Setting the scene:
Doggie bags and favor ideas
Games and Activities
- Have a howling good time. Make everyone a dog with dog ears and a dog tails.
Turn Dad into a dog with a role reversal. The birthday child gets to prance
around before serving cake by walking the alpha dog (Dad). And mom can sport
the Pick of the Litter costume. Also from Family Fun, this idea is actually a
Halloween costume. Another dog gone good idea from Family Fun is on pages
60-61 of the Family Fun Parties book pictured right. There you'll get the designs
on a cardboard dog house for kids.
- Make use of fire hydrants in the party decoration plans. You'll find fire hydrant cups
and more. See our firefighter party ideas for more fire hydrants and Dalmatian
favor ideas.
- Get the birthday kid excited about the party: paint a doggie dish, see picture,
right. Once the masterpiece is completed you can use it to serve candy at the
party.
- Make your own signs: Make a "Beware of dog party" sign for the party entrance.
Or try "Bad to the Dog Bone." If you can muster the courage, buy a fake dog
poop and plop it near the sign for a good laugh.
- Who let the dogs out? Sure, that's an easy tune to remember for the party, but
get ready to load your iPod with Puppy party music guaranteed to have you
howling for more, left.
Doggie bags and favor ideas
- Vending toys make the perfect pinata stuffers. Get 14 mini puppies, pictured left,
for just $3.49.
- If the party is around Valentines Day, see also our Puppy Love party!
Games and Activities
- Have a dog show: Ask guests to bring a dog plush toy to the party. Be sure to
supply party goers with a puppy to borrow if they forget to bring one of their
own. Create Dog Show signs and set up a grooming station. Supply a brush and
some bows. Present each child with a "leash" for the puppy that you craft for
the party. Then have kids "walk their dogs." Or buy an invisible Dog Leash and
have the kids prance around with their puppies. Buy a set of six for $34.96,
right. For added effect, set up a veterinarian station with a doggie bed. More
ideas: a bowl with some doggie food candy treats, or a dog house to decorate.
- Set up some doggie crafts: The felt dog lacing activity, pictured left, is an activity
and favor in one.
- Puppy-opoly: A game perfect for the five- to eight-year-old set, players adopt
puppies, this game gets high marks on Amazon, right. Activities in the game
include barking the number of treats owed when landing on a space, high
pawing other players, balancing treats on noses, etc.
- Puppy adoption. Provide a litter of small plush puppy or beanie bag (one for each
child plus a few extras for choices). Give kids numbers from a hat so the kids can
take turn picking their puppy. Next have kids name and sign Puppy Adoption
papers with printable adoption papers available for free online. Have party
goers craft pet ID tags and personalize their own mini dog house (made from a
milk container).
- More Puppy craft resources to make from scratch:
- Doggie's bag: This inexpensive paper bag craft requires only wiggle eyes,
pictured right, a bag, some pens and imagination. Insert a few trinkets
and the kids create their own favor bag.
- Yarn Puppies: They'll be begging for some yarn, glue, pipe cleaners, wiggle
eyes and a foam ball to make more of these cute critters.
Hot diggity dog: here are more fun ideas for your puppy party:
"Bone Appetit": doggie treats for the kiddies:
- Bone up on what to do with cookie cutters: The dog bone cookie cutter, right is
under a buck. Bake dog biscuit treats for party goers or put them in the doggie
bags. As an activity, set out Play Dough (to make the dough extra special for the
birthday add glitter) and have the kids craft pretend dog bone biscuits. Cookie
cutters are ideal to use as stencils to craft decorations, invitations and thank
you cards. Just stencil the dog bone from white construction paper and affix it to
a card in the party color of your choice.
- Beware of dog stamps! Keep your eyes open and you'll find dog stamps. Involve
the kids in stamping invitations, thank you cards with dog and dog bone rubber
stamps. For the favor bags use the dog bone rubber stamp, pictured left. Tape
over the words and you can use the stamp to craft invitations, thank you cards,
dog collars and even decorations, like dog bone confetti for the tables.
- Invitations and party wording ideas:
- Hot Diggity Dog! Amanda is turning four!
- Come, sit and stay for her birthday: Saturday, August 22 at noon
- (or you're in the dog house)
- Pound: 123 Main Street
- RSVP: Dog Catcher Cathy or Top Dog Bob at 867-5309
- * Variations:
- It's Paw-ty time!
- Who let the dogs out? Who? Who? Who? Jackie is turning two!
- Get ready for a dog gone good time, Matt is turning nine.
- Thank you card wording ideas:
- Thanks for making it a Happy "Bone" Day for me on my birthday.
- It was a "Yappy" Birthday! Thanks for coming to my party.
- I had a dog gone good time with you at my party.
- I'm in the dog house! Here is my belated thanks for coming to my party.
"Bone Appetit": doggie treats for the kiddies:
- Create a doggie diner: Hot dogs are on the menu, of course. Serve them in plastic
doggie dishes you may find in bulk. The blue dog dishes, pictured right, are
about a buck each, and they're ideal for cake and ice cream, too. The stainless
steel pet bowl, pictured left will make a tasty display for the dips.
- Do yourself a favor and see the dog bone novelties available online:
All about a Kids' Dog Theme Party.
See our other kids parties.
See our other kids parties.
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Puppy Party
How to have a dog-themed birthday party for kids
Make no bones about it, having a dog themed birthday party will guarantee everyone
has a dog-gone good time: boys and girls alike. Go ahead: we double-dog dare you to
throw a puppy party for twins or multiples. Here are some ideas to help you give a
puppy party that's sure to Bow-Wow WOW even the adults:
How to have a dog-themed birthday party for kids
Make no bones about it, having a dog themed birthday party will guarantee everyone
has a dog-gone good time: boys and girls alike. Go ahead: we double-dog dare you to
throw a puppy party for twins or multiples. Here are some ideas to help you give a
puppy party that's sure to Bow-Wow WOW even the adults:
- Serve up the dog food. No, not really, but you can easily get a laugh or two by
surprising party goers with Kooky Chews Cookies by Koko's Confectionery,
pictured left. These yummy novelty cookies look most convincingly like dog food.
Create your own version of this edible doggie delight by baking gingerbread
cookies with a dog-bone cookie cutter and serving up some Cocoa Puffs cereal in
a dog dish on the side.
- Throw them a bone. They'll sit up and beg you for a taste of the funny T-Bone
Steak Gummy candy by Accoutrements. It comes wrapped like meat from the
grocery store and makes a great prize for party games.
- Give the kids a "candy collar": Take an ordinary candy necklace and give it some
doggie style by affixing a dog tag. You can give the kids doggie names, have
them invent their own name, or use their actual name. Whatever name you
choose, don't give to any child under three a dog collar, and be sure to
supervise kids wearing the collars as it is a choking hazard. You'll find a princess
candy tiara at Oriental Trading that's ideal for a Pink Poodle Party.
- Pick a top dog. Does your little pup admire Blue? Bolt? Clifford? Snoopy? Scooby?
Is she a big fan of 101 Dalmatians? Do you own a Dachsund or a Dalmatian?
Make your child's "best friend" the mainstay of the party. Whether it's your
favorite cartoon dog or a wiener dog, surround your theme with a top dog.
- Go fetch some dog gone cool things for your party by shopping online: