Puppy Sweater Knitting Pattern (XS Puppy)

This puppy sweater knitting pattern is easy and can be made in around 2-3 hours.

Perfect for an XS puppy, this sweater will keep them warm on the coldest of days.

This sweater is knit flat on straight needles.

Scroll down for the free pattern, or grab your printer-friendly ad-free PDF here.

Meet Our Puppy – Jason’s Story

Our neighbor Ellie found Jason as she was driving home one day.

He was sitting by the side of the road in a rural area on his own.

She stopped and picked him up and, when she got home, asked us if we could take him; if we had not, he would have ended up as a shelter animal, probably.

He was really little and not very well, but after a few vet visits and lots of care, he was soon better and showing lots of improvement.

Small Dog Sweaters – Perfect for Tiny Pups!

Jason was a tiny puppy (weighing 1 kilo) and had been feeling the cold a little, so he needed an extra small sweater, perfect for fall/winter.

This puppy sweater would be perfect for any small dogs and small breed puppies.

It could also be adapted for larger puppies or large dogs by adjusting the number of stitches you cast on.

*Please scroll down to see the free pattern*

An Easy-Level Free Knit Pattern

This is a good pattern for beginner-level knitters, and the techniques you will need to know are casting on, casting off, knit, and purl stitches.

The small dog sweater is shaped through simple increases and decreases.

It is made in two pieces, the back, and the front, and then seamed together, leaving holes for the front legs.

For you advanced beginners and intermediate knitters, you will find this pattern easy enough.

free-puppy-sweater-small-pattern — *My best friend, Jason.*

The Yarn I Used

I used the Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn left in my stash, so you don’t need a full skein for this pattern.

You can use any super bulky yarn weight 06 to substitute this yarn.

50g of yarn will be acceptable for this sweater, but if you make it for a larger size, you will need more.

Yarn Substitutes

You can substitute this yarn with any yarn that is super bulky weight.

You can find a full list of yarn substitutes here.

Here are some examples:

Lion Brand – Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.
Novita – Folk
Stylecraft – Swift Knit
Grundl – Alaska
Big Twist Yarns – Natural Blend
Buttercream – Luxe Craft Alpaca Solid
Mary Maxim – Starlette Chunky
Yarn Bee – Effortless Super Bulky
Lion Brand – Hometown USA
Patons (Australia) – Super Quick
Bergere De France – Recyclaine
Bernat yarn

small puppy sweater — *The neck ribbing can turn over for a roll neck.*

Resources and tutorials you may find helpful in following this pattern:

This puppy sweater pattern is excellent for any beginner knitters and a great way to learn some new techniques.

Puppy Sweater Knitting Pattern

Grab your inexpensive, ad-free, PDF printable pattern in my shop here.

Grab 12 dog sweater patterns in my discounted bundle here!

Skill Level – Basic (for a beginner)

Notes

This is a basic pattern for beginners to make a cute dog sweater for the colder months.

I cast on 14 stitches as I wanted to be able to fit it over his head easily; you can add more if your puppy is bigger and follow the pattern in the same way.

Just measure the neck circumference of the puppy and measure the length of his back and chest – to see if you need to adjust the number of stitches you cast on and the length of the chest/back pieces.

This micro puppy sweater knits up quickly in super bulky yarn, and the simple design makes for a relaxing and enjoyable knit.

Copyright Info

Please do not copy, sell, redistribute, or republish this pattern.
Only link to the pattern page if you wish to share this pattern.
You may sell items produced using this pattern.
Do NOT use the copyrighted photos for your product listing.
For the copyright T&C, please read my Terms of Use.
You may use this pattern to make and donate dog sweaters to local animal shelters.

Gauge = 10 sts and 15 rows in 4 inches/10 cm (Learn more about creating a gauge swatch here – How To Measure Gauge In Knitting).

Size / Measurements

XS puppy / small puppy
The back piece measures – length 9′′ / width 6′′
Chest piece measures – length 7.5′′ / (chest circumference is around 14-16 inches) width 6′′ laying flat.
Leg holes in the sweater measure 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Check your dog’s measurements first and see if you need to adjust the pattern slightly for the width or length.

Grab The Ad-Free Printable PDF Pattern Here

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The Supplies You Need

Yarn

1 x skein of 50g or 100g super bulky/super chunky/14 ply yarn.
A good yarn to use is Lion Brand Hometown USA.
For more yarn substitutes, please see the info in this post.
Yarn Weight Guide (+ Conversion Chart)

Needles

9 mm Needles (US 13) Straight Knitting Needles

Notions

Tape measure
Darning needle
Scissors

puppy sweater — *Jason – too young for the dog park, wearing his sweater in the yard.*

Abbreviations / Knitting Abbreviations And Terms (US And UK) List

Approx = Approximately
Beg = Beginning
CO = Cast on
Cont = Continue(ing)
K = Knit
K2tog = Knit the next 2 stitches together
P = Purl
Rem = Remaining
Rep = Repeat
1 x 1 Ribbing = 1 knit st, 1 purl st
2 x 2 Ribbing = 2 knit stitches, 2 purl stitches
SKPO = Pass slipped stitch over
St(s) = Stitch(es)

Pattern Instructions

Back of the sweater >

Cast on 14 sts.
Knit in rib x 2 = (2 x Knit, 2 x Purl) until the piece measures 2 inches from the CO edge.
Next – work in stocking stitch (one-row knit, one-row purl) until the piece measures 7 inches from the CO edge.
Then work 2 rows in 2 x 2 ribbing (K2, P2).
Cast off in rib.
The back piece measures – length 9′′ / width 6′′

Chest panel >

Cast on 14 sts.
Knit 3 rows in 2×2 rib (K2, P2).
Next – Knit in stocking stitch (K 1 row / P 1 row) until the piece measures 2 inches from the CO edge.
Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
Purl 1 row.
Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
Purl 1 row.
Next row – SKPO – knit to last 2 stitches – K2tog.
Purl 1 row.
Cast on 2 – Knit to the end of the row.
Cast on 2 – Purl to the end of the row.
Cast on 1 – Knit to the end of the row.
Cast on 1 – Purl to the end of the row.
Knit in 2 x 2 ribbing (K2, P2) until the piece measures 2 inches.
Cast off in rib.
Chest piece measures – length 7.5′′ / width 6′′

Making Up >

Place the pieces together with the right sides facing.
Stitch the side seam 3 inches from the neck (this is the collar) to the top of the first leg hole.
Leave a gap of 3 inches for the leg openings.
Then stitch the rem 1.5 inches.
Rep on the other side.
Sew in any loose ends.
Turn the right side out and try it on your puppy.

extra-small-puppy-sweater-pattern — *An XS dog jumper for a little dog (puppy).*

More Free Dog Sweaters

There are more free dog sweater patterns you can make for your furry friends, including festive dog sweaters and even something for Halloween.

Our four-legged friends need something warm to wear on cold days, so why not make something for them yourself?

If you want to see more dog jumpers with different sizes and to see how Jason has grown, please take a look at these posts…

Dog sweater knitting pattern — *Jason, aged 7, is wearing his ribbed dog sweater.*

Share your work with us…

I love seeing your finished projects on social media.

If you enjoyed making the puppy sweater, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, be sure to tag me @handylittleme or #handylittleme.

You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Ravelry, and Etsy.

I’d love to see your work.

Happy Knitting!

12 Comments

celma says:

December 14, 2016 at 12:43 pm

Hello. Thank you for sharing this pattern. I have a dog yorshire terrier, I’m gona try doing one for him.

Joanne says:

April 23, 2017 at 3:23 am

Jason definitely has some chihuahua in him…. he’s adorable. I just finished your sweater for my own little chihuahua puppy…. I get home tomorrow and I can’t wait to see it on him. Thank you so much for this pattern.

Cheers, Joanne

1. Cynthia J Warner says:
  
  November 3, 2019 at 3:15 am
  
  Jason is precious and quite a good model! Thank you for adopting him and sharing his story. I have rescued all my cats and dogs and loved them so, plus I think they rescue us right back. Who else gives unconditional love so willingly. I am going to try knitting that cute sweater for my neighbor’s tiny rescue Cleo III. I have a rescued senior white Pomeranian, Marshmallow, who loves sweaters but who also is really fluffy and as we live in Florida, rarely have sweater weather. If I am successful with Cleo’s sweater, I may make him one anyway. Thanks again1
  
  1. handylittleme says:
    
    November 3, 2019 at 12:18 pm
    
    Hello Cynthia, thank you for your comment, you are right – Jason did rescue me too! he is my best friend and we are always together. I am so happy you like the dog sweater pattern and I hope you enjoy making it. 🙂
    
Buffalo, NY says:

November 7, 2019 at 1:12 pm

Thank you for the puppy coat. I think the coat would make a wonderful donation to the animal shelters. I hope many people would consider making the coat for their local animal shelter.

1. handylittleme says:
  
  November 8, 2019 at 6:57 am
  
  Hello, that is a truly wondeful idea and I hope that many people would think about doing this. Thank you for your comment and for visiting my site 🙂
  
2. Maree says:
  
  July 1, 2020 at 4:55 am
  
  Hi have made 3 of your dog coats & would like to donate to animal shelter
  I live in cairns, I do them while watching tv, it’s warm up here most of the time do you have any suggestions where I can send them. Thanks in advance
  
  1. Louise Bollanos says:
    
    July 1, 2020 at 8:38 am
    
    Hello Maree,
    That’s lovely! I’m not sure where you can donate, but if you look up your local animal shelters, maybe they can tell you if they will accept them or not?
    Or if there are any people in your local area who foster dogs, they may also take them.
    Maybe the local animal shelters etc are on Facebook/have pages or groups? That may be an easier way of finding them.
    I follow lots of local animal shelters here and they often post updates or appeal for donations etc.
    I hope that helps and happy knitting!
    Louise 🙂
    
3. Maizee says:
  
  December 7, 2020 at 1:55 am
  
  Hi and thank you fine e pattern. I just finished the coat did my 3 month Yorkie poo. He’s sleep now and u heard let sleeping dogs lie. I will put it on him tomorrow morning and send a pic. I changed it a little and made it red and green stripe for the holiday. Thanks again!!!
  
  1. Louise Bollanos says:
    
    December 7, 2020 at 9:23 am
    
    Hello Maizee,
    I’m so happy you enjoyed the pattern and I would love to see a pic of your pup!
    You can put one in the Handy Little Me Facebook group here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/handylittlemecommunity/
    or tag me on IG – @handylittleme
    Happy knitting!
    Louise
    
Rachel says:

May 2, 2021 at 11:55 pm

I am having trouble with this pattern. The 2nd half of the pattern finishes with rib until the piece measures 2”? I see no discernible leg pieces to make up. The bottom is narrower than the top

1. Louise Bollanos says:
  
  May 3, 2021 at 6:22 am
  
  Hello Rachel,
  For the back piece – The 2 inches of ribbing is for the neck – this is measured from the cast on edge.
  Then you work in stocking stitch for the main part of the sweater finishing with two rows of ribbing.
  The chest piece is wider at the top because the chest is wider at the top of the body than it is further down.
  This is decreased so that the shape will fit the puppy’s chest.
  It does end with 2 inches of ribbing.
  You can see what this looks like in the photographs.
  In the making up section, it tells you how much of a gap you need to leave for the legs.
  I hope that helps!
  Louise