A calendar is an unusual gift. It rarely costs much, yet it stays on the wall for a year. Longer than almost anything else you might give. Which makes a poor one all the more noticeable.
We put one together ourselves this year and took it through the entire ordering process, stopping just before printing. A few things came up that are useful to know beforehand. Most apply to any supplier, including us.
Two options: one motif in your style or twelve of your own photos
There are two sensible ways to design a pet calendar. With the art calendar, a photo of your pet becomes a portrait in the style of your choice, and this motif accompanies you through all twelve months. With the photo calendar, you choose twelve of your own monthly pictures plus a cover, which are printed unchanged.
An art motif works like a picture on the wall that also shows the date: calm and consistent. Twelve monthly photos, on the other hand, live from the change of month, when you turn the page on the first and see a new picture. Which option suits you better is a matter of taste.
If you use twelve of your own photos, variety with a system helps: different shots of the same pet from different seasons. What you should avoid is a random selection. Twelve phone photos in twelve different lighting situations look restless on the wall, not loving.
The photo: landscape beats portrait
This is where things most often go wrong, and hardly anyone considers it beforehand. We noticed it while developing our own product, before a single file went to print.
On a traditional wall calendar, the picture sits above the date grid. The image area is therefore wider than it is tall. Most phone photos, however, are portrait-shaped because that is how people hold their phones. The result is cropping, and either the ears or the paws disappear.
If you already know you want to order a calendar in autumn, turn your phone sideways on your next walk. Three or four shots are enough. In November, you will have a choice instead of one last-resort photo.
The other things that make a photo suitable apply to calendars just as they do to any pet picture. Daylight helps, but avoid midday sun: an overcast sky is ideal. Crouch down and a dog looks like a dog; from above, more like a rug. Keep the face clear, avoid backlighting and a lead across the frame. Get close enough too: if your dog is just a speck in a field, editing will not rescue it.
A phone photo is enough, but the face should be sharp. Strong backlighting and motion blur across the face are what most often spoil a picture.
Paper, binding and hanger
A calendar hangs for a year. If corners were cut in printing, it shows.
Thin paper curls as soon as it hangs, and glossy paper reflects every lamp in the room. Heavyweight paper with a satin finish works well on an ordinary living room wall. Ours is 250 g/m² with a satin finish. Other suppliers give their specifications in the product description. If there are none, that tells you something too.
Wire binding at the top lasts the year, and pages turn neatly without the rest slipping. Stapled calendars can tear around the staple.
Not every calendar includes a hanger. Without one, the recipient starts 1 January holding a calendar and a paper clip.
International suppliers often overlook a German preference: the date grid should start on Monday. A Sunday-start calendar fits poorly with everyday life in Germany. You can usually check this in the product pictures.
A calendar does not appear overnight
Most people underestimate this.
A personalised calendar is not a stock item. It is designed after you order, then printed and dispatched. If you need to approve a preview along the way, that adds time. Yet the preview is precisely what helps prevent disappointment when you open the parcel.
Our planning allowance: a preview usually the same day, then your approval, followed by printing and shipping to Germany, generally taking 5 to 9 working days. During Advent, printers and delivery services are working at capacity, so every stage is more likely to take longer rather than less time.
Our rule of thumb: order from us by early December to leave enough time for the preview, printing and shipping. Other suppliers have their own deadlines; check them before ordering.
Photo or portrait?
A photo calendar shows what your pet looks like. A watercolour- or oil-style portrait shows how they feel to you. The practical difference is that a photo on the wall dates: you notice the season, the old rug, the hairstyle from back then. An illustration does not.
There is a practical advantage too. A mediocre photo can become a good portrait. It cannot become a good photo; that takes another walk. If your best picture of your dog has a busy background but a sharp face, a designed portrait is the more honest solution.
The reverse is true as well: if you have a truly strong photo, with the right light, expression and moment, let it stay a photo. Editing does not improve every image.
A calendar is also a year
Here is something nobody puts on the shelf label: a calendar of your own pet measures your time together as well as the days. With a puppy, that feels joyful. With an old dog, it feels different.
That thought is fitting rather than sad. For twelve months, someone you love is there on the wall, and you glance at them every morning. That is more than most gifts achieve.
If that matters to you, choose the style accordingly. Watercolour feels soft and warm; an oil-painting style is calm and serious. Cartoon is the right choice if the picture should make you laugh.
Seven questions before ordering
- Do I have a landscape photo taken in daylight, at eye level, with a clear view of the face?
- Does the calendar suit you: one design in one style or twelve of your own pictures?
- Is the paper heavyweight and satin-finished rather than thin and glossy?
- Are wire binding and a hanger included?
- Does the date grid start the week on Monday?
- Will I see the result before printing and be able to request changes?
- How long will it take from order to delivery?
Why ours is not a photo calendar
Our 2027 Pet Wall Calendar does not simply print your photo; it becomes a portrait in your chosen style. Upload a photo and choose a style, and your pet accompanies you in that style through all twelve months. If you prefer a different picture every month, choose the Pet Calendar with 12 Monthly Photos: twelve of your own pictures plus a cover image, printed exactly as you upload them.
The same day, usually within a few hours, you receive your preview by e-mail. We adjust the design until you are happy. We only print after your approval. A4 portrait, 250 g/m² satin paper, wire binding with a hanger, a German date grid, printed and dispatched in Germany and Europe.
It works equally well for dogs, cats and horses. 20 % of our profit goes to animal welfare. From 2027, our community will vote on YouTube to decide which projects receive the money, primarily in Germany.
If you are still deciding whether a calendar or a picture for the wall makes the right gift, we have explained why a phone photo is enough for a dog portrait, what it costs and how long it takes. And if you are just starting your gift search, take a look at our list of gifts for dog owners that will not end up in a cupboard.
New in the shop: cushions and a notebook featuring your pet, in your chosen style.
A calendar full of puppy photos is a lovely way to look back at the first year. For those first weeks themselves, there is our free Puppy Starter Pack.
Further reading
- Give a dog portrait as a gift: a phone photo is enough: working out the cost of one picture rather than twelve months
- Take your own dog photos: so your landscape photo is ready by autumn
- Gifts for dog owners that will not end up in a cupboard: if you decide on something else after all
Where the information comes from: paper weight, binding, format and production location refer to the specifications of our own calendar. The time allowances for preview, printing and delivery are our own planning estimates, rather than an external source. The advice on paper, binding and the date grid comes from developing and checking our own product, rather than comparing suppliers. As of: 18.09.2026.
