How to Tie a Dog Bandana: Four Ways That Stay On

Putting a bandana on a dog is not complicated. But there's a difference between one that looks good in the first photo and one that's still on, and straight, after a walk in the park. The difference is usually the knot.

Four ways to do it, then, roughly in order of how well they hold.

The basic fold and tie

Take a square bandana, fold it corner to corner into a triangle, and lay the long edge across the back of your dog's neck so the point hangs down at the chest. Cross the two ends underneath, bring them back up, and tie a bow rather than a knot. A bow you can undo with cold hands. A knot you'll be picking at.

Two fingers should fit between the bandana and the fur. Tighter than that is uncomfortable. Looser and it spins round to the side within ten minutes, which every dog owner has stood and watched happen.

Roll it down for a slimmer look

Same fold, but before you tie it, keep rolling the long edge over on itself until the bandana is a thick band instead of a triangle. It sits higher on the neck, more like a scarf. This is the one for fluffy dogs — a full triangle just disappears into the chest fur of a Golden or a Pomeranian, and you've achieved nothing.

Thread it onto the collar

Fold the triangle, then fold the top edge over once more so there's a tube running along the top. Slide the collar through that tube before you buckle it on. Now the bandana physically cannot fall off, and no knot touches the dog at all. The trade-off: you have to take the collar off to swap bandanas. Worth it if your dog wears one every day.

Or skip the tying altogether

Now the honest one. Knots loosen. Dogs shake, dogs roll, dogs find the single muddy puddle in a dry field, and a tied bandana ends up crooked or lost in the grass. You re-tie it. Then you re-tie it again.

It's why Farnup bandanas don't use ties at all. They have two press-studs instead. You set the size once, snap it on, and it stays where you put it. No knot, nothing pulling at the throat, and a child can do it as easily as you can. A bandana you have to tie tends to live in a drawer. One that snaps on gets worn.

Whatever you do, get the size right

None of the above helps if the bandana is the wrong size. It should sit at the base of the neck and move freely. Measure your dog's neck with a soft tape and choose by that number, not by breed. Two Labradors can be a full size apart. Farnup's come in S/M and M/L.

After that, it's only a question of what it should say. Best Dog Ever, if you'd like to state the obvious. Happy Birthday, for the one day a year your dog has no idea is special. Or a custom print, if it ought to have their name on it.