Fun Dog Party Ideas to Set the Mood

Use chalk or construction paper to make a paw print trail for your guests to follow to your front door. When the door opens, have the paw print trail continue all the way to the party room. If the party is going to take place outside, have the children follow the paw print trail wherever you'd like them to go.

Decorate the party area with lots of puppy balloons and a "doghouse" made from a large cardboard box. Purchase a vinyl table cover in a solid color, and sponge paw prints in a variety of sizes all over the top with craft paint. Matching dog party plates, napkins, cups, and plasticware will add to your decor and help make clean-up that much easier.

Other Puppy Party Decorations

• General - Use balloons in bright colors; decorate them with construction paper ears and faces drawn on with permanent marker.
• Blue's Clues Party - Use blue- and magenta-colored balloons; decorate them with construction paper ears and faces drawn on with permanent marker.
• Dalmatians - Use black balloons with white spots, white balloons with black spots, and black and white construction paper spots all over the walls and ceiling. Let your guests add to your decor by inviting them to come to the party dressed as their favorite Dalmatian pups.
• Scooby Doo - Make an over-sized Mystery Machine using poster board and markers, and hang it on the wall. For flower power, cut large yellow flowers out of construction paper, and hang them on the walls and ceiling. Balloons in bright colors will add to the fun. For a creative flare, stuff a few "Scooby Snacks" (e.g. bone-shaped sugar cookies or bone-shaped candies) in each before inflating the balloons.
• Balloon Dogs - Add big construction paper ears, big black construction paper noses, and drawn-on eyes and mouths to balloons.

Tasty Dog Treats

• Take plastic dog bowls personalized with each guest's name, and fill them with bone-shaped cookies and scoops of ice cream. (Use paint markers to personalize the bowls.)
• Serve corn dogs or Pups in a Blanket. Simply bake hot dogs in crescent roll dough (found in tubes in the refrigerator section of the grocery store).
• Make homemade, dog-shaped cookies using a dog-shaped cookie cutter and this Animal Sugar Cookies Recipe.
• Use black permanent marker to draw paw prints on solid-colored paper drink cups. Or, buy puppy-themed cups.
• Kids will love our banana dogs in a bun; try some at your party!
• Let the kids chow down on paw-print shaped peanut butter and jam sandwiches.
• A cake could not be simpler than this Dog Birthday Cake (originally made for Blue’s Clues), which can easily be adapted to any dog-themed party simply by changing the color of the frosting.
• Try our yummy Puppy Chow recipe (below) for a fun treat!

Puppy Chow Recipe

• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 8 Cups Chex Cereal
• 1 Cup Peanut Butter
• 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cube Butter or Margarine

Melt butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter together. Pour over Chex cereal. Put mixture in paper bag, add powdered sugar, and shake until covered. Delicious!