Christmas is just around the corner, which means it’s that time of year to take your decorations out from the attic, put up your tree, and string the lights around the house.
If you’re a dog lover — and you probably are, assuming you read this article — then Christmas means including your pet in the holiday fun. This holiday season, why not try making your own DIY doggy decorations?
From ornaments to Advent calendars, there are tons of ways to show just how much you love your dog. We hope you and your pup have a Merry Christmas!
1. Doggy Advent Calendar
The days leading up to Christmas are some of the most fun of the holiday season. This Advent calendar is a way to let your dog join in on the fun of counting down the days until the actual holiday.
You can make your very own doggy Advent calendar with dog treats behind each door instead of chocolate. This video shows you how take an advent calendar and dog it up.
You can use store bought treats or make your own! If you make your own, the tutorial shows how dog-themed cookie cut outs can add to the fun.
2. Salt Dough Puppy Paw Print Ornament
Every Christmas tree has a story. Each ornament can have a different meaning or anecdote about where it’s from, who gave it to you, when you got it, or who made it.
Making your own puppy paw print ornament is a great way to add to the collection because you can say that your dog was actually involved in the process. It’s simple and fast to make your own paw print ornament; all you need is your dog’s paw and some dough.
It’s also very special because, even after your dog is gone, you will have the ornament with their paw print forever. Just make sure you hang it high on the tree so your dog doesn’t eat it.
3. Dog Bone Christmas Ornament
In honor of your pooch, you can make a cute, little, dog bone ornament for your tree. All you need is some clay from any art store.
First, kneed the clay until it’s smooth. Next, take a rolling pin and smooth out the clay flat before shaping it. Then you take a dog biscuit cookie cutter to create the bone shape and rub out any of the rough edges from the cutter.
You can then decorate the bone with your dog’s name using different colored clay or any other fun decorations. A good way to keep your bone from burning in the oven is to put some foil under it, and then keep a close eye on it.
Once it’s hard, take it out of the oven and let it cool before adding more decorations.
4. Dog Cookie Christmas Wreath
A dog cookie Christmas wreath is the perfect gift for any dog lover. It’s also a fun way to help your dog get into the Christmas spirit.
The great thing about this decoration is that it requires no tape or glue, so the treats are still completely safe for your dog to eat. The only thing holding the treats in place is the neatly-placed ribbon, so if you want to give your dog a treat, just snip the ribbon or break a piece of the biscuit off.
You can use store-bought treats or, of course, make your own if you want it to be extra special. The fun part about this wreath is that you can give your dog a treat every day leading up to Christmas!
5. Gingerbread Dog House Crochet Ornament
Instead of just having a normal gingerbread house ornament on your Christmas tree this year, why not try giving it a doggy twist?
This is a cute way to get creative with a normal Christmas decoration and spice it up so you can make it dog-related. This typical crochet gingerbread house is now, instead, a gingerbread dog house with little bones sewn on to the front.
While this decoration may require some extra time if you’re not familiar with crocheting, it’s definitely something fun you can do during your Christmas time off.
6. Clear Ornament With Doggy Decorations
Decorating clear ornaments is a super simple way to get creative this Christmas season. This video tutorial has multiple ways you can turn a clear ornament into your very own creation.
To dog up the ornaments, follow the tutorial, but replace all the decorations with dog-themed items instead. Use a doggy temporary tattoo on your ornament, or instead of filling your ornament with sprinkles, fill it up with little dog biscuits.
A fun idea is using chalkboard paint on your ornament and then drawing a dog or a paw print. You could even put a real picture of your actual dog inside the ornament so you can hang their photo on the tree.
7. Doggy Mistletoe
Mistletoe is a staple of the Christmas season. This Christmas, not only can you make your very own DIY mistletoe, but dog lovers can doggy it up!
This tutorial is a simple way to make your own mistletoe; all you need is felt, a hot glue gun, cardboard, a sharpie, scissors, and a ribbon.
To add the doggy touch, you can trace and cut out little felt dog bones or paw prints and glue them onto your mistletoe.
8. Plastic Cup Dog Christmas Bell Decorations
This tutorial shows you how to use recycled plastic cups to create your very own Christmas bells. It’s a great way to be environmentally friendly while getting into the Christmas spirit.
You’ll need cups, paint (color of your choice), Styrofoam balls, stickers, ribbons, and a bell. Instead of putting reindeer stickers on your bells, you can buy dog or bone stickers to give it a doggy theme.
You can get creative with it by drawing on little paw prints, using dog-themed ribbons, or even writing your pup’s own name. The bells might even prove useful once Christmas is over because you can use them to call your dog or even train them.
Do you have any fun Christmas dog ornament ideas? Do you ever make your own holiday decorations? Let us know and leave a comment below!
