Dogs are probably one of the first animals most of us try to draw. When I was a kid, I was actually a little scared of them, but as I grew up and started seeing them around parks, playing and running freely, I began to love them a lot more. Today I want to show you a really easy way to learn how to draw a dog. Nothing complicated, just a few basic shapes that slowly turn into an easy dog drawing.

Before we start the tutorial here is a fun fact: there are over 300 different dog breeds in the world, and each one looks a little different. That means your dog can look unique too.

Let’s get started! Here’s an easy step by step tutorial to show you how to draw a small dog.

Please note: In each step, the new parts of the drawing will be highlighted in orange, while everything you’ve already drawn will stay in black.

Step 1: Draw the dog’s head

To start, we are going to draw a nice, simple circle for the head. It does not have to be a perfect circle, so just try to keep it on the left side of your paper so we have enough room to add the body later.

Step 2: Draw the dog’s ears

Next, let’s give our dog some floppy ears. On each side of the head, draw a little shape that looks like a long, rounded raindrop pointing down. These ears are what make a line drawing of a dog look so friendly.

Step 3: Draw the dog’s body

For the body, we are going to draw a big oval that starts right behind the head. Think of it like a long potato shape stretching out to the right side of your page. This gives our dog plenty of room for his tummy.

Step 4: Draw the dog’s legs

Underneath that big oval body, draw four simple legs. They look like little rounded tubes or upside down U-shapes. I like to draw them in pairs so it looks like the dog is standing comfortably on all fours. Just space them out so the body looks balanced.

Step 5: Draw the dog’s tail

At the very back of the body, draw a small, curved line pointing up for the tail. Even a tiny tail makes a big difference when you want to make your puppy look happy and waggy.

Step 6: Draw the dog’s face

Now we add the personality. Inside the head circle, draw two small dots for eyes and a little oval for the nose. Then, draw a tiny “W” shape for the mouth to give him a sweet little smile.

Step 7: Color your dog

Now for the best part! You can use crayons, markers, or colored pencils to bring your puppy to life. I used a warm brown, but your dog could be black, white, or even have spots like a dalmatian.

We’re all done

High five! You just finished your very own dog drawing. I hope you had a lot of fun drawing with me today and realized that drawing is very easy if you take it one step at a time. Make sure to show your artwork to your family or even put it on the fridge so everyone can see your hard work.

I have also added a clean and simple line drawing version of the dog, along with a fun variation of the dog with a bone, so you can try it out and see how you can add a little more detail and personality to your drawing.

The more you draw, the easier it gets! If you enjoyed this, I have plenty of other tutorials you can try. Keep practicing and have fun with your art! I invite you to explore more easy drawing tutorials on the blog whenever you feel like being creative again.