Gift Ideas for Pets

Whether you choose to believe it or not, your pet appreciates you — he’s man’s best friend. There’s nothing your pet would enjoy more than cuddling up with you to watch some TV — as long as he gets his tummy rubbed, of course! So naturally, with all of this love and affection he’s giving you, you should spoil him and give him something in return. But what do you buy a pet as a gift? Treats? A new collar? A day at the Pet Spa?

Beds

Your pet loves to sleep — especially when you are busy at work and he’s stuck with the dust bunnies. To rectify this, consider a high quality pet bed that raises your pet off the floor, and gives him a place to call home — not only will it make him feel special, but it will also help to keep him warm and out of the direct path of cold drafts during the colder months. Your dog doesn’t spend his time inside? Build him a dog house like the Outback Log Cabin. Not only does this dog house protect your dog from the elements, it looks really cool in any backyard environment!

Toys

A pet can never have too many toys. Chew toys, throwing toys and stuffed animals — your pet can never get enough. So consider getting a toy that’s a little different. The teaser ball is an excellent choice — it is two balls (one inside the other), which makes a lot of twists and turns to confuse your dog. Popular with cats are the Crinkle Toys, which will keep them amused for hours.

For the Possible Show Dog

The Dog Agility Starter Kit is great for your precious pup, especially if you’re interested in having a show dog. Start off small with a beginner kit like this to find out if showing is something your dog is capable of! This kit includes a high jump, pause box, tunnel, and more to keep him entertained for hours!

Grooming & Care Products

Whether your pet loves the water or can’t stand it, the fact is, he’ll need to be groomed regularly. The FURminator combing tool is the ultimate tool for any grooming job. It removes generous amounts of the undercoat and loose fur to keep your dog’s or cat’s hair healthy, and makes the coat shiny and soft!

Toys for Pets

People who really love their pets know that pets are just like humans in some respects. They have wants, needs, and preferences, especially when it comes to their toys. My first dog was very picky with his toys – he only liked those that required someone to play with him. His top pick were tennis balls, which meant that we had them everywhere because he was constantly losing them under furniture. My current dog prefers loud toys that scream for attention. His all time favourite is a barbell shaped rubber squeaky toy that he has successfully learned how to throw around the room. When picking toys for your pets you have to consider their personalities, or you’ll end up buying toys that you think are adorable, but he won’t take a second look at.

Gift for Pets - Squeaky Toys

Dogs that enjoy squeaky toys are normally pretty active. They like the noise because generally when they are throwing it around it squeaks quickly and with no specific rhythm, similar to the way they run around. The best squeaky toys I find for these dogs are a softer plastic/rubber, because they are more flexible and squeak with less effort.

Gift for Pets - Throwing Toys

Throwing toys like frisbees and balls are great for outdoors, but not as ideal for indoors. While pets like running around, running inside the house can cause damage to the house, and even injuries to the pet (my dog once ran into a wall when he turned too quickly to run back towards me). If you are going to invest in some throwing toys for your pet, I’d pick fairly flexible and brightly coloured ones. The more flexible they are, the less likely they are to hurt your pet and the brighter they are, the easier they are to find in the grass at the park.

Gift for Pets - Rope/Tugging Toys

These toys are better for bigger dogs, as they are less sporadic when they play and they like the challenge of pulling you over. When purchasing a tug toy, I’d recommend something that offers a fair amount of space between your hand and the dog’s mouth, so that if your dog gets too excited he won’t be nipping at your hands.

Gift for Pets - Stuffed Toys

Stuffed toys are good for pretty much all dogs. They are good for hyper-active dogs that enjoy chasing and shaking them around, and for more laid back dogs that enjoy snuggling with their stuffed animals. Although you can purchase stuffed toys for pets specifically in the pet sections of stores, you can also give them the stuffed toys you find in the children’s section. If you decide to do this however, remember that toys with small parts (like plastic eyes, noses, etc.) can be hazardous to your pet and cause chocking.

When purchasing toys for your pet, make sure that you consider his/her’s interest. If they don’t like the toy that you’ve purchased, it’ll never get used, or could even frighten your dog (depending on how timid they are). If you do get a toy that they don’t like, don’t fret, you’ll learn something from the experience and will get better at picking toys that they will actually enjoy.