Happy PAWlidays, everyone! We are feeling very festive over here at Tully’s and wanted to spread some cheer with a super-duper nifty holiday gift guide for the dogs and dog lovers in your lives! They can thank us later….
Food-Dispensing Puzzle Toys
These give your pup a job to do – solve a problem and find a tasty treat! Some of our favorite food-dispensing puzzle toys include:
Nina Ottosson wins for the best puzzle toys on the market. Games like this Dogfinder Interactive Game offer dogs the chance to really flex those thinking muscles! Each toy comes with instructions on how to make it easy, or more difficult. We cant recommend these enough, for both dogs and cats!
For more, check out all the other puzzle toys made by Nina Ottosson and read this article we wrote about the best puzzle toys to keep your dog busy.
If you're short on time over the holidays, the KONG Wobbler makes mealtime mentally and physically stimulating, time consuming, and super fun. Just imagine the slow-motion videos you can get of your dog batting this around, food flying out of it, the look of joy in their eyes! You'll get SO many likes.
Do you have a chewer in the family? Does every dog toy in your house look like it could be used as a weapon because it's so mangled? Girl, you need this toy made by West Paw Design. The Zogoflex Stuffable Chew Toy is as close to indestructible as it gets. Stuff it, freeze it, give it to your dog, and done.
Dog Chews
All dogs release energy and stress by chewing, and it’s best to give them appropriate options, so they don’t go for your pillows or favorite chair! Here are a few good options we love:
These Buck Bone antlers are 100% organic and collected from wild Elk sheds on the forest floors. The best part is that there's no sticky mess, odors, chemicals, or added preservatives. The size of the antler you get depends on the size of your dog, so be sure to check the sizing information when purchasing.
Most dogs (like ours) will probably go absolutely crazy for these. Give your dog a foodgasm while cleaning his teeth and keeping him busy!
Raw meat and bone marrow not your thing? Heres the next best thing. Great for heavy chewers.
Dog Toys
Toys. Dogs LOVE to play! Toys direct their energy in a healthy way. Try out a few – some dogs love squeaky plush toys, some dogs go nuts for a good tug toy, some dogs want nothing more than a tube of plain old tennis balls. Give your pup lots of options!
Best. Tug toy. Ever. The Zogoflex is built for tug-o-war standoffs and far-flung fetch sessions. It flexes to double its length! Also durable, dishwasher safe, and fun for children!
A perfect toy for soft indoor play, the Floppy Frog toy is made out recycled materials for the eco-conscious dog who takes care of her things.
Dog Beds or Mats
Beds or mats. Indulge your furry friend with an extra-special fluffy bed or memory-foam mat this year! They deserve it!
The West Paw Eco Nap mat is easily transferable to different locations and are great for travel beds, in crates, or on their own. We love to use these for training, camping, and trips to Grandma's house! It's also 100% washable and made out of recycled plastic bottles!
These bumper beds from West Paw Design are of course incredibly comfy, but what makes them our favorite is that they are 100% washable and their stuffing is derived from recycled plastic bottles. How cool is that?! These beds come in five sizes (S to XXL).
For The Techie Dog-Lover
There are so many people making such cool gadgets for pets. A lot of these products actually started off on Kickstarter! Here are a few of our favorite tech gadget gifts for dogs and dog owners.
A portable music player that’s pre-loaded with the clinically tested music of Through A Dog’s Ear. Great for relieving stress and anxiety, and you can take it anywhere your pup might need it – in the car, to the vet, even on a walk!
We're pretty sure the iFetch could be the best invention for dog owners ever. Your dog can now play fetch by itself! Check out how it works in the video above. It's amazing and will surely be the best present you can give a dog owners, hands down.
Allows you to video “chat” with your pup, and even remotely deliver a treat! Wonderful for dogs with separation anxiety.
For the GoPro videographer in your life, this is a nifty way to set up your GoPro on a special harness for your pup and see the world from their eyes! (Harness may require some desensitization if your dog is not used to wearing one.)
For The Dog Family
Know someone wild about labs? Crazy for all things Great Dane? Maybe a border collie enthusiast? Here’s a pretty awesome “Breed Blueprint” – comes in poster size or pillow size!
The gift that keeps on giving: BarkBox! A monthly subscription service that sends everything from treats and toys to gadgets and hygiene products! An added bonus: 10% of their profits go to rescue groups and other dogs in need.
For the Animal Philanthropist
Here's an idea: donate money or goods to your local animal shelter or rescue (many of them have “wish list” items that they need regularly) in your friend or family’s name.
Once you are done shopping til you drop, check out last year’s Thanksgiving post for lots more important info on keeping your pet safe and healthy during the busy holiday season!
And before we leave you to your festivities, one more thing we must mention:
Pets do not make good presents!
Nobody wants to be surprised with a giant load of responsibility for their holiday gift! It’s not a coincidence that the beginning of the year is a very busy time at animal shelters. If you have someone in your life that you think wants nothing more than a wiggly little puppy or kitten under the tree, talk to them about it first. They should be involved in the process – they will be taking care of that dog or cat for many years!
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS! See you in 2016!