10 Different Ways to Celebrate Your Dog’s Special Day

Return the favor by throwing a special birthday party for your beloved dog, complete with toys and gifts. Reward the dog’s unconditional love, devotion, and contribution to the family with puppy desserts and gifts on their special birthday. It’s a party for your furry pal. Continue reading for some simple — and cute — ways to make your dog’s birthday pawty extra unique.

Pick the Perfect Gift

Let’s face it, our dogs are spoiled on a daily basis, but their birthdays are a good excuse for even more doggy pampering! If your dog likes tennis balls, Kongs, or softer handmade treats, there’s no better time to visit the toy department at the local pet shop than its birthday.

Another entertaining (and hilariously adorable) suggestion is to put the dog in a room full of tennis balls to watch the chaos ensue.

Decorate The House

You’ve helped your family members decorate for a million birthday celebrations, so it’s only natural that you do the same for your little canine companion.

Of course, balloons and streamers are traditional birthday party decor, but there are plenty of dog-themed options as well. Create a cool bone-shaped banner out of construction paper and string or twine, scatter dog-friendly confetti on all of the chairs, and make a chalkboard sign with the beverage and snack menu if you’re feeling extra crafty.

If you’re not a crafty individual, you can buy dog-themed decorations online.

Make Pupcakes That Are Dog-Friendly

Believe it or not, many dog approved birthday cakes are also suitable for humans. To make an awesome canine cake, all you need are some popular baking ingredients like baking soda, whole-wheat flour, applesauce, eggs or baby food. For a nutritional lift, add sliced vegetables like carrots and finish with cream cheese, peanut butter, or mashed bananas.

Don’t want to get your baking apron out? Peanut butter and your dog’s other beloved snacks aren’t likely to be turned down.

Ice cream for dogs

While real ice cream isn’t good for your dog’s digestive system, you can make puppy-friendly ice cream at home with ingredients you probably already have on hand. To get the right consistency, blend bananas with plain yogurt and smooth peanut butter, then freeze overnight. Puppy ice pops can also be made with only one ingredient: chicken or beef broth. Simply pour it into a mold and place it in the freezer.

Make Your Own Adorable Party Outfits

A puppy wearing a party hat is literally the cutest thing on the planet. It’s simple to make your own by gluing construction paper, poster board, or foam paper into a cone form (be sure to use non-toxic glue). Then, using a permanent marker, add pompoms, tassels, or some other embellishments that will make your dog extra festive.

What if your dog’s party cap won’t stay on for more than 20 seconds? Make fun bandana or a no-sew tutu with elastic and tulle strips using some cute cloth and hemming tape or fabric glue.

Invite the Whole Crew

What good is a puppy celebration if the dog’s entire gang isn’t invited? In honor of your fuzzy family member’s birth, invite the crew over for a day of hiking, snacks, and sniffing.

Place lots of water and, if the other pet parents agree, some cookies for paw-ty visitors on the table. Good foods that are easy for dogs to pick up and enjoy include portioned dog food, baby carrots, diced frozen bananas, and green beans.

Keep a good watch on your dog and its visitors when they’re having fun. Also the best dog pals will have miscommunications from time to time.

Don’t Forget About People

Aside from an afternoon of adorable dog antics, you’ll need to give your human visitors a reason to attend the puppy gathering. Enter the delectable party snacks and beverages. Prepare chicken wings, deviled eggs, spinach and artichoke dip, and serve beer and wine, or—if you’re super into the party theme—a personalized drink in celebration of your dog’s special day.

Arrange a Photo Booth

 Make your own photo booth background, take a few props (which your guests may or may not tolerate for a few seconds), and start ‘gramming! Allow your visitors to post pictures to Instagram or Facebook using a custom hashtag (every exciting experience has one! ), so you can see all of the excitement in one location.

Play Some Games

The best thing of these dog-friendly party games is that they’re really all simple conditioning exercises masked as entertainment! Be sure you have lots of toys (and treats) on hand for games like hide-and-seek and fetch, which teach dogs how to sit, stop, come, and fetch.

Try a round of Snoopy Says if you ever want to move your puppy party games to the next level. Participants listen to orders and make those gestures, much as in the human version of Simon Said. The winner is the last pupper left!

Create Guests Paw-ty Favors

What’s a birthday bash without a gift bag full of goodies? Have a chew toy or tennis ball, jerky sticks or a couple of dog bones, a bandana or party hat, and, of course, any snacks for the humans on the go.