How to Throw a Dog Theme Birthday Party

My daughter chose a Puppy Dog theme party for her 7th birthday celebration. The party was held at our home and we had 17 guests. Yes, 17! Like all birthday parties I host, the planning began 2 months before the party date. That may be way too early to start planning for most, but I think it really helps the entire process move a lot smoother. If you wait too long to begin your party planning, things start getting rushed and that is when the stress buiids. And, birthday parties are supposed to be fun, not stressful!

I will include all of our party details as well as some photos of my daughter's party here to help you plan you very own Dog Theme Birthday Party!

The first item you need to decide on when beginning your party planning is the partyware design.

There are a few different dog theme designs available on the market and my daughter chose the Puppy Party design. We ordered the party box which came complete with the tableware, balloons, streamers, banner and more. Once the partyware was selected, we were able to begin coordinating all of the other items around it.

This was my first time using a specialty cake pan. I purchased a Wilton Dog Bone shaped pan and followed the pan directions. It was actually pretty easy. Once the cake was completely cooled, I decorated it with icing tinted light green and then used green, purple and blue sprinkles on top. This coordinated wonderfully with the party theme colors.

To finish off the cake I purchased a dog theme candle and letters to write out 'Happy Birthday, Alysa!'. I covered the cake board with lavendar wrapping paper. I think this looks much better than using tin foil because you can use a color that matches the theme.

Everyone loved the cake and the parents were all very impressed!

Please Note: The Dog Bone Cake Pan I have featured here is smaller than the cake pan I used for my daughter's birthday cake. However, the cake pan I had used is no longer available anywhere that I can find. The smaller cake pan will work fine, but you will need to use it twice (bake two cakes) for one box of cake mix.

I also baked these cute dog bone cookies! I purchased a dog bone cookie cutter to create the shape. The sugar cookie and icing recipes that I use for my Sugar Cookies are listed below. They always come out delicious.

After the cookies were cooled, I dipped them in icing tinted blue and added green, lavendar and blue sprinkles to coordinate with the party theme.

*There are also paw print and dog bone candy molds available if you would like to make lollipop treats for your Puppy party.

The kids made wood dog bone magnets for the party craft. They were simple enough to do and lots of fun! Here are the supplies needed:

• dog bone shaped wood cutout
• wood puppy dog embellishment (optional)
• magnet strip
• paints & paintbrushes
• small cup of water for painting

I set up all of the supplies on the party table with each place setting having everything they would need to create the magnet. I find it is best to have the supplies individually set up so each child can begin creating their project without having to find the supplies they will need. I even pre-cut the magnet strips and applied it to the back of each wood shape.

The kids painted their wood shapes and then glued on the dog embellishment. They came out so cute! There are many other things you could decorate these magnets with including rhinestones and stickers if you wish.

For the party faovrs, I purchased paw print lunch bags and including the following items:

• dog bounce ball
• Hershey chocolate bar with personalized wrapper
• 4oz. bubbles with personalized wrapper
• package of fruit snacks
• glitter puppy dog stickers

I attached a personalized favor tag to the outside of the bag which said, 'Thanks for coming to Alysa's Party!"

Pin the Paw Print on the Dog Game: This game is a take-off on Pin the Tail on the Donkey and was purchased along with my other partyware supplies. The guests each receive a paw print to stick onto the dog poster. Each child is blindfolded and tries to place their paw print as close to the specified spot as they can.

Toss the Dog: I used an old basket and my daughter and I decorated it with puppy images printed off of the Internet and attached two balloons to it for decoration. We then collected all of the plush dogs from around the house that we could find. The guests had to try to toss the dogs into the basket! Party Note: If you only have a few plush dogs, you can use small balls, bean bags or whatever else you can find.

Puppy Bingo: We purchased personalized bingo cards in a puppy theme. The kids got into groups and we played Puppy Bingo!

Pinata Activity: I have pinatas at almost all of my kid's birthday parties. For the dog theme, we purchased a pinata that coordinated with the partyware.

I like to have a fun party shirt or outfit for my kids to wear on their special day. For this birthday party, I purchased a personalized puppy theme birthday shirt for my daughter. It was embroidered with her name and age and was designed in the same blue and green color theme. It was accented with sparkling rhinestones. Very cute!