How to throw a dog birthday party

As the UK’s leading luxury dog birthday treat box provider we often get asked: “how to throw the best dog birthday party”? So in response, we’ve put together this simple step by step guide to outline some of our favourite ideas and tips. There’s more to a dog birthday than just cake and presents.

1. Should I Throw a Dog Birthday Party

We love dog birthday parties and would always recommend having one. However this choice is entirely down to you, don’t feel pressured into it if you don’t have the time, money or space. The most important thing is to look after your dog’s wellbeing and make sure they get the right training, exercise and socialising all year round. But if parties are your thing read on –

2. Choose a Date and Venue

As with any party, its good to give the guests warning so planning ahead is a must. Once you’ve set a date that works for all your closest dog buddies its time to decide on a place that is safe and practical for your dog and all of their friends. Indoor parties are popular but be warned that its advisable to do this only if you are sure that all the guests (dogs we mean) are toilet trained as otherwise, chaos can and will ensue. If you want to have the party outside we have found that popular choices include, gardens/backyards with secure fencing, dog-friendly parks or down at the local beach. Remember with outside parties to watch out for hazards such as busy roads or poisonous flowers.

3. Choose a Theme

Dog birthday parties are always more fun when a theme is picked, it gives you something to base all the day’s games and decor on. People often choose movie themes like Star Wars or go for something traditional like British Picnic or Tea Party. Whichever you choose make sure it’s easy, fun and something dog-friendly.

4. Make Invitations

What party is complete without invitations? Keep it simple, a bone-shaped card will do. Just make sure it has all the details on it – date, time, location, theme etc

5. Food and Drink

Water is the most important thing here, make sure there are bowls and plenty of water to go around for the full day. Once that’s sorted you can plan the fun things, dog treats and dog birthday cakes are a must-have. There are plenty of good recipes online or you can choose to buy a cake from a reputable retailer such as… ourselves ahem.

Some great treat ideas include doggie beer, popcorn, doughnuts and lollipops. The more the merrier as its always a nice touch to let your guests leave with a goodie bag tucked under their arm. Two useful tips for food are; take a portable ice box or cooler to store things in and always ask a dogs owner before giving the dog treats as dogs have allergies and nutritional needs.

6. Activities for the Party

Give the dogs time to get to know each other at the start, they need to sniff each other and work out who’s boss. Once all the dogs are comfortable and happy with each other its a good idea to have some games lined up. Some of our favourites are:

An awards ceremony – give out titles for things like prettiest, toughest, fastest, cutest etc. Make sure there are plenty of awards so that every dog gets at least one.

Agility Course – you can set up your very own simple agility course with a few obstacles, perfect for holding your own dog show or obedience trial.
Fastest Fetch Game – This one is pretty self-explanatory but easy to set up and lots of fun. Simply throw balls or sticks and the first dog to fetch wins.

Tug of War – Again simple, have two dogs and one tugger toy, be careful they don’t fall out though!

Sprinklers – if you have an outdoor party and its warm then sprinklers are a great idea, set them off and watch the dogs, and kids, run around without a care in the world!