For many pet owners, the dog grooming bows their pet carries home with them is one of the highlights of the grooming process. These multi-colored bows can be an extremely adorable accent for any sized dog.
Regardless of the breed, these bows turn heads and generate an endless amount of compliments from strangers. The bows also highlight the grooming job performed on the dog and can make your pooch’s hairstyle stand out.
It might excite you to hear that these bows can easily be made from your home with easy-to-find, inexpensive supplies. Most of the items needed to create these canine fashion accessories can be found at any department store or craft store.
If you want your dog to sport a bow year-round, there’s no need to pay the high-priced ticket of a grooming session whenever a new bow is needed. You also don’t have to pay the markup to purchase one crafted by a manufacturer. Continue reading for a comprehensive guide on how to make dog grooming bows.
What Are Dog Grooming Bows?
Dog grooming bows were originally created for use among dog groomers to include on dogs after their grooming session was complete. These small bows are typically attached to the head of the dog between their ears.
The bows typically come in a single accessory, placed directly in the middle of the dog’s head, or as two separate bows placed on the edges of the head directly inside the ears. These dog fashion accessories have become increasingly popular over the years.
Dog grooming bows come in a number of different colors and styles. Many dog grooming bows are multi-colored and decorated with an assortment of faux jewels and stones. They are also typically embossed with various designs and stamps.
Normally these bows are purchased in bulk sizes from pet groomers. They are included as a complementary accessory for each dog after their grooming session.
However, recently there has been a growing trend in the creation of these bows. Smaller, independent crafters have been popping up on sites like Pinterest and Etsy, offering hand-made, home-designed grooming bows for sale. Many of these independent merchants offer customization options that are exclusive to your dog.
These options may include elements of design that include the dog’s name, home address, or owner information. The rising tide of popularity when it comes to designing these bows has led to a surge of interest in learning how to make them at home.
We’ve designed a step-by-step process to show you a simple method to crafting these designs at home. You can add any special touch you’d like according to your pet. Get creative and don’t be afraid to experiment!
How to Make Dog Grooming Bows
There are many different ways to craft your own dog grooming bows. Considering a bow itself, there are many different types of bows available to create.
After carefully researching different methods, this seems to be the most user-friendly, simple method in making these dog grooming bows. This method is designed to be simple while still standing up to the test of time. Assuming your dog allows it, these bows should last quite a while before they need to be replaced.
Materials Needed
Most of the materials you will need to craft these bows can be found at a big-name retailer in their craft section. It’s almost a guarantee you can find these materials at any craft store. You may even have most of the items already stored somewhere around your home!
- Smaller rubber bands
- Rhinestones
- Long, skinny tool
- Ribbon material
- Hot glue gun (optional)
You will need small rubber bands. There are websites that actually sell these types of rubber bands that are designed specifically for use in making dog grooming bows. However, we’ve found that any small rubber bands for hair, or the types you use to put on braces are acceptable for use.
You will also need small, plastic rhinestones. You can choose any type of rhinestone design you’d like in any color, depending on your tastes. These stones are available in versions where the back is made of an adhesive material that is already prepared to be applied. Honestly, we’ve found that choosing ones without the adhesive works better if you apply them with a hot glue gun.
Some type of long, skinny tool will be needed as well. Something like a crocheted hook, a paintbrush, or a pencil will do for this tool.
Finally, you’ll need two types of ribbons of any material. Typically we use one type of ribbon made from felt, and one type made of silk. These seem to contrast better work well with the design. The ribbon can be any color you’d like and have any pattern. Experiment and find out what designs work best for you.
The Method
- Place the rubber band on whatever you chose to use for your long-and-skinny tool. In most cases, we end up using a pencil.
- You need to cut the ribbon into two pieces. There should be a separate piece for each different type of material. It doesn’t matter which material, but one type should be longer than the other after you cut it. You should end up with a short piece of one type, and a longer piece of the other.
- Fold the shorter piece with both ends going inward. You should end up with a piece of ribbon that looks like a loop. Make sure the ends overlap slightly in the middle.
- Repeat the step with the longer piece of ribbon. You’re going to have to hold the two of them simultaneously, so this might take some practice.
- Place the smaller piece of ribbon directly on top of the larger piece of ribbon while holding the ends together so you keep the “loop” shape.
- Take these ribbons and place them directly on top of your long tool, so the tool is centered in the middle of the ribbons.
- With your other hand, slide the rubber band up the tool, towards the pieces of ribbon.
- When the rubber band reaches the point where it’s touching the BOTTOM of the ribbons, carefully grab the top portion of the rubber band and loop it over the ribbons, stretching it to the tip of the pencil or whatever tool you used.
- Loop it over the top of the tool, until it reaches the TOP of the ribbons.
- The rubber band should be attached to the tool in two places at this point. One point at the bottom of your ribbons, and the other point at the top of the ribbons.
- Grab the left and right edges of the ribbons and fold inwards. Slightly pull the ribbons enough to stretch the rubber bands so you can tie a knot in the band. You’ll have to loop the ribbons through the hole, so you need to stretch it a decent length. Tie a knot in the rubber band, and slowly pull the rubber band off the loop.
- If done properly, you should notice a tiny loop created in the rubber band on the backside of the ribbons. With this loop, you can easily attach it to a small portion of your dog’s hair!
If your dog has extremely short hair, or if they’re skittish about you placing items in their hair, you can attach this loop easily to their dog collar. The bows look just as good on their collar as they do on their head!
After you’ve gotten the process correct, you can grab your rhinestone. For each dog grooming bow, you create, place a rhinestone directly on the top portion of the ribbon, right in the center. This is where using the hot glue gun will come into play if you decided to use one. It’s probably obvious now why using the glue gun is a more durable alternative than the self-adhesive rhinestones.
Wrap Up
We hope you enjoyed our simple tutorial. It may take a little practice, but in no time you should be cranking out your own dog grooming bows!
