DIY: Christmas Ornaments with Your Dog

There’s nothing quite like decorating a Christmas tree to get you in the festive spirit. Once the tree goes up and you hang the decorations, it really does begin to look a lot like Christmas.

Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without sharing it with your pup, so why not let them help you decorate the tree and your home with their very own ornaments? That’s right — you can put together homemade Christmas ornaments with your dog, and it’s actually quite easy to do.

Keep reading for 5 simple DIY ornaments you can make as part of your next Christmas craft project.

As the countdown to Christmas continues, there’s a simple and delicious way to keep track of how many more sleeps until the big day: an Advent calendar. But Advent calendars don’t have to be all about people and chocolate, so why not make your pup their very own Advent calendar?

From leftover Christmas stockings to cardboard boxes, there are stacks of everyday household items that can be repurposed for use in an Advent calendar. Once you’ve created and decorated your pup’s calendar, pop some of their favorite treats behind each day and then let them join in the fun of counting down to Christmas.

If you think everything is better with dogs, you’ll no doubt want to add some furry festive decorations to your tree. A simple way to do that is to paint your dog their very own ornament.

Start by finding a plain Christmas bauble that matches the color of your pup’s fur. Then, using non-toxic paint, draw on your dog’s eyes, mouth, and snout. Use twigs or leaves for the ears and before you know it, you’ll have created an ornament that looks exactly like your fur-baby.

For something a little different, you might also like to create a replica of your pup using burlap and felt. It’s just as easy and produces some very cute results!

The first step when you make Christmas ornaments with your dog is to craft a simple salt dough. This is easy to do using items you already have in your pantry — all you need is 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1.5 cups of water.

However, before going any further, please be aware that salt dough is dangerous to dogs. If ingested, it can cause increased thirst, vomiting, and even a potentially fatal condition known as hypernatremia. You’ll need to exercise caution when making these ornaments with your dog, and make sure they don’t have access to your newest Christmas decoration once it’s hanging on the tree.

When the dough has been prepared and cut into circles, press your dog’s paw into each circle to leave a paw print. Poke a hole in the top of the circle and then bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 hours or until completely dry. Once it has cooled, you can decorate the ornament with paint and glitter before hanging it on the tree.

Christmas is a time to share with the ones you love. It’s also a great time to look back on the year and remember all the good times you’ve had together — and if you’ve spent much of 2020 with your dog by your side, the two of you will have a whole lot of positive memories to look back on.

These photo ornaments are a great way to remember the best experiences you and your pup shared throughout the year. Start by printing out some of your favorite photos of your dog and of the two of you together. Depending on the shape of the ornaments you want to make, you may need to crop the pictures into circles using a photo editing program (there are plenty of free options available online).

Next, grab some old cardboard and cut it into circles roughly 4 inches in diameter. Print your photos so that they’re 3 inches in diameter, then glue them in the center of each cardboard circle. 

That of course leaves 1 inch of ornament around the outside for you to decorate as you please. Markers, paint, glitter, tinsel — use whatever you want to make your decoration look as colorful and festive as possible.

If you’re handy with a needle and thread, Christmas is the “pawfect” time of year to tackle a few sewing projects. One of the projects on your Christmas wish list might just be a cute little doggy ornament for your Christmas tree.

They’re quite easy to hand-sew using felt, and there are myriad patterns available online. To keep the pup theme going, you might also want to sew some dog bone ornaments or maybe even craft your pup’s very own Christmas stocking. The possibilities are endless, but just make sure your pup never gets too close to the needle while you’re working.

These are just a handful of the many DIY Christmas decoration ideas you can explore with your dog. Why not embrace your creativity this festive season and make ornaments that your dog (and the whole family) will love!