Gifts for dog owners: what they love and what stays in a cupboard

Print my Pet · 08.09.2026 · 8 min read·Updated 30.10.2026

Everyone knows that moment on Christmas Eve. The wrapping is off, the present is on someone’s lap and they say, “Oh, how lovely!” in a tone that gives everything away. Kind. Warm. And just a little too quick.

The figures are uncomfortably concrete. In a representative Bitkom survey published on 28.12.2025, just under half of respondents said they wanted to return unwanted Christmas presents to the shop or online store. A good third planned to regift them. Almost one in five wanted to sell them via flea market or recommerce apps. So Christmas is, among everything else, also an enormous redistribution programme for things nobody wanted.

Dog owners are particularly prone to this. It is not ingratitude. They simply seem so easy to buy for.

According to an EY survey from November 2025, the adults surveyed in Germany intended to spend an average of 259 euros on Christmas presents in 2025, less than the previous year. EY says people are increasingly saving on presents. All the more reason to put the money into something that really fits.

The mistake: giving “dog”, rather than this particular dog

From the second year of dog ownership, people start receiving paws. Paws on mugs, doormats, cushions and calendars. Along with signs joking that dog hair is a seasoning and that the dog runs the house.

It is all kindly meant, which is precisely the problem: it is aimed at any dog owner, rather than this one. A gift that could sit just as easily on twenty other people’s shelves feels exactly that way when unwrapped. It says, “I know you have a dog.” It does not say, “I know Bruno.”

That gives you a useful question to ask before ordering anything:

Could this exact gift also belong to someone else with the same breed? If yes, it is more of a general breed gift: nice, but not really about this particular dog. If no, you have probably found something good.

Three kinds of dog gift, and what happens to them

1. Edible gifts: well meant, often tricky

Treat boxes and dog Advent calendars are classics. They are also the highest-risk gifts, because they interfere with something you know little about: feeding.

Many dogs are on elimination diets for food allergies, others are managing their weight and others react badly to any change. A box of unfamiliar snacks becomes a task rather than a gift. If you still want to give something edible, ask which variety is already in the cupboard and buy a large pack of that. Unspectacular, but it will be used.

More important is the reverse problem: the plate of Christmas treats for people, left within reach. Chocolate contains theobromine, which dogs break down much more slowly than we do. According to Tierklinik Zweibrücken, decontamination is advised from around 40 mg of theobromine per kilogram of body weight; depending on cocoa content, dark chocolate contains many times as much as milk chocolate. Then there are raisins in stollen, which can damage the kidneys, and xylitol in sugar-free sweets. A hamper full of Christmas baking is therefore not a neutral gift for a household with a dog, but something someone has to put safely away.

2. Breed-themed decoration: attractive, interchangeable

A cushion with a dachshund silhouette is a cushion with a dachshund silhouette. It isn't bad, just not personal. Whether it stays for long depends on whether it is liked and used in everyday life. If you want to stay in this direction, it is worth at least going for quality rather than the motif: something used every day that doesn't fray after three washes.

3. Something that shows this dog: it hardly gets more personal

This is where things tip. As soon as a present depicts the specific animal, that is, the lopsided ears, the one white spot on the chest, the look only he has, it can no longer be replaced. It can't be regifted, and nobody already has it. (As a rule, there is no right of withdrawal for individually made goods; your statutory rights in case of defects remain unaffected.)

That is exactly why a portrait of your own dog is a particularly personal present: the value lies not in the object but in the recognition. Anyone who sees their own animal on the wall doesn't see a picture but a memory of a thousand walks. How expensive it gets depends almost entirely on size and finish: a poster costs a fraction of the same motif on acrylic glass. Why a normal mobile phone photo is enough is explained in Giving a dog portrait: a phone photo is enough, and the finishes themselves are under Dog portraits.

What else goes down well

Time rather than things. A paid course at a dog school, an hour with a trainer for a specific problem or a weekend somewhere the dog can come too. These are unimpressive to wrap but get used more often than most objects. For people in their first year of dog ownership who are struggling with something specific, whether loose-lead walking, being alone or housetraining, paying for help is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give.

A book that answers a real question. Printed books appeared on the gift lists of around three in ten respondents in EY’s November 2025 Christmas survey, behind vouchers, food and toys but ahead of clothing. For dog owners, they have another advantage: a guide is something to open at three in the morning when needed, rather than a decoration. Knowing what the recipient is working on makes this a reliable choice. We have collected our titles on the books page (books in German).

Something for the person rather than the dog. A warm, truly waterproof anorak for November walks. Gloves you can keep on while holding the lead. A flask. Dog owners stand outside in all weather every day and buy things for themselves last. The dog gets the good stuff.

A voucher, chosen thoughtfully.Vouchers and cash have topped German gift lists for years, and their poor reputation is only partly deserved. A thoughtlessly printed shop voucher says, “I could not think of anything.” A voucher for something the person has specifically planned, perhaps a portrait for which they still want to take the right photo, a block of training or a weekend away, says the opposite. The difference lies in knowing what the voucher is for.

Guidance for first-time owners. Someone who welcomed a puppy in December or is getting one in January needs a plan for the first weeks more than another toy. Our Puppy Starter Pack is free and covers exactly this period. It is not a gift to unwrap, but it will actually be used.

The delicate case: a dog who is no longer there

For someone who lost a dog during the past year, Christmas often brings the grief back sharply. Many people then avoid giving anything at all, afraid of getting it wrong.

The concern is understandable but usually leads in the wrong direction. Being avoided feels worse than having the loss acknowledged. If you are unsure, follow a simple rule: remembrance, yes; surprise, no. A picture of the dog on a day like Christmas Eve can mean a great deal, but only if the person has expressed or hinted at wanting one. If you are not sure, ask. If you know it is right, you can find suitable formats under Remembering a pet who has passed away.

The one gift that ends up in a shelter every year

A point that sadly still needs making: no live animals under the Christmas tree. The German Animal Welfare Federation warns against this every year, most recently in a statement in late November 2025. Spokesperson Lea Schmitz is quoted as saying, “An animal is not a toy that can disappear into a cupboard after the holidays.” The organisation notes that animals given thoughtlessly as gifts regularly end up in shelters during the new year because recipients underestimated the time, costs and care involved.

What the federation suggests instead is telling: an animal care guide or a symbolic sponsorship at a shelter. Both respond to the wish behind the gift without a living creature paying the price.

Two practical details that make a difference

Personalised gifts need lead time. Anything made individually takes time to produce, and production takes longer in December than the annual average. If you want it under the tree on a particular day, allow a few more days than for an item off the shelf. To give the next twelve months along with it, the 2027 pet wall calendar is the version that stays on display all year.

The photo is a much smaller hurdle than people imagine. An ordinary phone photo is enough, including one someone has sent you, as long as the face is clearly visible. If you need to obtain the photo discreetly to keep the gift a surprise, that is no obstacle. If you want to take one yourself, we explain the process step by step in Taking your own dog photos.

The key point

A present for dog owners convinces above all when it is not interchangeable. The more precisely a present points to this one dog and this one person, the more certain it is to stay. And if you are unsure whether your idea works, ask yourself the question from above once more: could this just as well belong to someone else?

If the answer is no, you can order with confidence.

For children in the family, there are also free printable dog colouring pages. Find all the other designs in the overview of all colouring pages.