This project is perfect for those of you with Canine friends that slept through the housebreaking portion of class. Although Mushu, my 4 year old Shih-Tzu was awake during the class, he has decided that during the winter he is much too important to have to go into the freezing cold to use the potty, so his royal highness ruled that it was kosher for him to go in the house. I have tried everything to break this nasty little habit of his, but can’t seem to make it stick. The vet suggested that we look into a dog diaper available at our local pet store. I stopped in to the store and after seeing the hefty price tag decided I could make my own!
 
I have made several diapers now and they work perfectly. I’ve used terry cloth, cotton, and jersey knit fabrics and all have done the job. Here is an outline of the project along with some pictures of Mushu modeling the one I whipped up today (in under a half hour!).DIY Dog Diaper Materials:

Fabric and 2 buttons

If you have a child’s diaper on hand you can use the basic shape as an outline and then scale to fit your dog. I suggest cutting large and then wrapping it around your dog and adjusting from there. Make sure the diaper extends at least two inches past your dogs privates.

Sew all edges. A 1/4″ seam allowance works well.

Wrap around your dog once again. Locate the base of the tail and cut a hole to accommodate. Make sure you put it on the dog to determine where the hole goes (it will not be dead center of the diaper).

Sew the edge of the hole. Add buttons on the top corners, and voila you have a diaper. Add an overnight feminine napkin and enjoy the fact that your puppy can no longer mark his territory in your home. Velcro could also be used to create tabs instead of buttons, but I found the buttons work best for us).


Please remember to remove the diaper from the pup when letting them outside to use the bathroom! I have also learned to cut the tail hole large enough to accommodate a number 2 should someone forget to remove it… trust me, you don’t want that mess!

Just as a side note – I noticed when Mushu has the diaper on he is more apt to go to the door and tell me he wants to go out, so we have had very few wet diapers! My uncle also used diapers for his female dog when she was in heat, so these would be perfect for that situation as well.

The things we do for our furry friends! 

 
UPDATE – thankfully this was the only winter Mushu had his peeing habit.  We have moved on from the doggie diaper, but I do hope someone else out there finds it helpful!