Make your own dog drying coat

For years I have been trying to find a quick drying dog coat to use on my dog. I have struggled to find a coat that fitted or was within budget so I decided to make my own. I’m sharing it here in case it is handy for anyone else too.

We are limited for space in our house so our dog’s bed is in our kitchen, which is white! To save our dog shaking and rubbing all over our kitchen when wet (she hates being wet) I wanted a coat to help her dry and keep our kitchen hygienic. In the car I also wanted a coat to keep her warm in cold months, dry after a wet walk and for keeping the car clean if she is covered in mud or has rolled in poo!

Dog drying coat

Simple, home made dog drying coat

Materials

For the materials, purchase a one metre (this is based on a labrador sized dog, buy more or less depending on your dog’s size) of quick dry micro fleece (so polyester which in itself is quick drying) and 30cm of velcro from a fabric shop. Make sure it is micro fleece and not a sweatshirt type. I bought a metre of a two metre wide fleece for £6 and cut it in half to make two coats.

Blog 7 - dog towel leskie lie

Leskie ‘helping’ me make her drying coat

Measurements

With your dog facing to the right, use a tape measure and write down the following:

Dog drying coat measurements

  1. the distance from the centre of their chest, under their neck, to their bottom, then add 5cm extra,
  2. from elbow to elbow over their back,
  3. the tip of their tail to their collar,
  4. around your dog’s neck where their collar is, then halve the number.

 

Method

 

  1. Cut your material to size – A by B. A will be the full length of the coat along your dogs back, so add more on if you would like it to come over your dog’s tail and cover them more when they curl up (I added about 15cm). B will form the length to the floor, i.e. how far it comes down their legs.
  2. Fold the B side of the material in half and lay it on the floor with the folded edge at the top.
  3. Along the top measure C and mark where it ends. From the top right corner measure downwards the length of D. Cut an arch into the material from C to D and discard the small piece.
  4. Now you have your drying coat shape you need to stitch the newly cut section together to create the hole for the dog’s head (stitch the section of material carrying on from D). Overlap the material by 5cm. I used a sewing machine but you can also stitch by hand. If you want the front section to be adjustable you can opt to stitch velcro on so that it can be undone.
  5. Finally, stitch a 10cm section of velcro onto the bottom of the material to loosely hold the rug together under your dog’s belly and help to keep it in place better. I would recommend placing it around your dog’s tummy position.
Blog 7 - dog towel curled up

Make it longer to cover your dogs bottom when they curl up

So there you have it, a very handy, and cheap, dog drying towel. You may wish to tailor it a little more by trimming more material into the neck area if you find it too snug or off the end or bottom if you find it too long for your dog. The beauty of this material is that you can easily trim it and it won’t fray. On one of mine I also sewed an additional piece on so that the coat went further up the back of her neck. I also love that as it’s a common material that fabric shops tend to have them in an array of colours so you aren’t restricted. I went for gray (dark colour to wear in the car after muddy walks) and pale pink (light colour for indoors, after baths). Its also easy to wash and fast to dry.

Dog drying coat

Try different colours and add a neck

 

These coats have majorly helped as our dog loves to get muddy and roll in things.They are not perfect but for £3 are well worth it.

About the Author: Holly Keeling. Dog Trainer in Sussex, England. Mother to furrbaby Leskie 5yrs and little humans Teddy 3yrs and Louie 1yr. Outdoor lover. A blog about raising kids and dogs and my life as a dog trainer. View more blogs here.

Let me know if you found this useful or if anything doesn’t make sense.

Posted by
Holly

Holly Keeling. Dog Trainer in Sussex, England. Mother to furrbaby Leskie 5yrs and little humans Teddy 3yrs and Louie 1yr. Wife to Tim. Outdoor lover. A blog about raising kids and dogs and my life as a dog trainer.

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