11 best advent calendars for dogs that make the pawfect countdown to Christmas

Pets At Home has well and truly hit a home run with this advent calendar. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it’s the undisputed king for 2022. There will never be a dull day when opening each door this December – and considering there’s three days that contain poop bag rolls that really is saying something. Every detail in this calendar has been meticulously thought out, from the Christmas-cracker- and gingerbread-man-shaped chews to the candy-cane-striped bandana and Christmas-tree teddy. It’s a fun, tasty and practical treat for the festive countdown that both pups and humans will adore opening.

Plus, the design is adorably festive and, though it is big, it’s sturdy enough to freely stand on its own and, once you’ve opened all 25 doors, the box and tray can be recycled. Our only gripe is the cellophane it comes wrapped in, and the plastic bags the treats are housed in, can’t be recycled. But, in all honesty, if you were careful when opening, there’s no reason why you couldn’t reuse the whole thing next year.

Our writer is a huge fan of Yappy’s products, as the quality is always superb and, most importantly, can be personalised to your pooch. Whether you’ve got a German shepherd or Yorkshire terrier, all you have to do is search for your best friend’s breed and it changes the design on your chosen canvas. All that’s left to do then is add their name and voila! The cutest calendar that is unmistakably theirs.

Made with high-quality canvas materials and coming with a hanging loop, this is sturdy enough to be reused year after year. More importantly, it can be hung out of reach of hungry pups. And while no treats are included, the pockets are definitely big enough to fill with some of their favourite treats, which is especially helpful if you have a picky pooch or need to keep them on a strict diet.

Of all the calendars we tried this is the one Kolo sniffed at the most. And considering the design is on the simple side – though still suitably festive – we’re going to put his curiosity down to the goodies inside. Filled with 100 per cent fresh meat training treats on days 1-24 and a box of meat sticks on day 25, this calendar is sure to get their mouths watering.

The treats – which are made of either venison and turkey or ostrich (£14.99, Petbuddyshop.co.uk) meat – are all low fat, suitable for puppies aged over four weeks, are grain and gluten free and contain no additives or preservatives. Only the good stuff for good boys and girls.

Though this calendar is a one-hit wonder, the packaging is completely foil-free, meaning the whole thing can go out with your recycling after Boxing Day.

Other than the design of the calendar itself, not much has changed with Scrumbles’s calendar since 2021. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Like its previous iteration, this advent features three different types of treats – two meat-based and one veg-based – that are made to soothe your four-legged friend, make their teeth sparkle and be kind to sensitive tummies. Well, if it ain’t broke…

The fact all these treats are available to purchase in bigger pouches year-round is a real bonus, as it may not be such a shock to the system if your pooch is already used to the treats.

Once again, the calendar is 100 per cent recyclable, which is always good news. But with everyone else seemingly upping their game, it’d be nice to see Scrumbles change more than the design for 2023.

This calendar from Stag Design takes personalisation to a whole new level, and we’re kind of obsessed. Cut into the shape of a labrador, this calendar piqued Kolo’s curiosity immediately – so much so, he even tried to take it on a “walk” before we wrestled it away – and, to put it plainly, we think it is simply stunning.

You can have your dog’s name engraved on the front, and it comes with enough pieces of string to tie 24 treats to it. It’s not cheap but the quality is second to none, it can be used year after year, and it even works as an added decoration for the festive period.

If nothing else, it’s a perfect gift for the labrador-lover in your life. For owners of dachshund’s (£30.40, Etsy.com) and spaniel’s (£30.40, Etsy.com) the Etsy seller also has similar designs made in the shape of these breeds too.

We’re cheating here slightly, as this is not technically an advent calendar, but considering Christmas Eve boxes are becoming increasingly popular, we just had to include it, as we think it’d make a great gift to open ahead of the big day.

At £30, the Christmas goodies box is not cheap but, considering everything that’s inside, we think it’s great value for money. On opening the fully recyclable box, you’ll find two toys – a rope tug toy and a squeaky “Jack Brussell” – three bags of treats, two Christmas-themed dinners and a partridge in a pear tree (only kidding on that last one). There’s also a festive green bow tie, so your little prince or princess can dress the part for Christmas day. We think it’s a great alternative to a daily countdown.

Much like the Scrumbles calendar, the Lily’s Kitchen offering hasn’t changed much since last year, but it’s certainly still worthy of an inclusion. The design is very much in keeping with the brand’s signature style and is suitably festive without being too loud about it, it can be hung on the wall and the packaging (minus the outer film) is completely recyclable.

As for its contents, there are still three different types of treats inside, which are ideal for keeping dogs to their routine. More importantly, though, the two organic and one meat-based treats are all vet-approved recipes, meaning your pooch is only getting the good stuff.

At first glance, you may not think this is an advent calendar for dogs. Maybe it’s just us, but we think the design looks more like a baby bear than a dog. Nevertheless, it’s still quite sweet and we think it would be a great option for smaller dogs. It has 24 tiny pockets in which to put one of the included treats (or you could opt to add your own) and, supposedly, if you place it on the floor, your dog should be able to sniff out the treats, much as they would with a snuffle mat.

Unfortunately, Kolo struggled to get the treats out on his own – which we’re putting down to a combination of a big nose and pure impatience – but we think smaller-snouted pooches might have more success. Even if they don’t succeed in getting the treats out themselves, it’s a petite design that will look cute hanging on a mantlepiece. We just wish it looked a bit more festive, to tie in nicely with the rest of our Christmas decs.

As we all know, dogs really cannot have chocolate, but many advent calendars on the cheaper end of the spectrum feature a dog-safe chocolate called carob. Unlike its cocoa counterpart, carob is a completely safe and tasty treat for dogs. However, it’s nothing special to look at and usually comes in a small square block. So, when picking which dog-friendly chocolate calendar to include in our round-up, we wanted one that does just a little bit more. Enter, the RNLI calendar, which costs less than a fiver, with all proceeds going directly to the charity. It’s a cheap option, still helps your furry friend get in on the festive fun and does some good at the same time.

The second entry from Tails on our list is a more-traditional-looking countdown, but this time it’s one for big dogs. This beautiful book design unfolds to reveal 25 seriously impressive-sized doors – behind each of which you’ll find a tasty turkey- or cheese-flavoured star. And, on day 25, you’ll find two paw-shaped turkey biscuits, which will be perfect for after Christmas Day walkies.

Of all the treats in the calendars we tested, these were by far the biggest and, perhaps unsurprisingly, favourite among our chief taste tester. They are certainly sizeable, though, so will do for one big dog or broken up into pieces for smaller pooches. We should also note that, as well as being a tasty treat, it has a totally plastic-free design, which makes it fully recyclable – always a plus, in our book.

Though not sold or advertised as an advent calendar, we’ve used our imagination here and see no reason why this box of 12 Christmas dinners couldn’t be used as another alternative to a festive countdown. We all know it can be extremely hard to ignore those big puppy-dog eyes – and in our lab’s case, he’s practically perfected the “please sir, can I have some more” stare. So, to avoid overfeeding on treats, we think this would be a fun way to keep pups involved in the countdown to Christmas with much less guilt.

Inside the festively decorated box, you’ll find four trays of turkey, lamb and beef meals, all of which are choc-full of nothing but the good stuff. That means no junk, fillers, artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Just natural, grain-free meals with added minerals and vitamins that are suitable for adult dogs aged one year and onwards. If 12 days doesn’t seem like enough, you can opt for a box of 24, or keep the festivities going well into the new year with a box of 48 – the only thing that will change is the price.