While they most certainly won’t understand the cause for celebration, it’s a nice treat for dogs, and their owners alike, to celebrate your dog and the day they were born, and have a dog birthday party. A lot of people consider dogs as part of their family, with many even labeling their dogs as their children. Well, if you celebrate your human child’s birthday, why not your dog child?

We’ve put together some ideas for how to spend the special day and what canine-friendly delicacies to put on offer!

Where there’s a birthday, there must be cake. But celebrate your doggie’s big day with a cake more suited to their tummies with these fantastic Pupcakes courtesies of Trupanion!  Made with peanut butter and bananas, these will go down a treat without resulting in upset tummies:

Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 cups water
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.

Grease a cupcake tin with butter or non-stick baking spray.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients except for the peanut butter.

Once these are well blended, add in the peanut butter and work through until smooth.

Fill the cupcake tin to about a three-quarter level full.

Bake for 25 minutes!

As a Topping:

Mix together half a cup of peanut butter to two cups of yogurt, and use this as icing or frosting. Decorate with a few pieces of chicken, kibble, or your puppy’s favorite meaty treat, such as raw dog food 

Am I Being Silly?

Depending on which survey you consider, between half and a quarter of all dog owners actively celebrate their dog’s birthday! Considering how much a part of the family a dog can and should become, it isn’t terribly surprising that we feel the need to do something special for them, especially when we receive so much love from them. So no, we definitely don’t think you’re being silly celebrating your dog’s special day. If they don’t like dress-up however, don’t think that they’re going to appreciate a new outfit. Do what makes them happy, let them be dogs!

How To Spend The Day:

If there’s one thing a dog or puppy understands, it’s playtime. Make sure that on their special day they get a really great workout and plenty of exercises. Do something special like head out to the beach or take them to a place that would normally be a bit out of your way. Your love and affection really are the most precious gifts you can give to any dog, so make sure to lavish them with praise and affection.

Considering a Gift:

While your time is the best gift you can give, giving a physical gift can make you feel great too. For a puppy, a good quality chew-toy makes a great birthday gift, especially if they are busy losing their baby teeth.  If you have a very active dog, their birthday might be a good occasion to invest in something that can keep them occupied when you can’t be around – the iFetch Interactive Ball Thrower is proving a real hit with many dogs! If you haven’t heard of it, the iFetch is an automatic ball launcher that allows your dog to play themselves to exhaustion without wearing you out too.

https://birthday-mates.com/blog/ifetch-interactive-ball

It takes a bit of training but most dogs get the idea (and the fun) very quickly.

Throw a Party!

If you have a local park where you take your dog for a walk, why not arrange a get together with their local friends? Put up an inviting sign and hand out some flyers for a puppy picnic. You can arrange to have plenty of games and yummy treats on offer. Check out our tips on homemade dog food for more ideas. Dogs are highly social creatures, and spending some extra time with their pals with lots of attention and snacks to go around will certainly be appreciated by your birthday buddy as well as their friends.

Likewise if you have a large garden, why not invite some doggie pals around for a day of play and fun?

As long as you make sure the garden is closed off and secure, you can essentially just let the dogs romp around freely and do whatever their hearts desire. Hosting a dog party takes a lot less work than a kid’s party, as they’re generally very good at keeping themselves entertained. Have some toys, Frisbees, ropes, and boxes available so they can invent their own fun.

If your dog is lucky enough to celebrate their birthday in summer, you could head to an area of water which will be especially appreciated by water-loving dogs like Retrievers.

A Note on Catering:

While you will have to cater for the human attendees as well, make sure that human treats are out of reach of the sneakiest amongst you dog’s pals – chocolate especially is very, very dangerous to some dogs (it’s not worth risking it to find out if your dog is sensitive) so keep this well out of reach.

For a bit of a change and if the weather is nice, why not try these great frozen treats – almost like having an ice-cream cake for a children’s party!

Recipe courtesy of Lola the Pitty:

Not only do these make a great treat with a difference, but they are also ridiculously quick and easy to prepare. You will need a regular and a mini-sized cupcake tin if you want to achieve the tiered look, otherwise, we’re positive your dog won’t mind single layer frozen deliciousness, packed with nutrients as well.

Ingredients:

Half cup peanut butter – smooth or crunchy depending on what you think the birthday doggie will prefer

Half cup plain yogurt (you know if your dog enjoys other flavors…)

One ripe banana

A splash of milk or almond milk, or just water if preferred.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth, adding milk or water as required to get everything to blend well.

Pour the mixture into your cupcake tins – silicone works especially well but ordinary tins will do just fine, and to make life even easier for yourself, you can always use an ice-tray instead.

Freeze the trays until solid. When you are ready to serve, simply remove from the freezer and leave for a few minutes to thaw slightly so that you can get the ‘cakes’ out easily. If you’ve used two sizes, stack them up and get ready to present something new and delicious for your dog!

And to end off the day, why not snuggle up and have a snooze with your by now, hopefully, exhausted dog. Spending some quiet time together to bond after a day of excitement is an incredibly rewarding, and reinforces your connection no end.

If you ever do end up having a dog birthday party or have ever had one, do be sure to let us know about it, sharing pictures or any tips you might have that my readers will benefit from.