Make a Hat for a Dog
Whether Fido's head is cold, not festive enough or just plain in need of some fashion therapy, making your dog's own hat can be fun and even useful. In this article you'll find a few ways to make a hat for your dog.
Contents
Steps
No-/Low-sew repurposed human hat
This hat is great for the person whose sewing skills are minimal and who has a few too many human hats floating around the house unused. Depending in the type of hat you use, this could be a good hat for sun protection or for warmth, or even give the impression of doggy couture.
- Find a human hat that fits your dog’s head. Check the size of the hat by placing it on your dog's head and seeing how it sits. If you're purchasing one, take Fido's measurements along with you, to be sure. Obviously, some hats have more give than others, so take this into account when assessing size. The type of hat is really up to what you need from it. If it's for a party or a photo shoot, almost anything goes, from cowboy to wizard hats, while if it's for sun protection or warmth, you'll need to check out brim sizes, durability, warm or cooling fabric, etc.
- To measure your dog's head: Use a flexible tape measure and obtain the circumference and diameter of the dog's head. If your dog has any particular features such as a mop of hair in front or big ears, etc., be sure to take these into account for comfort fit.
- Rummage through your closet for old hats––consider baby and children's hats as well when looking, as these will have a smaller size that might be more suited to your dog's head. Retailers of baby wear or children's wear might also have appropriate hats. Since these things tend to get chewed, muddy or lost, don't use anything sentimental or expensive.
- Create a means for securing the hat to your dog's head. The hat may look adorable for a few seconds on your dog’s head, until he turns to look at a passing jackrabbit and it goes flying into space. To secure the hat:
- Design a chin band to keep the hat in place. Gather a few supplies including scissors, an elastic band and a needle and thread. Find a piece of flexible, comfortable elastic to use as the band—also one in a color that complements or matches the hat. You’ll also need scissors and a needle and thread to attach the elastic to the hat.
- Size the hat strap to fit by placing the hat on the dog’s head and measuring from one side of the hat to the other. You may also want to place the hat on the pup’s head, hold one end of the elastic next to the end of the hat and then thread it underneath his chin for an accurate idea.
- Cut and fit the elastic strap to customize the fit for your dog. Once you know how long your elastic strap should be, cut to size. Cut enough so that each end can be sewn into the cap and always cut the strap slightly longer than your original measurement, in case your calculations are off.
- Sew each end of the hat strap to the inside of each end of the hat. Don’t leave the ends poking out––sew the ends inside the hat for a more professional finish. (Loose ends may be tempting for your pup to tug and rip from the hat.)
- Put the hat back on the pup with the strap to ensure a tight but comfortable fit. Make adjustments if the fit is not ideal.
- Design the hat theme. Once the construction portion of the hat is complete, now it's time to get creative. You’ll need to consider materials required to design the hat (felt, fabric, small toys, etc.) and how you plan to keep those materials in place (hot glue gun, sewing, etc).
- Consider different occasions where your pet can wear the hat. If you're going for strictly one look for one occasion (such as Halloween or Christmas) you won’t need to worry about making the hat design diverse. However, if this is more of a “dog around town” type of hat, consider the different occasions he’ll encounter such as a dog park, visits with friends or even window-shopping.
- Design the hat to be indestructible if you have a rambunctious pooch. If the hat becomes an annoyance for your dog, chances are he’ll not only want to remove it from his head, he’ll be out to destroy it too. In the event this does occur, you’ll want to make sure you’ve done a good job constructing the hat to minimize the damage and ensure that nothing toxic is attached to the hat. Consider using the sewing method instead of building your hat with a hot glue gun or other types of glue. Sewing will provide for a more durable hat and design construction.
- Redesign the existing hat to accommodate the doggie design or to fit his personality. If you're using a baseball cap and your dog appears to be clearly annoyed with the bill, remove it. There’s no reason to have it hanging down over his eyes if he can’t see or if he is becoming anxious.
Dog party hat
When Fido is attending a party or is having a party, a party hat can help to add to the festive feel.
- Purchase the supplies as noted above.
- Draw a template for the hat. The hat will end up being a cone, so the template needs to be quarter circle shaped in a size large enough for your dog. See the template image attached for guidance.
- Place the paper template over the craft foam. Cut out a piece the exact same shape as the template.
- Roll the foam piece into a cone shape. The sides should overlap slightly (about 1cm or 1/4"). Staple in place at the base, then hot glue the overlapped piece from the base to the top. Allow to dry.
- Measure the elastic to ensure that it will be enough to fit over your dog's chin (this will vary according to your dog's size). For the best fit, fold the elastic over to make two strands and knot the ends. Staple the knots to the sides of the cone, at the base.
- Decorate the hat. Glue the pompom to the top of the hat. Glue the braid around the base of the hat. Finish with a line of buttons, mini pompoms or foam dots/stars/bones/dog's name in the "front" of the hat. (Don't use buttons if you're worried that your dog might chew them off and swallow them.)
- Place on your dog to test the final fit. Once it's a good fit, it's ready for use. Make more if you're holding a party with several dogs attending.
Wizard hat
For the dog who likes to go trick or treating, this dog hat is a lot of fun!
- Purchase the supplies as noted below.
- Create a template. Make the same cone template as explained in the previous hat's steps, adjusting the cone size to your dog's head size. Place the cone paper template over the black foam and cut out the cone shape and assemble as in the previous hat's steps (you'll need to do this before making the brim, so that you can check the circle circumference). For the brim, draw a circle that is the same circumference as the base of the cone and another circle about 2.5cm/1 inch out from the first circle, so that you have a circle within a circle (the inner circle will be cut out).
- Cut out the brim shape. Cut out the inner circle and around the outside of the outer circle, so that you're left with a doughnut shape.
- Attach the elastic. Measure the amount of elastic needed, double it over and knot at the edges. Staple the edges to the sides of the base of the cone.
- Place the cone, tip side down, inside the brim and gently ease down to the base of the cone. Hot glue into place with a few dabs here and there. Allow to dry.
- Wrap ribbon around the base of the hat, just above the brim.
- Cut a small star or similar shape from a differently colored piece of foam. Where the ribbon joins, glue this piece over the join.
- Place the wizard hat on your dog to test the final fit. It's now good to go!
Dog visor
This is a quick solution to a dog getting sun in his eyes when out for his daily walk.
- Purchase the supplies as noted below.
- Create a template. Using the attached image as a guide, draw a template that suits the size of your dog.
- Attach the template to the colored poster board. Cut out the visor.
- If decorating, do so now. You might like to write the dog's name or draw a cartoon of something your dog likes, such as a toy or food.
- You can also cover the visor in contact to protect it from light rain/sprinklers/puddle splashes, etc.
- Measure the length of elastic that will ensure a snug but not too tight fit to your dog's head. You may need to take the elastic under or over the ears, depending on the breed––do a little experimenting. If in doubt, always add more elastic than needed, as you can create a knot to shorten it.
- Staple one end of the elastic to one end of the visor, then do the same the other side. Trim off any excess elastic.
Tips
- Look for the signs that your dog may have “had enough” of his hat. If the dog starts rolling around or pawing at it, no matter how cute he looks in it, take it off.
- If you like knitting or crocheting, this is another option for a great dog's hat––either find a pattern purposefully designed for a dog or use a pattern made for babies or children.
- You can try a baby hat for your dog instead of making this.
- For the “easiest” dog hat, pet stores sell ready-made versions––no sewing or redesigning needed.
- Felted hats can be a great way to repurpose an old sweater.
Warnings
- Never attach anything to the hat that could pose a choking or poisoning hazard to your pet.
- In all cases, never leave a dog unattended when wearing a hat. Always remove the hat before letting your dog out of your sight.
Things You'll Need
No-/Low-sew repurposed human hat:
- Human hat
- Wide, strong elastic for attaching hat (wider elastic won't cut into the dog)
- Scissors
- Thread and needle, hot glue, etc. for attaching items
- Decorative items (optional)
Party hat:
- Craft foam in color of choice (perhaps match party colors)
- Wide elastic (preferably in black too, to ensure continuity of color)
- Pompom for top of hat
- Decorative buttons, foam dots, mini pompoms or other items for front of hat
- Braid for hat trim
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Hot glue gun
- Paper for template and marker
Wizard hat:
- Black craft foam (if you'd prefer a different color, that's fine too)
- Wide black elastic
- Contrasting ribbon (any type of ribbon is fine, whatever you've got available)
- Small piece of differently colored foam for designed decoration
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Paper for template and marker
Dog visor:
- Colored poster board
- Elastic braid, 1/4" wide
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Markers for decoration/name
- Paper for template and marker
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