Gifts for dog dads
A good dog dad gift is one that gets used on the next walk, not left in a drawer. The best options tend to fall into two camps: something personalised that puts his own dog's name or face on it, and something practical he would not necessarily buy for himself — a better lead, a proper collar, or a bag of treats worth having in the car.
Personalised gets used, generic does not
A dog dad who already has drawers full of leads and bowls is harder to buy for than it looks, and the gifts that stand out are usually the ones with his own dog's name, initials or photo on them rather than another generic accessory in a different colour.
A personalised collar or ID tag hits that mark well, because it is something he will actually put on the dog and see every single walk, rather than something that gets used once and forgotten. It also solves a genuinely practical problem — a proper ID tag is worth having regardless of the occasion.
A breed calendar is a nicely specific option
If his dog is a recognisable breed, a calendar built around that breed is a small, low-cost gift that still feels chosen rather than grabbed at random. It works particularly well as a stocking-filler or add-on to a bigger present rather than the whole gift on its own.
It is a gift for the wall of an office or a kitchen as much as for the dog, which makes it a slightly different category to the practical gear below — more of a nod to how much he clearly likes talking about his dog.
Something to actually take on a walk
A well-made lead or a bag of decent training treats is a safe bet precisely because most dog owners are slower to upgrade this kind of everyday kit for themselves than they would like to admit — a lead that has done a few years' service is exactly the sort of thing worth replacing as a gift.
Treats work well paired with almost anything else on this list, since a dog dad who gets a new lead or collar for the dog is unlikely to mind a bag of good treats thrown in alongside it, and it is a low-risk addition if you are not certain what he already owns.
The gifts themselves
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Bakers Dog Treats Christmas Selection Gift Box
458G BAKERS Christmas dog treat selection box with recipe details
£4.50
Denzel's Birthday Gift Box for Dogs
110G Denzel's Birthday Gift Box for dogs: complementary dog food or treat with composition and analysis stated clearly
£5.00
Good Boy Real Meat Gift Tin
A Christmas tin of four dog treat types, plus a rope toy, in a reusable tin
£7.99
Pedigree Christmas Stocking Gift Adult Dog Treats Mixed
A mixed stocking of Pedigree treats for adult dogs, 367g — the largest of our Christmas stockings and the one to buy if there is more than one dog in the house. Treats are a top-up rather than a meal: keep them to about a tenth of what your dog eats in a day and take the same off their dinner, or a week of Christmas adds up faster than you think.
£4.04
Good Boy Gift Highland Cow Dog Toy
Highland Cow, a Christmas dog toy from the makers, in two sizes
From£6.99
Good Boy Gift Pawsley Dog Plush Toy
Pawsley Gift Dog, a Christmas dog toy from our festive range
£8.99
Labrador Traditional Calendar
A square wall calendar of Labrador Retrievers, in black or yellow, at 30 x 30cm
£10.99
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Calendar
A 30cm x 30cm wall calendar dedicated to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier
£10.99
Border Collie Deluxe Calendar
A 30 x 30cm square wall calendar featuring the Border Collie breed
£12.99
Common questions
- What is a good dog dad gift for someone who has everything?
- Go personalised rather than generic — a collar, ID tag or lead with the dog's name on it stands out even for someone who already owns plenty of dog gear, because it is specific to his dog rather than a general accessory he may already have a version of.
- Are dog breed calendars a good gift?
- Yes, particularly as an add-on to a bigger present or a stocking-filler. They work best when the dog dad's own dog is a recognisable breed, since the appeal is largely about a gift that reflects the specific dog he has rather than dogs in general.
- Should I buy a gift for the dog or for the dog dad?
- The best dog dad gifts tend to do both at once — something he will use on walks with his own dog, like a lead, collar or a bag of treats, gets appreciated by both of them rather than feeling like a present for one or the other.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.