Dog Drawing
How to draw a dog — a simple outline, a cute puppy face, or a scruffy cartoon dog — plus a free board to practise on right now.
A dog is one of the friendliest animals to draw, because almost all of it comes down to two shapes: a round head and a soft oval muzzle. Get those two sitting together in the right proportion and everything else — ears, eyes, legs, tail — can be loose and uneven and still read as a dog. A dog drawing can be five quick shapes or a shaded portrait, and both start the same way.
The muzzle is the part people skip, and it is the part that decides whether your drawing looks like a dog or a slightly odd cat. A cat's face is almost flat, with the nose sitting close to the eyes, while a dog's face pushes forward into a snout. Keep that in mind from the first line and the whole drawing gets easier.
For an easy dog drawing, work from the head out. Draw the head first, then the muzzle, then the ears, then the eyes and nose, and only then a soft oval for the body — no fur, no toes, no shading. That is enough for a dog anyone recognises, and it is the same opening whether you want a sitting dog, a standing dog or just a dog face. A dog face drawing is usually the best place to begin, because the head carries the character and there is no body to balance underneath it.
If you are drawing a puppy, the trick is proportion rather than detail: a head far too big for the body, short legs, rounded paws and slightly oversized eyes. A cute puppy drawing and a kawaii dog drawing use the same recipe in a flatter, simpler style — a wide head, small ears, a tiny nose, no shading at all. A realistic dog drawing goes the other way: longer legs, a proper muzzle, shading along the back and under the belly, and fur drawn in the direction it grows instead of as outlines.
You do not need anything to start. The board on this page opens in your browser, and you can draw with a mouse, a finger or a stylus. There are ten brush sizes and ten colours, and white works as an eraser on the white canvas — the quickest way to fix a tail that went the wrong way. When your dog is finished, save it to your device as a PNG, or share it to the gallery so other people can see it.
Below are the steps for a simple dog, a few things that make a dog sketch look better, and answers to the questions people ask most. The second dog always takes a fraction of the time the first one did.
How to Draw a Dog in 5 Steps
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Draw the head and the muzzle
Start with a circle for the head. Then, on the lower half of that circle, draw a shorter oval that juts out to one side — that is the muzzle. Leave a small gap where the two shapes meet, so the snout sits in front of the head rather than floating beside it.
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Add the ears
Two shapes on top: triangles that hang down for a floppy-eared dog, or upright triangles for one that looks more alert. A dog's ears sit further forward than a cat's — roughly above the eyes, not on the crown of the head.
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Place the eyes, nose and mouth
Two small ovals for the eyes, set above the muzzle and a little wider apart than feels natural. On the tip of the muzzle, a small rounded triangle for the nose, then a short curved line underneath for the mouth. Everything on the face should sit low and wide — that is what makes a dog look friendly rather than stern.
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Sketch the body and the legs
Draw a rounded oval below the head for the body, overlapping the head slightly so the dog sits rather than floats. Then four short legs, with a small line at the bottom of each one for the paw. Keep this part loose; the head is already doing most of the work.
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Add the tail and the toes
A curve up or out for the tail, depending on whether your dog looks happy or alert. Then three short strokes on each paw if you want toes. For a scruffy dog, a few short lines along the chest and the back are usually enough.
Dog Drawing Tips
The muzzle does the work
If your dog is not reading as a dog, the muzzle is almost always the reason. Make it shorter and wider, and push it further out from the head. A long thin snout looks like a wolf; a short wide one looks like a family pet.
Ears decide the breed
The same head becomes a completely different dog depending on the ears. Floppy ears read as friendly and heavier. Upright triangles read as alert and lighter. Small ears set high up read as a puppy. Try drawing your dog three times with three different ears — it is the fastest way to learn what ears do.
A big head makes a puppy
Puppies are not small dogs — they are dogs with the proportions of a puppy: an oversized head, short legs, big paws and round eyes. Draw an adult dog and then redraw it with a head half as large again and the legs shortened, and you have a puppy.
Fur last, always
Draw the whole dog as a clean shape first, and only add fur once you are happy with the outline. Fur drawn over a wobbly line makes the wobble permanent. Short strokes, in the direction the fur grows, look far better than long outlines.
Draw the same dog twice
The second and third dog drawings take a fraction of the time the first one did. Try the same dog sitting, then standing, then with its head turned — that is how the shapes go from something you copy to something you know.
Dog Drawing FAQ
How do you draw a dog step by step?
Head first: a circle, then a shorter oval joined to its lower half for the muzzle. Then the ears, the eyes, the nose and the mouth, followed by an oval body, four short legs and a tail. Five shapes, in that order, are enough for a dog anyone recognises.
How do you draw a simple dog?
Keep it to the head, the muzzle, the ears and a soft body outline — no fur, no shading, no toes. A simple dog drawing is mostly about the shape of the head and where the eyes sit, so a light circle with a small snout already looks like one.
How do you draw a dog face?
Draw a wide circle, then a small oval attached to the bottom of it for the muzzle. Add the eyes just above the muzzle and set them wide apart, then a small nose on the tip and two triangles for the ears. A dog face is the easiest version of the whole drawing, because nothing has to line up with a body.
How do you draw a puppy?
Make the head much bigger than it should be, the legs much shorter, and the paws big and round, the eyes wide, and the ears small and soft. That, rather than any extra detail, is what makes a puppy look like a puppy instead of a small adult dog.
What if my dog doesn't look like a dog?
Nine times out of ten it is the muzzle. Make it shorter and wider, and check that it sits below the eyes rather than level with them. If the drawing still looks wrong, move the ears further forward — a dog's ears sit roughly above the eyes, not on the back of the head. Those two adjustments fix most attempts.
