Our new dog has been with us for just over two weeks. Scooby is getting along fairly well. If you missed his introduction you can find it here. Now, when we got him from the pound they suggested I get a male dog belly band to prevent spraying in the house. He was not neutered so they felt this would be a problem. We decided to make it not become a problem. On our way home from the pound we stopped and picked up two belly bands from the pet store.
I had never seen or heard of them before. They are just a simple diaper band with an absorbent middle and elastic around the edges. They have a hook and loop closure that makes it easy to put on and remove. They can be hand or machined washed but not dried in the dryer.
It started getting annoying not having enough belly bands. I was forever waiting for one to hang dry. I thought about going into town to buy a couple more. I really did not want to spend another $8 a piece for these simple diapers. Then it dawned on me I could make a couple from some of my sewing scraps. So my DIY was formed.
This is a DIY for a small Dog Belly Band
First you need to round up the following.
wicking fabric (I used an old tee shirt)
light airy fabric (cotton or flannel will do)
absorbent material (I used quilt batting)
PUL fabric (used for cloth diaper making)
hook and loop (Velcro)
light airy fabric (cotton or flannel will do)
absorbent material (I used quilt batting)
PUL fabric (used for cloth diaper making)
hook and loop (Velcro)
2 peices 6" each of soft strech elastic (I used left over black PJ elastic)
thread of choice
thread of choice
news paper or tissue paper (any suitable paper for making a pattern)
Tape measure or yard stick
scissors
pins
sewing machine
Lay out your paper and measure one rectangle each 18" x 5&1/2" and 3" x 5". I should have made a third pattern 3&1/4" x 5&1/4". I did not but I just used the 3" x 5" and added a little to the ends. (I will explain that next)
I placed the paper patterns on each fabric. The first is the PUL fabric. I did not pin this I traced around the pattern with a marker making it a little wider than the pattern. I traced this because I forgot to cut a 3&1/4" x 5&1/4." The reason I did not use pins is I did not want the water proof backing on the PUL to leak. PUL should be sewn or pinned the least amount possible.
The second it the batting. I pinned and cut two layers with the 3" x 5" rectangle. If your puppy/dog will use it as a diaper for potty training use three or four layers of batting..
The third is the two fabrics I selected. I pinned and cut one each. 18" X 5 &1/2." I will be using the print cotton fabric for the outside and the gray knit for the underside.
Next, I sewed some scrap hook and loop (Velcro) to the rights sides (on one end of each) of the two pieces of fabric. At the end I added two more strips of hook and loop as I felt it needed to be a little more secure. Which you will see in the end photos.
Next, I placed the batting on top of the Pul fabric and ran a house hold glue stick around the edges. Then I folded the edges over neatly. The glue is just to hold the fabric and batting steady. The glue will wash out the first washing. I sewed the short sides on the edges once to hold the batting in place. Next time I might try using water proof permanent glue to hold the batting in place. I centered the padding on the wrong side of the gray knit fabric and sewed over the stitching at the ends. When I finished I realized I should have made a pocket to insert the PUL and batting. Then I would not have had to sew through the PUL making it lose its water proof seal.
Next frame is the pieces right side up. Flip the cotton piece wrong side up and pin the elastic strips on the center outside edges. Stretch the elastic tight as you sew it to the edges. Place the two fabrics right sides together with the loop at one end and the hook at the other. In the end this will help them line up for securing the diaper. Sew along three sides leaving one short end open for turning the diaper right side out.
The diaper is turned right side out. I then sewed carefully around the edges to help it lay neatly. Closing the open end at the same time.
Scooby has used this belly wrap a couple times now and it works just fine. It seems to be a little more comfortable than the store bought ones. They are made of a nylon fabric that is not as light and airy.
Well, I am off to make a couple more belly bands. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Some time in the future I hope to make a Dog Coat tutorial for the upcoming cold weather.
You could go into business and "make 'em and sell 'em"..... Why don't you get the little dog neutered? Well--maybe you want to breed him sometime...?????
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of making your own!
Hugs,
Betsy
neutering won't help once they start marking.........
DeleteI agree, my dog was fixed at 4 years old and never marked until after he was fixed. Seems like after we fixed him that he had something to prove, like he's still the man around here lol.
DeleteBetsy,
ReplyDeleteI did have fun making the Belly Wrap but I don't know if I would want to sell them.
We will have an appointment to get him neutered when the mobile vet clinic comes back in town. That is if the vet approves his health. He is an older dog. The pound made a guess that he is at least 8 yrs old.
Bless you for rescuing him as a senior!
DeleteFYI, older dogs will continue to "mark". Neutering will only.stop a male from being able to bred. The desire will still be there in older dog.
DeleteWhat a clever idea to make your own. I used Pul to make the boys reusable sandwich bags.
ReplyDeleteThat is great that you can make them yourself. Much cheaper, and you can pick your own fabrics.
ReplyDeleteHow cool!! I love DIY projects, but you should sell these. : )
ReplyDeleteNOw where were you when we first got Disco - he did what they call submissive peeing! lol Does your new pup need them?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!! I used to have dogs and I never thought of that.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Scooby is so adorable and you are just too creative! My SIL needs some male belly bands for her dog.
ReplyDeleteI have inherited an "excitable wizzling" dachshund (the belly band - not just for intact males anymore!). This is just the thing I need, without burning a lot of money! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteMAKING THIS FOR MY NEPHEW'S DOG TONIGHT!!! HE'S ADORABLE, BUT NOT FIXED. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE TUTORIAL!
ReplyDeleteThis is the best tutorial I have found. I, too, want a few more on hand for my new old shelter dog. He's 13 - and was just safely neutered and had a full dental that relieved him of 8 rotted teeth! There's so much more fun still to live in his life, and being out of a pen and free to wander the house with his belly band on is a huge advantage to my morale and his health.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have a question that may sound silly. First of all, these are o cute! But I read the comment that ask why don't you get him fixed. Does that mean , if he were fixed, that he would stop peeing on things? I have a male pom that pees on everything! And he is not fixed. Will that help?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately my vet felt that Scooby was too old and in poor health to be fixed. he also stated it would probably not help with the peeing problem. If he were younger I would think with a lot of hard work on the training a younger dog might learn to understand not to mark inside the home at least.
DeleteI got my little guy when he was about 1 year old, was not fixed and marked in the house. We got him fixed a couple months later and he continued to marked in the house. All this time, we've just kept him kenneled when we leave the house to avoid the constant cleaning. I'm hoping this belly band will allow him to roam freely around the house without worries.
DeleteHaving the dog neutered does not stop him from marking. We have two small fixed male dogs and they still wet on things in the house.
DeleteAnd not just males mark. I have a spayed female that marks. She knows it is not allowed in the house but she pees two drops on every sign, hydrant, mailbox and tree when we go for walks.
DeleteNo, Pomeranian especially do this. Mine did it with an additude. If he didn't get to go with us every time we left the house he would pee or just squirting a little on everything. Plastic bags were his favorite target and empty laundry baskets. I think he tried tried to see if he could make it in the holes. Lol... j/k.... my lil guy finally stopped after 11 years! 11!!!!! Two houses and alot of stuff destroyed. I sure wish I would have seen this sooner. Now he just leaks while sleeping bc of old age. He had kidney stones a few years back and I thi k that's effected his ureters so he doesn't have the strength he used too. You can also put ladies sanitary napkins in these bands to make them last longer if you don't have as many and can't sew to make your own inside removable pads and need to make them last in between washings.
DeleteThanks for posting. Adopted a 3 year old stray from a shelter he's house broken but sometimes he can't make it, and is a submissive peer. Strange since he's a larger dog. I have been wanting to get some diapers for him but they're so pricey. I am not too experienced with sewing but your tutorial looks real simple!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pattern. We just adopted a 13 year old Husky who has never been in a house. Housebreaking will be slow. And he is such a sweet boy. So I will extend the measurements to fit a 64 pound "baby". Thanks again for posting this. Great pattern.
ReplyDeleteI used something similar on our dog when he began having pee accidents, but he developed a black fungus on his body that was very hard to cure, so be on the lookout for skin changes. Even if the "diaper" isn't wet, it traps body sweat. We found that adding more roughage to our dog's diet helped with the peeing for some reason. Also, we used a homeopathic pill for bedwetting that helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteWe are very careful with Scooby and his diapers. First we soak his diapers in disinfectant before we wash them. We also bath Scooby twice a week after speaking with his vet. He gets diaper free time at different times during the day. At night he is diaper free in his playpen. I change his diapers at the first sign of wetness. We are being very careful and following our vets advice. Because he feels Scooby had a hard life and was mistreated the vet feels we need to work with Scooby slowly and not force him to change overnight.
DeleteI put a mens depends in it for heavy setters or a maximal for dribbles.
DeleteHave you ever thought of placing a pantiliner or sanitary woman's pad inside of the diaper so you dont have to worry about it being washed all the time waiting for them to dry?
ReplyDeleteI show dogs, and yesterday I went to one. I purchased one for my male for $20 at the show, very similar to your pattern. I wish I saw your pattern prior to purchasing it, but it's a good a very good visual model. Your instructions/pattern will help me a great deal. My dog is about 32 lbs much larger than your Yorkie. I do especially like that you used the PUL fabric. I also have some of the Babyville "wicking" fabric in my "stash." Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteWe recently got a small dog that is a mix of poodle, weenie, and who knows what. Very cute. Three years old. Supposed to be potty trained, supposedly socialized, etc., etc. We got him for free because he wasn't wanted. Turns out he hasn't been vetted or cared for properly, is not neutered, is not potty trained, and is coming along well with socialization with his housemates (9 year old doxie, 3 year old female Maltese). But the peeing everywhere is driving me crazy! We bought a belly band at the pet store. Because of his small size I was able to use 1/3 of a maxi pad as an additional absorber within the diaper. This is changed frequently because although he goes out many, many times per day, he lifts his leg everywhere! I can't stand it. I don't want him to have an infection so we make sure he's dry and clean (just like any baby). He will be scheduled for neutering, and we will keep after the training. (Unfortunately he never has time off from his leash when outside because he tends to high tail it out of the yard through the smallest hole in the fence and then we have to hope we an find and catch him.) We will be working to kennel train him.
ReplyDeleteI use the poise pads they hold so much more than a maxi-pad and leak less. Thank God someone came up with them. I had a Chihuahua he was 20 when he passed away, he let me know when he had to go but at the end sometimes I wasn't fast enough. LOL.. it wasn't his fault it was mine so I started putting the poise in his diaper no more leaks!! Yay !!!
DeleteHi i just love the way you showed how to make the diaper..I bought those diapers at pet smart and paid about $22.00 dollars for 2, and use them with pads..but still some how he would still pee..then I bought the female diaper and I think its better, but I like the band ..thank you so much for showing how to do them, im going to make them but a little wider...my vet told me that my dog had to be 6 months old to do the surgery, and when he was 6 months we did it...he only pee in my baseboard when i have another dog in my house, I groom small dogs and when a dog comes i carry him downstair, when i come up, there is pee all over the baseboard..even though the other dog dint walk or pee on my floors, but my dog wants to mark his territory , and thats how i do it now, put a diaper on him..again thank you so much for the tutorial !
ReplyDeleteAwesome article.
ReplyDeleteLooks like what I need for my "little man". I'm ready to dig through my fabric supply, purchase anything else that I need, and get sewing! Thanks!!!
ReplyDelete