10 holiday traditions to share with your dog

Do you have any favorite holiday traditions that you share with your family? Do you usually include your dog in these traditions? You should! Our dogs are a part of the family and we all love to spend time with them, but including them in special traditions makes it even more fun! 

The holidays are such a great time to build memories with every member of your family! If you are ready to start making memories and including your pup in them, here are 10 wonderful holiday traditions to share with your dog! 

Ten holiday traditions to share with your dog

All of these wonderful traditions are fun and can help you love the holidays even more than you do now. 

Get Santa photos

Is it just me or are photos of dogs with Santa the cutest?! I mean, people take yearly pics of their kids with Santa, so why not their dogs? Pet stores, feed stores, and farm supply stores often offer these. 

Find a pet parade

Check out your local town calendar or look into nearby pet stores and farm supply stores and find a pet parade. You can take your pup in to socialize and watch or you can enter them into the event! 

Make some cookies

Have a cookie making day! We are talking about dog cookies, of course! We all do a little bit of baking around the holidays anyway, why not make some delicious holiday treats for your dog too?

Go for a holiday stroll to see the lights

C’Mon, you want to go and look at the lights, right? Grab the lights and take your dog along with you on a fun holiday jaunt to see all of the fun holiday decorations!

Open presents

Be sure and include your pup in the present opening tradition! One fun thing to wrap up is a nice bone or treat so your dog’s nose can pick up its scent and get him or her all excited about what is to come. 

Pedicures aka paw-d-cures

Everyone loves a good pedicure, am I right? Dogs are no exception. Grab some fun holiday-colored polish and paint your nails as well as theirs! How fun!

Host an ugly Christmas sweater party (for dogs)

Have you ever attended an ugly Christmas sweater party? They are so much fun! They can be even more fun when it’s a dog party! Shop online and at thrift stores to find your dog the silliest, “ugliest” Christmas sweater that you can find. This will be fun!

Enjoy a holiday dessert together

Do you have a holiday dessert that you love to indulge in? Do it! While you are indulging in your favorite holiday treat, make sure to let your dog indulge in a canine-friendly dessert too! 

Treat your dog’s friends to a treat too

Is there someone in your life that is extra kind to your dog? Does your dog have another dog that they play with often? One fun tradition to start is to get these great friends (human and dog friends) a gift from your dog. Or, in lieu of a gift, you can do something kind for those that are special to you. 

Watch a movie

I think everyone has favorite holiday movies that they watch every year. This year, why not include movies that might just become your dog’s new favorite. Here are some of my favorite holiday movies that feature some of our favorite Hollywood dogs:

• Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure – Beethoven’s wild antics are ridiculously fun to watch!
• I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown – We simply cannot go through a holiday without watching a Charlie Brown movie.
• A Charlie Brown Christmas – This Christmas classic is great for people and dogs alike.
• Olive, the Other Reindeer – A dog can be a reindeer too, right?!
• The 12 Dogs of Christmas – A true “meaning of Christmas” type movie, but with dogs. How fun!!
• Elf – Okay, if dogs were humans, they would basically be Buddy the Elf, so this one is just a given.
• Home Alone – Dogs love kids and Home Alone is like the best Christmas movie featuring kids, so this one is a win-win, right?

What fun holiday traditions do you like to do with your dog?