DIY Puppy ID Bands

Puppy ID bands or whelping bands are used to identify litter mates. This becomes especially important if the pups are selected by their adopters when they are very small. As puppies grow, their features can change, and even a slight change may make it difficult to identify one pup from another. A soft fleece band with Velcro, and give to allow for growth, is sufficient to keep you from confusing Jack with Pete.

Using the scissors, remove one sleeve from the sweatshirt. Once the sleeve is removed, cut it in half by running the scissors along the seam.

Measure strips of the fleece, 1/2-inch wide by 4 inches long.

Cut the fleece strips using the scissors or pinking shearers according to the measurements taken in step 2.

Cut the Velcro into 1/2-by-1/2-inch pieces.

Using a different color thread for each band, sew the Velcro pieces onto the fleece strips. Sew the soft Velcro piece on the top side of one end of the band. Sew the firmer piece of Velcro onto the other end of the band, on the underside. Sew two of the firmer pieces 1/2-inch apart to allow for growth. On the next band you make, switch the use of the Velcro pieces, using two of the soft and one of the firm pieces. This way you'll use an equal number of soft and firm Velcro pieces.

Using the hole punch, punch a hole in the corner of a notebook page or 3-by-5 card, and insert a piece of thread through the hole. Tie the thread into a knot. Do this for each color thread, and use the page or card to identify the puppy by name and features. This will coordinate the thread on the card to the thread used on the Velcro pieces on each band.