What to Get Your Dog for Christmas This Year

Christmas is just around the corner, and everyone is scrambling to get presents for their loved ones. It doesn’t seem right to leave out your most loyal companions. Since your dog won’t be wishing for a new Nintendo or other fancy gadget, it can be difficult to find just the right present for them. After all, they don’t know how to make a wish list to make shopping for them easy. Fortunately, there are several things you can get that most dogs will love (and not just for Christmas).

Homemade Doggy Treats

If there’s anything your dog loves as much as you, it has to be food. Unless your dog has dietary restrictions, making a homemade dog treat is probably the easiest present you can get for your furry friend. You can find a lot of different recipes online if you’re adventurous. Here is one easy-to-bake recipe for Gingerbread doggy cookies to get you started.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of molasses
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• 6 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger or one teaspoon of dried powder ginger

You’ll want to mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingredients before you combine the two sets in one bowl. After you have mixed everything properly, you should from the dough into 4 balls and refrigerate them for 3 to 5 hours. Then you’re ready to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. You can cut the dough into funny shapes much like regular Christmas cookies, but you can also just make strips or squares. Then the dough needs to be baked for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If your dog likes it crunchy, you can cook them a little bit longer.

Doggy Bed or Pet Pillow

Even if your dog always sleeps in bed with you, they may appreciate a new, comfortable doggy bed or pet pillow to use while you’re not around. Doggy beds come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and materials, so it’s really up to you to find which one you like. More important than the bed may be the location of it. For example, your dog probably won’t want to be in a room by himself, no matter how nice that new doggy bed is.

Chewy Toy

Dogs love to chew on stuff, long after they have outgrown the puppy stage. If you get your dog a chewy toy, you may even be saving other valuable possessions of yours. Considering they can go through several of those in one month, it may not even be that special to give him one for Christmas. Nevertheless, your dog will appreciate it. You could even get one that squeaks or lets you hide treats inside of it.

Pet Treat Launcher

While dogs don’t necessary appreciate gadgets, their owners do. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should look for a pet treat launcher. It’s basically a toy for both of you, because it lets you launch treats for your dog to catch. Since your dog has to run or jump to get the treat, it will counteract the extra calories with a fun engaging activity. However, you shouldn’t go overboard with treats even though it’s the holiday season. Dogs are wired to scarf down whatever you feed them, even when they’ve already had dinner. Since you’re always around to feed them again the next day, it’s important to ration their food. Otherwise they may gain too much weight, which can cause a variety of health problems.

More Time with You

In some ways, dogs are a lot like children. While they love toys and food, they love being with you most of all. If you don’t have money to buy a fancy toy or time to make some pet treats, your dog will love you just the same. All they want for Christmas is more time with you, whether that involves long walks, cuddle sessions, or playful games.

Now that you have some ideas on what to get for Christmas for your dog, you can relax. Your dog may not be the Grinch, but they don’t necessarily understand the holiday spirit unless it’s presented in the shape of a toy or treat. If they’re excited about the holidays, it’s only because you are excited about them yourself.