Christmas has almost arrived; so start planning out the gifts you would be giving to your family and friends.

Here are some DIY easy and quick ideas for you to decide a gift for your dog-owner friends. A gift for their pooch is often enough to make their owners happy. If their dog is quite attached to you, then, never think of going to the Christmas party without a gift for your furry lover. Dogs love to have surprises too

DIY Nylon Monkey’s Knot Toy:

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All you need is a 1-inch thick nylon cotton rope, two twist ties (to secure the ends while making) and scissors. The DIY monkey’s Knot is a little tricky at first but is fun to make. You can stuff the fist-sized knot with some favorite doggy treats before tying the final knot. Once you are done, remove the twist ties and wrap the knot in a gift paper with easy to open ribbon knot; for the dog to do it all by himself. You can make 4 to 5 Monkey’s Knot toys in green and red colors to bring a feel of Christmas to the gift.

Dog-owners would love the toy as it’s hand-made and requires their dog’s mental stimulation to untie the knot and get the surprise out.

For reference: http://www.handsoccupied.com/rope-ball-surprise-dog-toy/

DIY Dog Treat Jar:

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Begin by preparing dog’s favorite peanut-butter-bacon treat. The ingredients you require are:

1. 3 pieces of bacon, precooked and chopped
2. 1 egg
3. ½ cup peanut butter
4. ¼ cup beef or chicken broth
5. 1 cup whole wheat flour
6. ½ cup quick cook oats
7. 1 Tbsp. honey

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Mold the dough into your desired doggy-treat shape. Bake for 20 minutes.

You can bake any other puppy favorite homemade treats for your friend’s dog.

Lastly, Fill a Mason jar with doggy treats. Apply Modge Podge on the lid and sprinkle golden, silver, red or green glitter on the lid to add some Christmas fun. Later on, clean up after applying another layer of Modge Podge, once the first one dries out.

Reference: http://petcouponsavings.com/homemade-peanut-butter-bacon-dog-treats/ and https://prettyfluffy.com/diy-tutorials/diy-projects/holiday-gift-diy-treat-jar

DIY Self-designed Umbrella:

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Have you found your dog-owner friend’s home decorated with pictures of the dog all around? Is he/she is obsessed with dog-related shirts, mugs, etc? Then, we have a perfect DIY gift idea for your friend!

First, get a clear umbrella from a dollar store. Start designing it by tracing dog emoticons or quotes in every umbrella section using permanent markers or paint markers from the inside. Fill in the traces and you are done.

To give it a Christmas touch, hang some removable Christmas ball ornaments at every edge and wrap green ribbons on the hand stick.

Reference: https://paperplateandplane.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/design-it-yourself-umbrella/

Christmas Themed Sock Donut Toy:

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Search out for a pair of Christmas themed thick or long socks at a dollar store. Cut off the tip of the sock and start rolling it inwards till a bun-like donut is formed. With the help of a needle and thread, sew the open edges to keep the sock from getting unrolled. Stack the donuts one above another and wrap them up in a transparent and rectangular plastic box. Add some green and red ribbon knots for final garnishing.

Dogs love to chew on these sock donuts for hours. Doggy treats may be stuffed inside so that the dog plays for hours.

Reference: https://prettyfluffy.com/diy-tutorials/diy-projects/diy-holiday-doggy-donut-toys

5. DIY Dog Cookie Wreath:

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Prepare Bone-shaped cookies for your friend’s dog. Cut a cardboard in a circular shape of a hollow wreath. Tie the cookies with the help of red, green or white ribbons along the line of the cardboard in a circular form. Finally, a ribbon bow at the top or bottom of the wreath can be attached to give it a complete look.

The dog cookie wreath is a common DIY Christmas gift that has been loved a lot by dog owners. If you are not sure about the other DIY gift ideas as you are unfamiliar with the dog and dog-owner, this cookie wreath will win the heart of the dog-owner as well as his dog definitely.

There are plenty of DIY gift ideas out there but these five ideas will fit perfectly into the theme of Christmas, and the dog-owners will appreciate your efforts.

I have intentionally avoided dog costume and dog stocking ideas as they are mostly owned by the dog owners themselves or get gifted by the other friends. When it comes to standing out of the crowd, go DIY.

Author Bio:

James Shore is a part-time dog-trainer and dog behavior consultant. He is a professional freelancer with years of experience in dog training. He is interested in finding out fun ways to handle dog behaviors, specifically, Labradors to help dog-owners enjoy their companions at all times. His pet-passion led him to develop https://www.labradortraininghq.com/ to help people.