Many of us feel prickles of anxiety when it comes to finishing Christmas shopping. Especially when Christmas is just around the corner and the online delivery cut-off dates are creeping near.
Whether you’re looking to wrap up an extra special present for a dog lover, or some goodies for y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ your dog. We’re sharing 12 of our favourite dog gifts, from small businesses and start-ups we’re just dying to celebrate and bark about.
1. Dog Park Board Game
This board game is perfect for anyone who is canine-obsessed. Dog Park is a game or 1-4 players, co-created by Lottie and Jack Hazell at Birdwood Games. The aim of the game? To live out the ultimate dream of becoming the best dog walker in town.
The artwork is phenomenal. There are 163 unique watercolour dog cards, each created with snippets of information from the Kennel Club. You can indeed get all of the recognised Kennel Club dog breeds through the game’s expansion packs.
The cards have been divided into the official Kennel Club breed categories including; Gundog, Hound, Pastoral, Terrier, Utility, Toy, and Working. Playing the game, we were so excited to discover beautiful dog breeds we didn’t know existed. One of which had similar features to our mixed-breed Romanian rescue, Minnie. Could she in fact have a sprinkle of Beauceron in her?
Each game has four different phases. Firstly you bid for dogs to go in your kennel, it’s surprising how competitive this gets, especially when you both want an adorable dog in your kennel. The second phase you select dogs from your kennel to join you for a walk, which of course is closely followed by ‘walkies’ the third phase where you walk your dogs around the park. Finally the fourth phase, home time, where you tot up your scores.
We absolutely adored playing this game, there are so many elements of the game which means every game you play will be completely different. That’s not forgetting all the dogs you’ll ‘awe’ at throughout the game.
2. Ultimutt Dog Box
We LOVE a subscription box, but with the cost-of-living rising, it’s not easy for a lot of people to commit to one. With Ultimutt Dog Box, not only do they have the option of a monthly subscription box, but also a bi-monthly or even one off. It’s completely tailored to you and your dog, and it’s just one of many things we love about Ultimutt Dog Box.
To appease our toy ripping, eye chewing Jack Russel cross, and our Romanian ‘not really sure how to play with toys’ rescue, we had a Halloween ”Ultimutt Tough Box’. Before receiving the box, we weren’t really sure what to expect, and worried that it may just be a box of toys for the big boys. However, we were pleasantly surprised with what was inside, and our dogs loved every single toy. Minnie fell in love with the Moose, and Charlie the Spider.
Ultimutt Box makes a great gift for any dog. Whether you want to commit to a year subscription (monthly or bi-monthly) to treat your dog to a consistent supply of surprise toys and treats, or you just want a pre-made, well-thought-out gift box of goodies.
3. Ever With Bespoke Jewellery
Now this present is a super special gift. Whether you’re looking for a unique gift from the dog to yourself, or for another special dog lover in your life. We adore our canine companions, and can’t bare the thought of them not being in our lives. This extra special product allows you to take a sample of fur from your dog to create a bespoke piece of jewellery with.
You can also create a bespoke piece of jewellery using ashes from a dog who is no longer with you. The range of jewellery will take your breath away, there truly is something for every human.
We’re yet to finalise our bespoke piece, where we will be putting fur from our two very special dogs into a ring. A piece which we will hold close to our hearts for eternity. Keep your eyes peeled on our social media for updates, or click the link below for further information.
4. Furbo or Furbo 360 Dog Camera
With two dogs who suffer from separation anxiety, we always feel assured when checking in on the Furbo camera. We can stay connected to our furry loved ones from afar no matter where we are. Using the paired app, we can toss them treats, and talk to them throughout the day. Especially good when you need to listen out for excessive barking or howling (a common symptom of separation anxiety).
Furbo has recently released a new, improved product called Furbo 360 where you can track your dog in full 360° view. Great news if you love watching your dog have the the zoomies, because you can catch the whole show. The camera also has improved colour night-vision, which is perfect for tracking your dog in those early Winter nights. It enables colour vision even in low lighting environments, and it’s coupled with 1080p full HD. So the Furbo 360° gives beautifully crisp views, day or night.
Both Furbo or Furbo 360 will make a fantastic gift for any dog owner who, like us, can’t bare the thought of being apart from their dog. Whether it’s to keep eye on their furry bestie while at work, or to make sure they don’t get up to mischief when out and about.
5. Dogstival Tickets
While there are so many great things in this guide, often or not they run-out, break and toys can become boring, but experiential gifts make memories that last a lifetime.
Dogstival is like the Glastonbury of the dog world and has our tails wagging year after year. You can imagine our joy when we heard it was back for 2023 at Broadlands Park. This year, the theme is the Summer of Love, after all, all you need is love and a dog.
Expect world class dog displays, plenty of activities to get involved with and lots of entertainment to enjoy with your pooch. If your furry best friend is a dare-dog they’ll love taking part in agility, flyball, hoopers, canicross and more. This year there will also be a Dog Disco, Talent Show and Doga.
Grab your tickets this Christmas so you and your dog can enjoy a day out you’ll never forget.
6. Sniffe & Likkit Grooming Goodies
We love dog friendly adventures, come rain or shine. Even the muddiest adventures can leave paw-prints on your heart. But what comes after adventures? Usually a mucky pup. Luckily for us, Sniffe & Likkit have an amazing range of grooming goodies, which will leave your dog smelling great home or away.
We especially love the Woofpack Pet Set and Go travel kit. It’s the perfect size to take on a dog friendly staycation, or to pop in your bag in case of an impromptu trip to a dog friendly pub. Inside you’ll find a fragrant fur coat conditioning mist called ‘Give a dog Cologne’, a 3 in 1 brightening & conditioning shampoo and 4 x sachets of fragrant & refreshing paw-kit cleansing wipes called Wippets.
We also love the No Rinse Charming dry shampoo, which again is great for taking with you on the go. It has a 100% natural (no-rinse) powder shower filled with fur friendly organic powders to help draw out dirt and impurities. Of course, we have to give a shout-out to the Scent Somethin’ Nice air freshener, which keeps our car smelling fresh, even after the muckiest adventures with a wonderful woodland aroma, inspired by a walk in the woods.
The grooming products from Sniffe & Likkit are created using natural, active and botanical ingredients that are vegan friendly and pH balanced for dogs skin and fur. Each one with a 100% natural aromatherapeutic scent.
7. Canine Kleptomaniacs
Fun fact, we’re a little bit obsessed with board games. So there’s no surprise that we’ve thrown another dog themed one in the mix. Canine Kleptomaniacs was created by Matthew Jones and his incredible family enterprise called Golden Ginty Games. They were inspired to create this game after the thieving antics of the family Spaniels. Read our full Q&A with Matthew to learn more about these sneaky Spaniels.
In this tail-wagging card game you have to collect, hide, bluff, pilfer and trade your way to victory. It’s plenty of fun, and small enough to pop in your bag for dog friendly adventures. We’ve taken it on many of our dog friendly holidays to unwind while the dogs are snoozing in bed.
8. Burns Christmas Dinner
This year ditch the table scraps and give your pooch something they’ll be truly thankful for. A mouth-watering, Christmas Turkey dinner. This wholesome and hypoallergenic meal is perfectly balanced, and can be used on its own or as a mixer. It’s perfect for adult and senior dogs of any breed, even the most fussy and sensitive dogs will get their tails wagging over this!
Grab this tasty dinner in a lovely letterbox gift box, including extras such as Turkey treats, and Turkey and Potato dry food. Wrap it up, and watch your dog get SUPER excited by the smell. Here’s another little Christmas gift from us to you, get 20% off Burns products using the code DOGUR22.
9. Ivy & Duke
These handcrafted blankets are sure to keep your dog cosy, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. Each blanket has provided us with plenty of versatility, from being a cosy addition to our dogs beds, a practical cover for trips in the car, or as a comfortable companion for our dog friendly staycations. Blankets are available in three sizes, each double sided with a soft faux sheepskin for maximum comfort and usage. They’re fully machine washable. What we love the most about these lovely blankets is that they can be personalised too. Making a super special gift for any dog who loves comfort.
10. HK Ceramics
Looking for a unique, personalised gift? We adore the handmade wheel-thrown ceramics from HK Ceramics in Hampshire. They have a lovely range of products for the home. Our favourite products, of course, are the delightful pet bowls, but we also love the dog mugs and treat jars.
The pet bowls come in a range of different designs, and styles (including Spaniel style to protect those floofy long ears). Each bowl, can also be personalised to include your dogs name (in large or small text), in different designs including a bone, pawprint and/or heart.
11. Lazy Flora
Lazy Flora, the perfect gift for dog owners who love sprucing up the house with household plants. As we mentioned in our Garden Guide earlier on in the year, many plants are toxic to dogs and cats. Lazy Flora has a range of pet-friendly plants. They also have a monthly plant subscription where every month they send a beautiful, premium quality pet-friendly houseplant.
12. Charity Products
Earlier this year, we teamed up with Bob Martin to ask children to imagine, “what dogs will look like in 130 years time?” Their illustrations and answers didn’t disappoint. We had hundreds of entries, from magical rainbow dogs, to dogs living in space and all the robots in-between.
We picked 6 incredible winners and turned their designs into products with 100% of the profits going to Pets As Therapy and their Read2Dogs scheme. This scheme supports pupils who find reading difficult or stressful. At present around 6,000 children across the country are benefitting from the Read2Dog scheme each week.
Check out this winning design from 13-year-old Aura. This is what she said about her design: “In my drawing I show the issues us as humans and dogs could face in the future if we continue living like we are. My dog drawing is of a dog who is seeking help from those in the past (us now) who need to change to save him. I have given him a vaccination badge because it is believed a plague like illness will break out in the near future. The dog’s coat also says endangered to show that even a common, well known animal like himself could become threatened in the future. I have made the edges wavy to create a sea like border. This is to show the sea levels rising and that we could be living underwater vert soon if we don’t take action.”
Click here to see more of our wonderful winners.
13. Dog Portrait
One gift that will ‘wow’ any dog parent is a doggy portrait of their beloved canine. It’s the perfect way to capture memories and to celebrate their wonderful personality.
Paintings of our canine companions have been around since people could draw in caves. Even world renowned artists like Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso used their dogs as muses for their artwork.
Of course, we couldn’t just select ONE as there are so many talented artists across the world. We have however rounded up 14 in this portrait gift guide. Each providing a different style of art, from warm realistic drawings, to digital cartoons.
