Homemade Dog Coat

Fifi doesn’t like rain, she won’t even get out of bed when she can hear that it is raining outside. But sometimes there isn’t time to wait for the rain to pass, especially here in Yorkshire! We went to Pets at Home to have a look at raincoats for her, however not only were they insanely expensive, but they were also not long enough for her. After hearing about this, my resourceful mum said she would make one for her, and here’s how she did it.

How to Make a Dog Coat out of an Apron

Have a look in the loft or go down to your local charity shop and have a look for an old plastic covered apron, it has to be a waterproof fabric.

Firstly, you have to check that the body of the apron actually fits around the body of the dog. If you have a little dog you can use a child’s apron.

Mark on the apron where the straps would go to fit under her chin and under her tummy. You then remove the neck strap and cut the waist ties down to size.

Fold over the edges at the top of the apron to create a head covering, then stitch into place. Stitch the remaining straps back on further down the coat and stitch on the velcro.

Create a hole where the dog’s collar or harness will be so that the lead can fit through. Use some of the remaining strap, and cut a piece twice as long as the hole, fold over the ends and stitch it over the hole. Then cut a hole in the middle of the fabric which lines up with the existing hole. Blanket stitch the material to the apron. This will reinforce the hole so that it doesn’t tear the apron/coat.

To help keep the coat in position and prevent the wind from blowing the end up, add on some elastic to the bottom corners for the dog’s legs to go through. To ensure a comfortable fit, measure the length of elastic required by putting the coat on the dog, and looping the elastic round. This will also help you to ensure that you’ve got the elastic in the right place for the dog’s legs. Remember to leave enough space for the dog’s leg to be posted through the elastic loop whilst the coat is on.

Et Voilà

Here is the finished product! As you can see the top strap fits around her chest, and the strap below fits around under her tummy. The top of the apron provides a head cover, especially good if your dog doesn’t like to get its head wet! Cardboard could be added into the head section to make a firmer rim to stop it from flapping about in the wind.