Planning A Dog Birthday 101

If you're anything like me, throwing a dog birthday party is much like throwing one for your child – it’s a day filled with lots of excitement, noise, cake, food, party games, an occasional squabble, and a bunch of awesome gifts!

To help ensure your furry four-legged family member’s big day is a big success, we’ve gathered a whole host of tips for planning a dog birthday party with amazing Amazon options for all you last-minute fur parents that need it to be delivered ASAP!

Things you will want to consider when you start making plans for your pooch’s big day:

How to celebrate your dog’s birthday
What should guests bring (Please check your current local restrictions, mmk!?)
Where should you have your dog’s birthday party?
Should you tell your dog ahead of time about his party or make it a surprise?

How should you plan to celebrate for your dog’s birthday?

There are many things to consider when throwing a party and many of them will apply to your dog’s birthday bash too. Consider if your dog will love all the attention and noise of a party with friends, family and of coaaaarse other canines, or if he would prefer something a little more low key and quiet (my dogs got so used to the quietness during covid, that I think they would prefer a low key type of bash). Some dogs can be easily overwhelmed by a big crowd, and yet others thrive in the spotlight!

Other things to think through are time of day that will be best for your dog and his guests, if they (and you) will be happier with an outdoor or indoor party. If you think outside will be more fun for him, be sure to have a back up plan for inclement weather (it is freezing cold outside as I type this here in Montreal, so if you are also in a nordic country, you can have an indoor party and then take it outdoors for some extra fun time in the snow!).

Think about how long you want your party to last and be sure to make it clear in your doggy invites. Letting people know there is a start time and end time will help you manage the day and arrangements better.

What should guests bring to the party?

People wanna know what to bring for your dog’s birthday party. As you plan out the big day, consider if you want it to be a BYOT (bring your own toy) for playtime, if you would like your dog to have gifts from his guests and if so should these be wrapped, would you prefer people to donate for a non-profit? We love what Les Belles et les Bêtes do, if ever you're looking for a nice foundation, they help as many animal welfare organizations as possible! If you prefer showering your doggo with gifts on his day, the perfect way to make it easy for your guests and perfect for your pooch with gifts is to register your dog at Amazon or a favourite store. As people purchase the gifts, the list will be taken off so it is not duplicated. What a great way to score some toys for your BFF!

Dog Birthday Party Invitations

The most suitable guests for the party are friends with dogs. If your pup is already friendly with the probable canine guest, then what could be better? Friends without dogs, but who adore your dog, or who your dog adores should also make the list. Other good candidates include classmates at obedience school/dog training or park playmates.

Pro Tip: Send out party invitations 3 weeks in advance. You can mail invitations or send pet friendly eCards.

Where should you have a dog birthday party?

This one will be super important to consider because there are so many ways you can do this. Logistics such as parking, access to fresh water, play area, backdrop for pictures plus shelter areas in case it rains (if you have it outside) are all things to figure out in advance.

Dog Party Location

There are several things to take into consideration in order to choose the location of the party. This includes important things like toilet training of dogs, the number of dogs, your budget, etc. Having adequate space will be great since it will provide a good area to the pooches, and your guests, to play, run around, and have fun. You can have it in your yard, at a doggie daycare facility, local park, or dog park after ensuring all necessary safety measures are in place.

Theme

Dog party calls for an extra dose of playfulness. One way to amplify the fun factor is a good theme. For inspiration, pun lovers can look to pop culture – for a whimsical celebration, think Wizard of Paws or treat canine friends like royalty at Barkingham Palace. Or how about Pug Wars for a Star Wars-inspired birthday bash?

If you're more traditional like me, this DOGGO-THEMED PACKAGE from Amazon with neutral colours is perfect so you can match with any other colour combo or even with your dog’s birthday COLLAR, CLOTHES or TOYS!

Canine-Friendly Cake

Human sweets are not good for dogs, and that includes even those without toxic ingredients. Instead, you need a canine-friendly alternative. You can get a recipe online to make a dog cake or order one from your local pet bakery.

Dog Birthday Party Food

Be sure to have plenty of yummy treats, dog bowls, and food for all of your furry party animals. Also, be sure to include your human guests in the food as well. Include a normal cake, tasty treats, and other foods and beverages on your party shopping list.

Games and Activities

Like children’s parties, you want the guests kept busy. These games and activities can be as simple as balls and Frisbees to play fetch, or they can be more elaborate. You might consider throwing events like “the best dog trick contest” depending on how many dogs are in attendance. Or let your furry invitees play a birthday game of Bobbing for Biscuits, an interesting and species-appropriate spin on the Bobbing for Apples game.

It’s also a good ideas to have enough shade, a dog pool or dog beds for those pups that get tuckered out easily, I know my mom's Yorkie would love a fluffy bed! LOL!

Return Dog Gifts

Providing a return gift is a nice gesture to culminate a successful dog birthday party. As a return gift, you can give out toys, make custom treat bags, dog beds, collars and other goodies for their fur baby to enjoy later!

Dog birthday parties offer an excellent way for pooches to have a really good time, and to socialize with their furry friends and their human parents as well. If your pet adds joy to your life, make sure they know how much you appreciate them on their birthday this year!

Other Ways To Celebrate Your Dog’s Special Day

Take your dog on a road trip with a new dog park as the final destination
Bring your bestie to a pet-friendly restaurant for a meal
Shop at a dog-friendly pet store together
Ask a friend to take photos of you and your dog playing together
Make your dog his favourite canine safe meal (human food)
Go for an extra long walk together on a nice day
Teach your dog a new trick, he will love the attention
Wrap gifts for him and hide them throughout the house for him to find

It may sound weird, but probably not if you are a dog owner, letting your dog know ahead of time is another major consideration. Do you want it to be a surprise party where his besties all show up at the same time and freak him out (in a good way) or should you ease him into it and start telling him about the event long before the festivities?

Planning a dog party can be a lot of fun! We hope you have a blast and may your doggo live for many healthy years!

Tami