Small Dog Clothes and Dog Apparel - Is Handmade or Manufactured Better?

Many pet owners that shop for small dog clothes and special dog apparel for there tiny breed babies wonder whether to purchase handmade clothing or mass manufactured. There are several differences between the two that can affect your choice, so it's important to understand them all. The first major difference is price. A lot of people don't want to spend a ton of money on clothing for their canine, but handmade sweaters and jackets are going to be much more expensive. It's not unusual, for example, to spend $40 on one hand knit sweater. A mass produced sweater, on the other hand, will go for about $15.

Another major difference is quality of fabric and material. An inexpensive knit sweater is much more apt to unravel after extended use than a handmade one. This is because people spend more time if their knitting each and every piece of apparel by hand. Mass production calls for speed so sometimes the work is not as tight. This is also true of the stitching on jackets and coats. After about two winter seasons, some of the stuffing may start to spill out a bit from wear and tear whereas a tighter stitching on a handmade item will help it last longer.

Sometimes, the fabric and material that goes into making these small dog clothes is of different quality. For example, a lot of winter dog apparel and warm clothing is knit with an acrylic blend yarn, and coats are often made with a nylon waterproof fabric. This can be the same for both handmade and manufactured, so if it's absolutely necessary that your dog's sweater be made of cotton, be sure to ask before you buy. That being said, it's not difficult to find handmade apparel that's made of thicker quality material; just remember that you're going to pay for it.