How to Put a Bow on a Short-Haired Dog

I don't know about you, but as a pug who loves to wear bows, I can tell you that I get a ton of attention whenever I wear one! I get all sorts of ooh's and ahh's and I make so many people smile when they see me! But on my Instagram account, the question that I get asked the most is, "How do you put those bows on?" 

Well, if you're a longer-haired dog like a Shih Tzu, Brussels Griffon or a Poodle, wearing a bow is pretty easy to do. You can secure it in the right place with a clip or elastic band. But, if you're a short-hair dog like me -- a pug, Frenchie, Golden retriever, or even a Labrador -- it's just not that easy! But today, I'm going to share a few alternative methods you can try to attach the bow. Some of them may work better for some dogs -- it's really a matter of preference. In my case, the elastic band and the harness bow charms are my favorite ways to wear a bow, but here are a few options:

1. Adhesive-backed Velcro: Cut a small piece of adhesive-backed Velcro and attach one side to the back of the bow and the other side to your dog's hair. Make sure the Velcro is positioned securely but not too tight to avoid discomfort.

2. Pet-safe adhesive: Use a pet-safe adhesive, such as a non-toxic glue or adhesive specifically designed for pet grooming, to attach the bow directly to your dog's hair. Apply a small amount of adhesive to the back of the bow and carefully press it onto your dog's head. Be sure to use a pet-friendly adhesive that can be easily removed without causing harm to your dog's skin or hair.

3. Bow tie collar attachment: Consider using a bow tie attachment designed to be attached to your dog's collar instead of directly to their hair. This option works well for dogs with short hair, as it eliminates the need for securing the bow to their head.

4. Hair clips or bobby pins: If the bow is lightweight, you can try using small hair clips or bobby pins to secure the bow to the surrounding hair on your dog's head. Be sure to use clips or pins that are specifically designed for pets and won't cause discomfort or injury.

5. 

   Fabric or elastic headband: This is our favorite way! Take a small strip of soft fabric, ribbon or an elastic band that either matches the bow or matches your dog's fur color and gently wrap it around your dog's head, securing the bow in place. Make sure it's not too tight and that your dog feels comfortable with the fabric wrap. Our Simply Cute and Picture Perfect bow collections are really good "first" bows for your dog, since they are extremely soft and comfortable. You can see our complete collection of hair bow head band style of bows for dogs here.

If you're armed with the proper treats, you can usually get a dog to wear a bow long enough for you to snap a good photo. And with enough photo sessions and treats, it's very likely that your dog will soon learn to love photoshoots like I do! (We still recommend close supervision though, whenever your dog is wearing clothing or accessories to avoid any mishaps.)

However, if your dog is still resistant to the hair bow style of bows, the best way to get a long or short-hair dog to wear a bow is by simply slipping a bow on to your dog's harness -- what could be easier than that? Your pup won't even notice that it's there, so there's no coaxing or training required, and you will still have the compliments rolling in! We've created a special type of accessory just for this purpose called harness bow charms, and they simply attach to your dog's harness or collar with an elastic loop. Our growing collection of harness bows are specifically designed to match our harness patterns so that you can easily and affordably uplevel or refresh your pup's look!

You can see our custom collection that we have here or learn more about harness/collar attachments here.

 ---Wags and kisses, Little Pug Beatrix, Chief Marketing Pug