17 Hilariously Clever Halloween Dog Costumes!

October is almost upon us and with it the always popular holiday, Halloween. Depending on how much you love Halloween the day can be one filled with fun: scary movies, delicious candy, trick or treating and more. However, some people really, really love the holiday and they even extend it to their pets! We pulled together 17 hilarious and clever costumes that people have tried out on their dogs. Get ready to take some notes because if you have a dog you might just try these out!

The Cowardly Lion.

If you have any kind of the popular big dogs out there, such as a Pit Bull or a German Shepherd, than this simple lion costume is probably right up your alley! Here we see it perfectly implemented thanks to this dogs natural coloring and shaved body. This costume is easy to do because it consists of only one costume piece: the mane. Some dogs will not tolerate having something around their neck, however, so your mileage may vary.

Lil Cerberus.

Are you feeling a little more mythological? While you won’t see anybody lining up to adopt a dog that looks like this (what, with its three heads and all) this does make one heck of a costume. Calling back on the mythical Cerberus, this little pup is suddenly three times as cute. We’re not sure if this is a custom made costume or not, but the owner nailed it! The best part is that it is simple to put on your dog: one little harness and the costume is done, no dog training schools necessary to get them to cooperate.

Hard Hat and Lunch Pail.

We’re not sure that this costume would work half as well on any other breed of dog. The long face, the paunch of a belly, and the wide stance of this dog totally sells the construction worker appearance. Let’s just say that this dog knows its way around the different dog foods out there, and they probably aren’t all of the healthy dog food variety.

Ragnar of the Bark Clan.

If we saw these two dogs for sale we would snap them up in an instant! Two dogs dressed as little Vikings, complete with furry boots and shields… It’s just too much for us. We love the wigs and the elaborate costumes. The more detail we see on these costumes, however, the more we are convinced that this is more than just a Halloween hobby for the owners. These dogs have clearly undergone dog behavior training once or twice in their life.

Grr, me Pirate Booty.

Though this may make the rank at #13 on our list we aren’t too sure it isn’t the most clever costume we’ve ever seen. We love how intricate the costume is and just how capably it works from both sides as an optical illusion. We hope this owner gave their pet some serious premium dog food at the end of this trick or treating session.

Headless Huntsman, and Friend.

Good gracious, just how clever is this? We are positive that this dog probably doesn’t love the costume, but even he must realize just how cool he looks. We love the added ‘hooves’ for the pup’s feet and we can’t get over how perfectly balanced the rider appears. This owner must know his or her way around dog obedience training as this is not an easy feat to pull off! Our only concern is the weight of the ‘huntsman’.

Uhm, what?

We’re going to be totally honest with you — we have no idea how this happened. What we do know is that this dog clearly doesn’t understand just how ridiculous it looks. In fact, the more we look at it the more confused we get. Who thought that this was a good idea? Who was in charge of dying the dog and who snapped the picture thinking, “Yup, we nailed it.” Some things just boggle the mind.

Skeletor.

This is another costume where we have to admit that the idea exceeds the execution. Here we have a gorgeous dog whose fur is rendered into absolute chaos thanks to a hack dye job and a literal hack job on their fur. The skeleton concept works at a glance but the more attention you pay to the detail, particularly in the hind and front legs, the more you realize how rough it is. Just clean this dog up and give them their favorite organic dog food, they deserve a treat.

Scuba Steve to the Rescue.

Shwew, we are back to straight up clever costumes. This amazing scuba diving concept has this little dog ready to hit the deep seas. We love the water bottle working as an oxygen tank and the air compressing regulator is perfect. We do have to admit that this pup is probably going to be pretty annoyed at having to wear all of this gear, though. Make sure to reward ’em with a treat after!

Lovable Tiger.

Some dogs just take to costumes better than others and this canine is totally nailing the tiger look. We saw a few examples of bad dye jobs earlier in this list but this is an example of great work. At a glance you can almost forget that you are looking at a dog, at least until you see the big puppy smile and kind eyes. bonus points are being awarded for that awesome tail!

Walk the Plank.

This pirate costume makes so much sense and we’re sure this dog gets excited to go for a ‘walk’ even if it is on the plank. We love the ankle bracers and the fake dreads, complete with Jack Sparrow beads, are an excellent tough. We’re not sure that this is a tough looking pirate, but we’re definitely going to give the pup some mad props for commitment to the part.

Crocodile Genius.

This beagle has the resigned look of a dog that is used to doing whatever its owner makes it. We love the crocodile-eating-the-dog costume and it looks like it will play really well for people walking by. Still, the puppy has that resigned look: “This is my life now, thanks owner.” Oh well, it’s one day out of the year — suck it up!

A Different NASA.

Anytime people give props to one of America’s finest agencies, we have to give them right back. This old school NASA outfit is complete with a re-imagining of the legendary space department with a focus more on squirrels than outer space. We love the ‘oxygen tank’ and the helmet is a thing of beauty. If you attempt to do this costume back home just make sure that you pay attention to the comfort of your dog as those helmets can get cumbersome quickly.

Cuddly Scorpion.

Scorpions rank somewhere in our top ten of creatures that we never want to come across but dogs rank in our top ten of favorite animals, so this costume is a quandary. Even though this is a little dog we’re sure getting chased by it will lead to a few screams from unsuspecting people. I mean after all just look at those claws!

Air Canine.

We’re not sure that this dog has gone through all of the proper protocols to land his flying license but we are still definitely digging the look. We love the flight goggles and the medal around his neck but we question the addition of two cat emblems near his chest. Is Air Kitty employing dog pilots?

1 – 2 – 3 Cheer!

To be honest we are a little disarmed by this costume. The ‘human arms’ give us some creepy vibes and the professional backdrop means that their owner probably brought the puppy into a Wal Mart or something to get the shot done. Still, good job?

The Incredible BARK.

You want to know his secret? He’s always hungry. This amazing Incredible Hulk costume is a throwback to old school comic book fans. We love the denim shorts and the dye job works great with the dogs naturally dark facial features. Great job, now get the rest of the Avengers together!