Holiday Gift Guide for Dogs 2014 + Giveaway

As many of you know I work at a healthy pet store, so I get to see all the latest and greatest the pet industry has to offer throughout the year. I’ve compiled 15 holiday items, treats and toys that I think would make perfect gifts for your dogs this holiday season. Best of all, I will be doing a giveaway of five of the featured items on the list, so make sure to scroll to the bottom to enter!  (If you need some great gift ideas for dog people check out last week’s post)

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Zuke’s Lil’ Links

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Zuke’s products. They’ve been featured lots of times on my blog. My top Zuke’s pick this year for Christmas is their Lil’ Links treats. They’re a mini sausage with meat and apple. They come in novel protein choices like pork and rabbit and are grain free. Molly is my picky eater and while she is almost always willing to eat a treat, I actually have to toss these to her to keep her from biting my fingers!

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Merrick Forever Home

I love Merrick canned food for holidays. They have great themed packaging and ingredients so your pets don’t have to feel left out on big days. Forever Home is a canned dinner featuring beef, chicken, Yukon Gold potatoes and apples. Which sounds pretty tasty, but the really special part is that for every can of Forever Home sold this holiday season Merrick will be donating a can to PAWS Chicago, a no-kill shelter.

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Bionic Urban Stick

Bionic toys are some of our top sellers because they’re extremely durable and versatile. I personally like the Bionic Urban Stick because I think it’s the most versatile of them all. It’s long and thin like, well, a stick. So it’s great for fetch. It also has hollow spots on each end, so you can stuff it with wet food, peanut butter, etc. It floats, and is freezer and dishwasher safe. It’s just an all-around great toy!

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Fluff and Tuff Toys

Fluff and Tuff plush toys look like a typical dog toy, but they have proven to be quite durable thanks to double stitching and a special mesh liner. Plus, if your dog does get it open the stuffing is non-toxic. My favorite for Christmas is “Nuts the Squirrel“.

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Buddy Biscuits 4lb Value Bag

Last year I featured Cloud Star’s Gingerbread flavored Holiday Buddy Biscuits, which are still a great choice. But when we received these comically large 4lb Bag of Buddy Biscuits at work I knew it would make the perfect gift for your dog to find under the tree. It’s also a really good value!

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Nerf Dog Football Feeder

The Nerf Football Feeder is a great introduction to feeder toys because it’s not super complicated so your dog won’t get easily frustrated. It’s also at a great price point. I got one for my dog-nephew Sammy for his birthday and it’s one of his favorite toys. Just don’t give it to him without filling it or he gets really ticked.

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Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Stomper

I don’t actually have personal experience with the Nerf Tennis Ball Stomper, but I saw it in a pet trade magazine and thought it would be a great lower-cost alternative to the automatic tennis ball launcher I featured in last year’s gift guide.

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Etta Says Duck Jerky

Etta Says Duck Jerky looks a lot like a Slim Jim – though I know it’s way healthier. What made me think of this for a gift was their beautiful new packaging (sadly not pictured) that is a subtle matte filigree pattern on the shiny black package. Plus, they’re a local company for me based in St. Louis, so check them out!

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Fab Dog Reindeer Sweater

Fab Dog makes some of the cutest dog sweaters I have ever seen. The Reindeer Sweater is definitely holiday appropriate, but they have tons of different patterns for Christmas, fall and all year-long. My personal favorite is the squirrel sweater.

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Fruitables Vanilla Snowflake

Who wouldn’t want to give their dog a “snowflake” flavored treat? I love when brands do special edition items/packaging and I think Fruitables totally hit the mark with these.

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Bocce’s Lumps of Coal

Was your dog naughty this year? Or maybe you just want to take a funny picture at their expense? These Lumps of Coal dog treats are just the ticket. I once bought my own Molly dog the “naughty” instead of “nice” iced bone at work, so these are right up my alley.

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Up Country Naughty and Nice Collar

If you can’t decide whether your dog deserves the coal or not, maybe they need this Up Country Naughty and Nice collar . Up Country makes adorable high-quality collars and this is just one of many fun holiday designs.

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Spot Farms Chicken Jerky

If your dog loves chicken jerky but you’ve been nervous to buy it because of recall issues, give Spot Farms Chicken Jerky a try. We won a bag of these earlier in the year on Twitter and my dogs loved it. I really like the fact that not only are they made in the USA, it also says right on the package the chicken is sourced from small farmers in Kentucky.

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Stella and Chewy’s Carnivore Crunch

Also known as “doggy crack” at my pet store, Carnivore Crunch is a versatile freeze-dried raw treat that can also be used as a tasty kibble topper. It comes in several different proteins and is a great way to introduce raw to your dog’s diet. It’s shelf stable and convenient, but retains all the same benefits of raw food.

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Hugglehounds Holiday Toys

Hugglehounds is another brand that our customers have had good luck with when it comes to durability. They have a huge assortment of holiday toys of all shapes and sizes. If your dog loves squeaker toys, this Rudy the Reindeer is perfect because it features an absolutely gigantic squeaker that fills his whole body.

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Giveaway!

And now what you’ve all been waiting for – the giveaway! The prizes are being provided by the companies that make them, but my Holiday Gift Guide was chosen before the prizes were confirmed and is 100% my opinion only. I will be choosing 5 winners; each winner will win one of the prizes listed below.

• Zuke’s Lil’ Links
• Fruitables Vanilla Snowflake
• Buddy Biscuits 4lb Value Bag
• Merrick Treats
• Etta Says Duck Jerky

The giveaway is open in the US only and will run for 1 week, ending at midnight on December 15. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their mailing address before another winner is chosen. Please see the Rafflecopter widget to enter and for full rules/disclaimer. Good luck!

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