Throw a Dog Birthday Party or Puppy Shower

Dog parties are great fun. However, since the dog party phenomenon is a fairly new trend there are not many companies that cater to dog party needs. No worries though, I've got you covered with tips, ideas, and recipes for throwing the dog party of the century!

1) Dog Bone Pinata. BirthdayExpress.com has a white dog bone shaped Pinata. You can convert the $12.99 Pinata into a draw string Pinata, no hitting required. The conversion kit is $2.99 and is well worth the extra money. With a coverted Pinata you don't have to worry about injuries or weather at your dog party.

2) Paw print Balloons. Balloons are always an easy, inexpensive decoration. At BirthdayExpress.com you can find a package of six pawprint balloons for $1.10. Be sure to secure the balloons out of reach of any dog friends that attend the party, balloons are a choking hazard.

3) Homemade Treats. Make your own dog treats to give out to all fur-friends attending your dog party. You could even attach a treat to the invitations! The treats can be handed out in inexpensive cello bags or slightly more expensive paw print take-out containers.

Here's a easy dog treat recipe: Hand shape or use a dog bone cookie cutter.

Basic Dog Treat Recipe

Prep Time:5 min
Cook Time:20 min
Temperature:375 F

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter, the ingredients should only be peanuts and oil.
1 cup skim milk , or soy milkCooking Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
In a second bowl, mix peanut butter and milk.
Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well.
Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out shapes.
Place on a greased baking sheet (or use a baking stone). Bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool and store in an airtight container.

4) Puppy Chow. One of my favorite snacks that my Mom would make growing up was called Puppy Chow. Puppy Chow is inexpensive to make and would make a fun snack served in dog dishesat any dog party or puppy shower.

Chex Mix Puppy Chow Recipe

9 cup Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat. Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.

5) Rent a dog facility. I am fortunate to live near the best Central Bark Doggy Day Care in the nation, if not the world. The owner Gale has set up a state of the art facility that has a huge "party room". The fee was surprisingly inexpensive. Doggy day cares make awesome facilities for dog parties or puppy showers since they are already set up for dogs with washable floors and poop areas. Many dog day care facilities even have complete dog party packages.

6) Don't let poop ruin your dog party! Be prepared for poop. No matter if there is one dog or a hundred dogs at your dog party somewhere along the way you'll have to deal with poop. Poop bags aren't expensive to begin with but why pay $5.99 when you can get them for $1.00? Visit you local Dollar Store (I usually find mine at Dollar Tree.) In the baby aisle they have boxes of diaper disposal bags. They are the same concept as dog waste bags, but are scented, cheaper, and sometimes they even come in fun colors.

If you are not renting a dog facility you will need to designate a potty area. Print signs on your computer to direct guests to the designated area. If the potty area is near the main event, rope off the area with yellow caution tape so that all guests know the boundries. Make sure the poop bags are near by along with a trash can.

7) Don't forget to register. Visit your local pet boutique and ask them if they have a dog party or puppy shower registry. If they do not most stores will gladly hold a handwritten list at their sales counter, better yet visit the store take your list home and type the list, then return to the store with a copy for the sales clerk. When registering be sure to chose items from every price range and don't forget the food and treats. Some of your more practical guests may prefer to buy a bag of food compared to another pink fuzzy sweater or rhinestone collar. Don't feel like you can't register the $200 canopy bed you, may have friends and/or family that will unite their funds to free the bed from the dog party registry for you!

8) Provide shade. If the party will be outside you will need to provide shade for your furry dog party guests. You can create temporary dog houses by using a large box from an appliance store, wrapping paper, and poster board. Cut the flaps off the box, cut a hole in one side for the entrance, use the wrapping paper to cover the box, and make a "roof" using the poster board. These dog houses will also act as party decorations by adding to the dog theme and ambiance.

9) Make your own dog party or pinvitations. For a quick, inexpensive invitation use dog themed letterhead. Just format and print. For something more fun visit your local scrapbook store layer cardstock, dog themed pattern paper, and vellum. Hold the layers together with bone shaped paper clips.

10) Party Favors. Don't forget your human guests when buying party favors. Oriental Trading Company has an inexpensive dog collar bracelet that would make a great party favor for your non-furry dog party guests. A fun alternative would be to use the bracelet around your invitation!

11) Bone shaped sandwiches. Use a dog bone cookie cutter to make bone shaped tea sandwiches as an appetizer at your dog party or puppy shower. Here's an easy tea sandwich recipe.

Cucumber Tea Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 (16-ounce) loaf sandwich bread

Directions:
Stir together cucumber and next 5 ingredients. Spread mixture evenly over half of the bread slices, top with the remaining slices of bread. Then, trim the crusts from sandwiches or use crustless bread. Use the cookie cutter to shape the sandwiches. Hint: Sandwiches are best if the spread is made the day before and the full sandwich is made within an hour of serving.

Tips for dog parties and puppy showers:
*Avoid games, many dogs may become aggressive over who posses a toy.
*Serve hot dogs and party weiners to keep the theme.
*Before the party puppy proof the house. Remove breakables or precious momentos.
*Limit the number of children. Tired children and over excited dogs don't mix well!
*When decorating use plastic plain colored tableclothes. Plain tableclothes will help add color while keeping the dog theme from becoming overwhelming. Your local dollar store will have tableclothes.
*Avoid party blowers and noisemakers, these will just scare the dogs.
*Serve drinks in plastic, capped bottles, like soda. The plastic will avoid breaking and the caps will avoid spills and drinks with dog hair.
*Avoid chocolate or be sure to keep it out of reach. Many dogs do not react well to chocolate.
*Every four-legged guest should be on a leash at all times, unless you are 100% comfortable that all dogs will get along with each other.