Tips and ideas on how to throw the best puppy themed birthday party!
There is a special type of happiness in planning a little girl’s birthday party. If you know, you know.
A puppy themed birthday party is so perfect because there are so many ways to make it super cute AND you know your little girl is going to love it!
We threw this party for my 2-year-old but the theme really works for any age.
We figured that since our cute little baby has grown up and started to have opinions, she could weigh in on what theme she would want. To no surprise, she was very enthusiastic about the idea of having a puppy themed birthday party. After all, doggies are her favorite!
Many of the components of the party can be found online or can be made yourself!
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1. Create and Send Out Your Invitations
Etsy is an amazing place to find all of your party needs! If you just search “puppy party” there are so many fun items that pop up.
One thing I saw on Etsy was a super cute doggy invite! This is the one we used but there are so many options to choose from.
Alternatively, you could create your own invitation on Canva.
You can choose to physically mail your invites or you can send them electronically.
2. Create Your Menu
You can choose to make the food for the party related to the theme or not!
There are so many dog-themed foods that you can definitely tie into the theme or you can serve whatever you want! We did more of a brunch menu with a dash of doggy.
Here are just a few menu Ideas:
- Brunch bar: waffles, pancakes, home fries, quiche, fruit, and mocktails
- Burger bar: burgers, hotdogs, watermelon, and corn on the cob
- Pizza: pizza, garlic knots, mozzarella sticks, and salad
- Tea party: cucumber sandwiches, deviled eggs, petit fours, scones, and tarts
And here are some ideas of puppy themed foods:
- Corn dogs
- Hot dogs
- Franks in blanks
- Puppy chow
You can also make basically anything dog-related by having a bone or paw print cookie cutter.
3. Choose Your Cake
There are so many cute cakes out there that you can get really creative with this step!
You could contact a local bakery to create a custom cake for your party or you could choose to find a cake you like at a store such as Baskin Robbins, Nothing Bundt Cakes, or even just your local grocery store and then add your own doggy decorations!
These little dogs are available on Amazon and their little party hats you can find on Etsy!
And the doggy birthday tassel banner I ordered off amazon and then just removed the words “oh baby” that I didn’t want.
4. Pick Your Decorations
If you wanted to do a one-stop shop for all of your decorations, your best bet would be to order on Amazon. But I wanted a variety of things so I got the decorations from a bunch of different places.
It’s more hassle but I feel like it’s worth it to create the exact look you want for your party!
Here is a list of the decorations that we got for our party:
- Pink and black balloons- Walmart
- Rose gold plates and polka dot napkins- Walmart
- Rose gold letter balloons– Amazon
- Pawprint balloons– Amazon
I decided to do a DIY balloon garland, which was actually much easier than I expected it to be although I think it may have taken something like 2 hours? I busted it out the night before the party and was in a sleep-deprived coma running on autopilot so I’m not sure exactly how long it took. I also did it by myself so it would probably be faster with help. Delegate! Delegate! Delegate!
5. Plan The Party Activities
If you can find such a thing in your area- it’s a cute idea to have dogs or puppies come to your home to play with the birthday girl and her friends. Ever since COVID started many places stopped offering this service.
Instead, we decided to do other activities that would be equally enjoyed by my 2-year-old and her friends.
We set up the party so that it could be both inside and outside to make sure the kids had options of where to play.
Outside we set up Charlotte’s bubble machine (legit the best $10 I have ever spent in my life), her water table, and sidewalk chalk for her friends to play with.
Puppy Adoption
The idea is for kids to be able to “adopt” their own little puppy.
First, order these plush doggies that are relatively small.
Then get some little goody boxes that are easily fashioned into doggy carriers.
Next as part of the activity, the kids have the option to decorate their little doggy carrier. This way they can name their dog and give their new pet a cute little carrying case.
You could use markers, paint, glitter, or really any craft supply. We decided to do stickers because of the age group and to reduce the mess.
The kids absolutely LOVED this activity because it allowed them to be creative, have fun, and they got to take home a little furry friend that doubles as a cute party favor.
Now, whenever we go to our friend’s house for a playdate, we see their furry friends that they brought home and we’re reminded of the good times at the party.
6. Find The Perfect Outfit For Your Birthday Girl
We found this super cute dress from Taylor Joelle.
It’s so well made and is literally her favorite dress now… she asks to wear it at least once a week to school and looks like such a puppy princess long after her party lol.
But there are also so many cute dresses that you can order on Amazon that have tulle and look equally as princess-y.
7. Create A Custom Milestone Board
Make (or order) a chalkboard sign to show off all of your child’s talents at their age!
I love this so much because it’s a super cute decoration but also for documentation purposes I now have the photos of this sign that will be in our family photo albums for us to remember forever!
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, all you need is a chalkboard sign and some chalk markers.
There are also custom chalkboard signs that you can order on Etsy.
8. Enjoy Your Party!
Parties are so fun and this theme is really so easy to pull off. You can’t go wrong and no matter what you do it will be super cute and be remembered for years to come!
