It’s hard to compete with Jennifer Lopez in a sparkly thong. But Manhattan — the Chihuahua who plays “Hustlers'” scene-stealing dog, Mr. Bruce — came prepared.

After all, her owner, Ada Nieves, happens to be a dress designer.

“I wanted Manhattan to look like an everyday doggy who has a little personality,” Nieves says of the red shirt with a gingham collar and mini tux she created for her pup, who appears in the film. “I wanted to portray a fun dog!”

And Mr. Bruce is fun: He dances with two strippers after they drug and rob an unwitting client in the champagne room; he goes on a designer spending spree at the mall; and he even shares a slobbery kiss with J.Lo herself.

The only stretch for Manhattan — a fun-loving 7-year-old girl in real life — is playing a male dog, Nieves says. “She had to borrow clothes from [her brothers’] Amaretto’s and Mojito’s closets!”