Is it your dog’s birthday? Congrats, pup parent!
Should I Celebrate My Dog’s Birthday?
Yes, you can totally celebrate your dog’s birthday! There is no shame in celebrating one of your favorite living beings in your life. Our dogs are our companions, best friends, and furry children. They are always there for us, always listen to us, and always love us. Why not celebrate them?
Even if you don’t know your dog’s exact birthday, just pick a date that you think may be close. And then take some time each year to show them a little extra love.
What Can I Do for My Dog’s Birthday?
You can do all sorts of things for your pup on their birthday. It just depends on your preferences—and theirs. Make sure it’s something your dog will love. While some dogs might love a birthday party, others would much rather go on an adventure.
We’ll talk more about birthday parties soon, but here are some other dog-friendly activities you can do with your special pup that they may love!
- Road Trip: Some dogs absolutely love car rides! So why not take it to the next level, and go on a road trip with your furry best friend? Maybe you can take a trip to a city with amazing dog parks, or a national forest with great hiking. Or to visit a friend or family member that your dog loves and misses.
- Camping: If your dog is the outdoorsy type, they may really love camping. Especially because it means they get to spend all day and night right by your side. You can hike, swim, or just hang out and watch the sunset together.
- Day hike: Speaking of hiking… most dogs love hiking in the woods. It’s a fun adventure and challenge, you both get to be in nature, and your dog gets to sniff out all of those new and exciting scents.
- Swimming in a lake: If your dog is a swimmer, take them to a nearby lake, pond, or even a friend’s pool. Your pup will be stoked when they see the water! It goes without saying, though, if your dog is not a good swimmer or doesn’t enjoy the water, don’t test it.
- Visit a dog park: Dog parks are great for letting your dog run off some extra steam, make new doggy friends, and just be free and wild.
- Visit their doggy or human friends: If your dog has specific doggy and human friends that they especially love, you could spend a day at their house. Dogs are social creatures, just like we are.
- Go to a dog-friendly restaurant: Tons of dog-friendly restaurants will let your dog sit with you on their outdoor patio. Some of these places will bring your pup treats or even have their own doggy menu.
- Take them to pick out a toy or treat: Instead of picking out a new treat or toy for your dog, why not let them do it? Take them into a pet store and let them walk around with you until they find their favorite new bone, treat, stuffed animal, or ball. Check out our favorites here.
What Should I Give My Dog on His Birthday?
You know your dog better than anyone else! You’ll know what their favorite things are. But we can give you a helpful list of suggestions to get you started.
- ChuckIt! Sport Ball Launcher: If your dog is the type who loves to run and fetch, this is a great gift. You can launch the ball way further with a ChuckIt! than you can with your own arm.
- Dog Food Puzzle: This is a great toy for food-motivated dogs that need a little mental stimulation. And it will keep them busy for a long time! Check out a few of our other favorite doggy enrichment toys here.
- Bully Sticks: Bully sticks are all the rage! These are easily digestible dog treats made from 100% beef. And they are great for your dog’s teeth. Plus, they will go crazy for the taste. Take a look at our other bully stick Top Picks and Buyer’s Guide for some options.
- Squeaky dog toys: Some dogs can’t get enough of that squeaky sound. So if you can handle it, let your pup go crazy with one of these toys.
- Plush dog toys: Maybe your dog is more of the cuddly type, and they would rather have a soft, plush toy that they can carry around the house.
- Strong chewer dog toys: If your dog is a strong chewer who needs to gnaw on something, try one of these durable toys.
- Tug-of-war toys: Does your pup want to play tug-of-war? Then this is the perfect gift for them! Take a look at our other rope toy Top Picks here.
- Frisbees: If your dog is the athletic type, try out a KONG frisbee to keep them entertained and having fun. It is so durable, your dog won’t crack and puncture it like they would with a typical frisbee.
How Do You Throw a Dog Party?
Ok, are you ready to party? Great! Even if you feel a little silly about it… remember, this is all about celebrating one of the most important loved ones in your life. So just have fun with it!
- Who should you invite? The answer to this question will really help guide the rest of your party plans. Is this a human party celebrating your dog? Or a dog birthday party with all of your pup’s doggy friends? Or a mixture of the two?
- Where will you have it? If any other dogs are invited, you’ll probably want to have a fenced-in space where the dogs can safely run, play, and rough house.
- How can you decorate? You can always use typical birthday decorations from the store. But, of course, there are some dog-specific decorations you can order online. And there are some that even display your beautiful pup’s face!
- What food and drinks should you serve? If there are humans, definitely make sure to feed them a special meal, drinks, and some cake for coming to celebrate your dog with you. You should also have plenty of water for your dog and any other pups that are invited. And you can even make a dog-friendly cake or popsicles with dog-safe ingredients.
- Make the dog popsicles with plain, unsweetened yogurt or greek yogurt blended up with some dog-safe fruits like watermelon or blueberries. Then freeze it in a popsicle tray with a dog treat as the “popsicle stick.”
- Make a dog cake with dog-safe ingredients, like those listed in this recipe.
- What activities should you have? If it’s hot outside, you can put out a kiddie pool filled with water for the dogs, plus balls and frisbees for the humans to throw for the dogs. Maybe even get some durable tug-of-war toys. It’s a good idea to have some dog-specific fun, human-specific fun, and times where everyone can play together. You can even set up a dog-themed photo booth! It’s another fun way that the humans and dogs can interact, and make some great memories.
- Should your dog dress up? Yeah, why not (except if you know they hate it)?! It’s their special day, right? And it will make for some great photos. You can have them wear a funny dog costume or a dog birthday hat and scarf.
- Don’t forget a birthday chalkboard! You can actually find dog-specific ones online. This way, you can share your dog’s birthday and yearly updates with all of your social media followers!
Looking for more articles about dog-friendly activities and pet-parenting advice? Check out the Blog at TheDailyDog.com.
