If you're bringing a new furry friend home this holiday season, or want to show the holiday spirit to your current dogs, don't forget about Christmas puppy stockings. Dogs might not have a clue about the holidays, but they still appreciate receiving a tasty treat and a toy or two and a toy from Santa!
DIY Christmas Puppy Stockings
Christmas puppy stockings make a great gift to accompany a brand new friend coming home during the holidays, but your current dogs will appreciate one too. Putting together your own puppy Christmas stocking is easier than you think and more fun than you might expect. Just follow this simple list of steps for a Christmas stocking your puppy will love.
Make Your Own Stockings
First, you need to select the stocking you want to fill. While some people will opt to buy a pre-made stocking for this, if you're crafty you can make your own. You can make some beautiful designs suited to your dog for a truly unique Christmas stocking.
- You can make a stocking easily and cheaply using felt and many craft stores sell kits with pre-made patterns or you can design your own.
- If you want something fancier, you can consider using a stocking needlepoint kit or design your own, although if there's a chance your dog is going to get a hold of the stocking this may get easily damaged.
- Another lovely option, though delicate, is crocheting your own stocking or knitting it by hand.
Decorating Your DIY Puppy Stockings
Since your stocking is for your pup, you'll want to add some decorations that truly embrace being a canine. Some ideas for decorations include:
- Take some felt or fabric and cut out dog-themed shapes like bones, balls and puppy paws and sew, glue or iron them on.
- If you enjoy embroidery, you can tract some similar patterns onto the stocking with a fine-tipped Sharpie and then embroider the designs in with your choice of colors.
- For a special added touch, take a dog collar and wrap it around or just underneath the cuff of the stocking with the buckle showing on the front. Even better if you can find a holiday-themed stocking.
- Since they're holiday stockings, you may want to add some seasonal accents in, such as some tinsel glued or tied around the stocking, or some small tree ornamets that you can sew on to the fabric.
Pre-Made Christmas Puppy Stockings for Purchase
If you'd prefer to buy the stocking pre-made, it shouldn't be hard to find one. During the holiday season, most malls, department stores and toy shops offer a large selection of stockings in a wide range of colors and sizes. You'll probably even find them at your favorite pet supply store and even home improvement stores. You can also find them online at stores such as
- Kissed by Dogs offers beautiful needlepoint stockings by breed. There are over 60 breeds represented as well as some dog-themed stockings with bones and paws.
- Amazon.com has several retailers who sell lovely Christmas stockings with a canine theme such as the Ho Ho Christmas Paw Stocking and the WeWill Embroidered Pets Pattern Stocking.
- Etsy.com has a beautiful assortment of Christmas puppy stockings, some of which can be one-of-a-kind and handmade by artisans.
- Home improvement stores often carry a wide assortment of seasonal holiday decorations. For example, Lowe's carries a LED-embroidered stocking from Glitzhome featuring a dog theme. Glitzhome also makes an adorable stocking in the shape of a bone with Christmas decorations.
- Pet supply stores carry many puppy-themed stockings that you may not find in stores. Petco.com carries several types of puppy holiday stockings and Chewy.com also has a wide variety to please any pup.
Personalized Dog Stockings
Most stockings for sale will come with a blank cuff, so the next step is to personalize your choice with your puppy's name. If you're bringing home a new puppy without a name yet, you could add just "dog" or "puppy" on the cuff. However, if you already have a name in mind, or if the stocking is for a current family pet, you'll want to add their name. If you have more than one dog, or a cat or other animals, you may even want a stocking for each individual pet! You can go about this in several ways.
- If you're lucky, the store where you're shopping may offer free embroidering with your purchase. This is a great way to get a professionally customized look.
- You can also look for embroidery stores in your area that would be willing to add your dog's name to the stocking for a fee.
- Alternately, you can buy some embroidery thread in colors you choose and embroider the name yourself. If you've never embroidered before, practice on some cheap fabric or an old bed sheet or towel until you feel ready to work on the stocking.
- You can also visit your local craft or fabric store and purchase iron-on letters to customize your puppy's Christmas stocking.
- Another option is to add your dog's name with puff fabric paint.
- Finally, you can personalize your pet's sock by writing her name with fabric glue and sprinkling glitter over the top. When the glue dries, just shake off the excess glitter and you have your finished sock. This method actually works a little better than using glitter glue, which tends to peel off quickly.
Choosing Your Puppy Stocking Stuffers
Once you have your sock prepared, it's time to fill it with goodies. Ideas include:
- Homemade dog treats baked with your own hands are a terrific choice. Try recipes like Carrot Apple Biscuits, Peanut Butter Dog Treats and decorated Slice and Baked Dog Cookies.
- If you don't like to cook, add in some small bags of high quality, organic dog treats which can be purchased at any pet supply store.
- Toys, such as Kongs and Orbee Balls and stuffed interactive "talking toys make safe, yet fun toys for dogs of all ages.
- Chew toys are always a great favorite with puppies. Good choices include Nylabone chews, bully sticks, antlers and fish skins.
- Grooming supplies like a good brush, a comb and a toothbrush can help fill in any room you have left.
- A shiny new collar can make your dog look fashionable while replacing a collar that's older and worn.
It's easy to get carried away and purchase too many items to fit into your stocking. If you ask at the main service desk, many shops will allow you to bring your puppy stocking in with you so you can experiment filling it with your selected goodies.
Pre-Filled Store-Bought Stockings for Dogs
If you're rushed for time or you just don't want to worry about giving your dog's stocking the full Martha Stewart treatment, no problem. There are dozens of pre-made Christmas puppy stockings filled with treats that are sure to entertain any lucky dog that receives one.
I-Pets
A visit to i-Pets.com reveals a good selection of pre-filled dog Christmas "stockings" at inexpensive prices. Each sock-styled package is filled with an assortment of red and green rawhide chew treats. You can choose your sock in sizes than run from small (10 pieces), medium (16 pieces) and large (25 pieces). The socks sell for between $4 and $12.
Chewy.com
Chewy.com carries several pre-filled pet holiday stockings. Their fun Ethical Pet Holiday Dog Toy Stocking sells for about $11 to $19 and is filled with either four or eight holiday-themed toys. The toys are a mix of fetch, plush and squeaky toys so you're sure to find at least one your dog will love.
Amazon
Like Chewy.com, Amazon has several options for pre-filled stockings and more are likely to be available specifically during the holiday season. Their festive Christmas Stocking for Dogs by Sub-Gift sells for about $11 and includes four different types of dog toys suitable for small to medium size dogs. The Midlee Toy Filled Christmas Dog Stocking Set has five dog toys for about $20 and is best for medium to large dogs.
Stocking Holders
Once you've prepared your puppy's holiday treat, you need a way to hang it. Rather than damaging your mantle, why not consider using a stocking holder? You can find a variety of attractive stocking holders at many pet supply stores and at online retailers such as PersonalizationMall.com. In the Company of Dogs makes personalized stocking holders featuring your dog's breed, with over 80 breeds available to choose from.
Great Holiday Treat for Your Dog
Now you know everything you need to put together a great Christmas stocking for your pet. Have fun with it and of course, make sure your dog doesn't treat it like a delicious chew toy so you can refill it again next Christmas!
