PawPrintPets

Making You & Your Dog Happier

Christmas Shopping

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All I want for Christmas is…

When you buy your dog any present, always stop and ask yourself – is this for the dog, or is this for me?

My favourite is to wrap a few strong smelling dog treats in some Christmas paper and let the dogs tear open a package each. The kids love watching that, the dogs get a job to do, and it keeps them all quiet for a while!

A quick poll of my friends (highly unscientific, I know) came up with the following ideas for doggy Christmas gifts:

  • Nina Ottosson puzzle toys, especially the Tornado
  • Oinky pigs
  • Orka Jack
  • Kong toys
  • Squeaky toys (note: these are not human favourites!)
  • Frisbees
  • Stuffed toys of all shapes and sizes

And finally…

Tennis balls, tennis balls, tennis balls… (usually best left to smaller dogs)

You can tell we are all experienced dog owners, because every single one of these toys was picked for the dogs enjoyment and not for ours.

So – where do you find all these without putting on the riot gear and battling your way into town? The internet of course.

Here are a few great places to find those last minute doggy christmas

  • Dogs Trust Gifts – Some great gifts for dogs and dog lovers and it all goes to charity.
  • D for Dog – These guys have a wonderful range of Christmas rawhide goodies and toys
  • Chewed Slippers – Frome Edible christmas cards to luxury bed, great store
  • Mia and Maggie One for our US friends(they only ship to the contiental US)

Competition

So that’s the dog taken care of, what about you?

If you are looking for a treat for yourself, why not invest in a book to snuggle up and read through the winter evenings? My Christmas list is always full of books and they make excellent gifts – here are two from one of our well known Vet, Pete Wedderburn.

We have a copy of each of these books to give away to two of our lucky commenters. Just tell us using the form below what you’re going to get your dog for christmas followed be either #Cat of #Dog depending on which book you are interersted in winning. At the end of the day we’ll pick two winners at random who will be announced on tomorrows blog post

p.s. Keep an eye out for Pete’s Christmas Advent Calendar Day coming soon!

Comments

  1. I have two dogs and will be buying them the statatory squeeky toy which will drive me mad on Xmas morning until they squeek it to death! A nice new kong for them to enjoy whilst we eat or Xmas lunch – oh the peace! And some lovely tasty treats to be wrapped up for them ……. They love Christmas! #dog

  2. How odd – I have just this minute taken delivery of the dogs’ Christmas toys. I’ve gone for the Kong Braidz (one each, although my two will use them as tug toys between them). I don’t have high hopes of them lasting too long though. They are two strong dogs, plus Max likes to rip things apart!

    But, I can thoroughly recommend Real Mad Cow and Big Mean Kitty (they do a small kitty too) by Doggie Hoots / Fat Cats Inc.

    Julia

  3. well I happened to have a sneaky peek at Alfs letter to Santa and he has requested a very noisy squeaky ball!!!!So If he behaves himself (doubtful)he may get one .My present to him will be some chicken covered rawhide sticks,they keep him quiet for hours.( I may buy shares).xx #dog

  5. Already got Mollie’s main Xmas present, and she’s already opened it – a box of about 30 used tennis balls, second had from a tennis club. The box is in the living room and if you ask her to fetch a ball she tips the whole box over to get one – great fun! Might wrap a big rawhide bone or something for her for Xmas day…

  6. love CyberEmma’s idea of a box of tennis balls … we’ve requested Widgetty’s liver treats from Granny ….
    This will be Dexter’s first Christmas with us and Thornton will have to share the limelight and we have my bro’s Neopolitan Mastiff coming to stay too! Thornton’s first Christmas was when we hadn’t learned to shut the dining room door and only 1 of the 4 of us had any salmon left for our starter that year ….!

  7. This year my JRT Rosie will be receiving a card board box. She goes wild for them, and tears them to bits in the garden. We usually buy a case of wine in a box – Rosie get the box and we get the wine – best of both worlds.
    Hayley
    #Dog

  8. My dogs receive a gift of homemade dog cookies for the Christmas holiday. While I do make them “cookies” on their Birthdays (actually “gotcha” days, since they are all adopted rescues), I clear some time in the holiday hustle and bustle to make a batch of peanut butter bones just for them. #DOG

    Thanks for this informative and fun calendar. I am enjoying it immensely even though I live in the USA.

  9. I took part in a Secret Santa this year, so I have no idea what my doggies gifts are (I tried feeling the wrapper – in true nosey parker style – but couldn’t guess). The toys have come form other Boxer lovers, so I imagine they will fall into the Boxer-proof category hehe. I’ll let you know on xmas day what their surprises are!

    I did buy a black Kong toy extreme to give to a doggy in rescue kennels over xmas and some of the other Secret Santas also bought Nylabones, biscuit balls and other goodies for these dogs too ♥♥

    I’d recommend anyone else to stick an extra activity toy on your shopping lists, for those woofs who wont be lucky enough to have a home this xmas (the indestructible kind like black kong, orbee, galileo nylabone and boomer are ideal, because the dogs can’t chew bits off and eat them).

    Many Happy Woofs everyone x

  10. I haven’t been shopping for the pets yet, but they’ll probably all get stockings of treats and toys from the pet shop. They can then be emptied all over the floor, and either sniffed at and ignored or lost under the sofa within minutes 😉

    #CAT

  11. Poppy and Jess take a keen interest when the rest of the family open their presents on Christmas morning, sticking their noses in everywhere! 🙂 We will get Poppy some more squeaky and soft toys no doubt; Jess is not really interested in those so will get more edible treats…and perhaps some tennis balls!
    They will both get some chews and some fillers for their Kongs. And loads of cuddles too of course! #dog

  12. Glad that the two toys that I bought are on the recommended list! Just some treats to make and that will be one gift sorted.
    #dog

  13. Mika loves nice smelly treats to unwrap. This year it will mainly be treats and chews as she has lots of toys and balls.

    Cheap wrapping paper is the best, once Mika gets hold of them its 3-2-1 wrapping paper carnage!!

    I may even make her some of the treats that were featured earlier in the advent calendar :o) n wrap them up

  14. My gals each have their own stockings with their names stitched on them. They are the same stockings as the kids. This will be little pup’s first christmas. So we shall see. My old gal always gets excited when the stockings go up and she sniffs hers every day just in case.

  15. I’m feeling lijke a real bah humbug now as I don’t buy my two presents.They get a new squeaky toy each every week,Duncan tears his apart in seconds,Daisy keeps hers intact for weeks.They will get a large helping of turkey and veg on Christmas Day along with their usual treats but that’s all.I did a Secret Santa for 2 rescue kennel dogs,hope I manage to brighten their day a little but of course the very best present for them would be a new home all of their own.

  16. The cats have more than enough fun playing with baubles, running through the tree and chewing tinsel – I don’t think anything I bought could top that!

  17. Mine have a jokey present of non slip socks, Ty has his new collar on today. They will both get some treats, homemade or bought, and maybe a toy that I saw a couple of weeks ago, but can’t remember the name of. The large one for Tess & the smaller one for Tyson.

  18. My 5 will be getting pigs ears and home made liver cake for christmas. They love it! they have already had new collars as I got them today but they are too beautiful to hide til the holidays 🙂
    #Cat

  19. I don’t know what i is getting for christmas cos santa brings em an da is a surprize but i would like a new coat and a pigs ear or two ,auntie mary came other day with a bag but we weren’t allowed to see it we likes auntie mary cos she brings us treat fings

  20. I will be buying my terriers a new kong each to hopefully deter my patterdale from chewing the sofa! Will also be wrapping some dried tripe in paper thanks to the great idea above as the dogs love it and it sure smells strong enough!! #dog

  21. Our cat will be geting a new cushion, shes almost worn her current one out – the amount of time she spends asleep on it i`m not surprised! Thanks! #cat

  22. I’m rerally looking forward to Christmas in my new home, and can’t wait to see what this Father Christmas fella brings!

  23. A Jumbone is always a Christmas treat Jake loves them,& a new Ragger. Nothing hide,seen & heard of hideous consequences,also he used to try & bury new hide chews under his blanket with his nose & rubbed it raw once! When I did buy them always went for a size too big so that he could not choke, but he still nearly did when a bit broke off, so never again. Luckily I was standing nearby as I never left him alone with one either. He was not making a sound, I would not have known otherwise. I will never forget it.

  24. Brooke loves bones or Kongs stuffed with Peanut Butter! Tennis balls and stuffed animals are favorites as well. She is enjoying a Peanut butter stuffed bone as her mom types! Merry Christmas to all!