Christmas Stocking Kit for Dogs
Share
The stocking in this kit is a toy shaped like a stocking, not a sack you fill with other things. That turns out to be the useful version. American Dog describes the Holiday Stocking Dog Toy as looking like a Christmas stocking and emphatically not being one, and says it is a fetch and tug toy in stocking shape, built for fetch lovers and tuggers of any size, in red or green. So the stocking comes out of the box already being the first present.
Who this is for
Two people buy this. The first has a dog and a mantelpiece and does the whole thing properly every December. The second is a guest turning up on the twenty fourth with nothing for the household dog, which is a worse position to be in than it sounds. Either way the requirement is the same: one order, nothing that needs assembling on Christmas Eve, and no voucher in an envelope. If you are buying for a person rather than for their dog, the dog lover gift kit is aimed at that instead, and every kit we have built is listed on the bundle guides hub.
The three objects, and what each one covers
The stocking toy is for the twenty minutes after the paper comes off, when the dog wants to move. It comes in red or green. American Dog items are sold and shipped by American Dog through Shopify Collective, not made or shipped by Sniff and Shift. Order it a week earlier than you think you need to.
The rubber tree is for Christmas morning itself, and it is the item doing the real work. SodaPup describes the Christmas Tree as a rubber chew toy and treat dispenser shaped like an evergreen tree, made for large dogs. SodaPup says it stands 4.75 inches tall and 3.75 inches wide, weighs 8.8 ounces, holds 7 fluid ounces and comes in green. SodaPup says you fill it with kibble, peanut butter or a frozen mix and let the dog roll it around to work the treats out. Seven fluid ounces is a lot of capacity for a toy this size, which is why it holds up against an unusually loud morning.
The Peace tree mat is the second station, for the stretch when the rubber tree has been emptied and the house is still full of people. SodaPup describes the Peace Christmas Tree eMat as a lick mat with a holiday tree and peace symbol pattern, sized about 8 by 8 inches. SodaPup states it is made of TPE and does not have suction cups, which matters: put it on a hard floor and a determined dog will walk it across the room. Put it inside a shallow tray or on a towel instead.
Cheddar bites are what fills both of them. One ingredient, cheddar cheese, in an eight ounce bag from our kitchen in Malvern. They crumble small enough to pack into the tree's cavity and press into the grooves of the mat, and they soften as a frozen load thaws so the toy keeps giving rather than emptying at once.
Pup-Ornaut banana peanut butter is the actual present, the thing the dog gets at the same moment everyone else opens something. Ingredients in full: nonfat Greek yogurt, banana and peanut butter made from dry roasted peanuts with sea salt. It is freeze-dried ice cream that needs no freezer. Our freeze-dried treats are made in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania and ship from us, and the rest of what we make sits in the freeze-dried treats aisle or on Explore if you want to filter by protein.
What we did not put in
No antler, no rawhide and no sweater. The sweater is the interesting omission, because a lot of Christmas lists lead with one. A dog in a knitted sweater on a day when the oven has been on for five hours is a dog that gets too warm, and the photo is over in a minute anyway. If you want something on the dog for the photos, the Christmas Plaid Pet Scarf is the alternative, and Halloween Store lists it in a Small/Medium size that fits small pet breeds. Halloween Store items are sold and shipped by Halloween Store through Shopify Collective, not made or shipped by Sniff and Shift.
Christmas morning, in order
- Christmas Eve: pack the rubber tree with cheddar bites, add a splash of water, stand it upright in the freezer.
- Load the mat the same night and freeze that flat.
- Morning: stocking toy out first, two minutes of tug, then put it away before the dog gets bored of it.
- Frozen tree down while the paper is coming off. That is the loud half hour.
- Mat at lunchtime, in a quiet room, on a towel.
- Pup-Ornaut by hand in the afternoon, when the house has calmed down and nobody is stepping over anybody.
A plush stocking is not a chew toy. Watch the seams and take it away the first time one opens, because the stuffing is the part that causes trouble. SodaPup/True Dogs, LLC items are sold and shipped by SodaPup/True Dogs, LLC through Shopify Collective, not made or shipped by Sniff and Shift.
What it replaces
An actual fabric stocking plus four things to stuff into it, most of which are novelty items that last until Boxing Day. Here the container is a toy, two of the four items are refillable for the rest of the winter, and the bags carry on being the treats you use for training in January. That is the argument for it.
Questions
My dog is 15 pounds, is the rubber tree too big
SodaPup lists it as made for large dogs, so yes for most small dogs. A smaller stuffable toy from the same range is the swap, and the mat works at any size.
Can I hang the stocking toy on the mantelpiece
People do, and it looks right. Just take it down before the room empties out, since a plush toy left within reach of a bored dog gets opened.
Is this a suitable gift for someone else's dog
It is, and it is the reason the kit has no food in it beyond treats. Nothing here depends on knowing what the dog eats or what size collar it wears.
Related guides
The rest of the dated kits are grouped under seasonal gifting.
