like clothes but it does take some time for them to get used to it. Like you said, it's best to start them off young.

[Bark Out Loud Designs]

Our dogs are real tropical dogs and hate every bit of cold that comes their way (even if it's not considered cold by others). As puppies they quickly looked for a blanket or towel to crawl under to get warm, so the transition from a towel to a shirt or hoodie was easy. My oldest one, Sunny, even comes to you and stretches out her paw as soon as you get her clothes out of the closet. But here's the funny part. Sometimes she goes to bed with her shirt on on a chilly night and the next morning we wake up to see that she took her shirt of by herself without making a sound!! Hey, Google 'Bark Out Loud Designs' to see some real cute dog clothes that make a statement!