Best Holiday Treats for Dogs & a Personalized Dog Stocking Tutorial

With the holiday season in full swing, I’m running here, there and everywhere making sure that there are perfect gifts for each and every member of my family under our tree.  I will admit that I’ve always prided myself on giving gifts that are just what everyone in the family wants to receive. My boys, and the hubby, usually give me a detailed list to take all the guess work out of my holiday shopping and while that’s nice, it does take some of the fun out of going to the store, standing in an aisle and simply seeing what inspiration strikes.  Thankfully, this year I have a new family member that I’m shopping for that has brought the joy back into holiday gifting….my little pup Ollie.  Now, if you follow my blog at all, you know that Ollie is more than just a dog to me. He’s my itty, bitty take-everywhere-best-friend that I honestly couldn’t do without.  Because Ollie is so special to me, I knew that I wanted to put some thought into what I gave him for the holidays.  Thankfully, he’s easy to please and loves me regardless of how much or how little I give him, but I decided that this year was the year to spoil him big time with the best holiday treats for dogs and a special, personalized dog stocking!

Now, to fully understand why Ollie’s present meant so much to me, I need to tell you that Ollie has been my bright spot in life the last few months. No matter what’s going on or how crazy things get, I know that the minute I walk in the door I’m going to be greeted with a wagging tail and a tongue that just can’t wait to lick my face.  He’s a comfort to me when things are tough and a joy to me when I need a little pick-me-up.  I honestly had no idea how much I needed him until he became a part of our family.  While everyone may laugh that he has his own carrier and his own clothes, having him with me wherever I go makes my days just a little brighter.  For those reasons, I knew that I wanted to make his holidays as special as he makes every day for me and if that meant giving him all of the best doggie treats that his little heart desires, well, that was more than fine by me! Knowing that he needed two things to make him feel like a family member this holiday season, I headed off to Walmart in search of a stocking that I could personalize for him and the perfect treats to fill it with.  As I stood in the dog food aisle at Walmart, I tried to pick just one treat for him….really I did! But I just couldn’t do it! I wanted to create a holiday experience for him and I knew that there are times when he likes a Milk-Bone Flavor Snack and times when he prefers the softer Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor! So, like any good dog mama does, instead of trying to narrow down my choices, I simple just had to get all the tasty dog treats and head home to create a personalized dog stocking that I could fill with my variety of treats!

As soon as I arrived home, I was met with that sweet little tail wag and I instantly decided that Ollie’s holiday needed to start early! After setting out the variety of treats I had selected for him, including Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks, Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor, Canine Carry Outs Bacon and Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Meatballs, I got him in on the fun as we tested out his variety of treats and created his very first personalized dog stocking!

How to Make a Personalized Dog Stocking & What To Put Inside

To start my personalized dog stocking, I of course needed a stocking! Since I had been able to pick up a plain one while I was at Walmart picking up my dog treats, it didn’t take much to turn it into a stocking that screamed, “Ollie”!

After printing out his name on adhesive vinyl, I transferred the letters to the white part of the stocking and glued on a few green and red crystals to really give my personalized dog stocking a festive look and feel.

After I had turned his basic holiday stocking into one that was just right for him, I needed to find the perfect way to stuff it full of all the must-have dog treats I just had to pick up at Walmart.  Some of the treats that came in bags would fit right in but some of the others needed a little modification to make them work just right.  Here’s what I put inside.

1. Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks

These Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks are the items that I went to Walmart looking for initially.  With the same teeth cleaning and vitamin-enriched goodness of Milk-Bone Original Biscuits in five delicious flavors, they are a treat that Ollie loves and that I love giving him! I adore that they come in a size that’s small enough for him to enjoy but perfect for even big dogs!

Since obviously my box of Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks that are made in Buffalo, New York wouldn’t fit down in my stocking, I decided to open it up and fill the bottom of my stocking with this Ollie-approved treat!

I knew without a doubt that this beloved dog treat would make my Ollie’s tail wag in happiness and since it’s got many benefits, it’s the perfect treat to give him on any number of occasions.

2.  Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Meatballs

Once I had my Milk-Bone Flavor Snacks at the bottom of my personalized dog stocking, I placed my bag of Milo’s Kitchen Chicken Meatballs in and pushed it down into the stocking so that it filled the middle area completely up.  I knew that Ollie would adore the mouthwatering, home-style recipe of savory meatballs made with real chicken that boasts an authentic chicken taste!

Since these always adored treats are made with real chicken as the #1 ingredients and produced in Utah, I felt great about giving him these meatballs that he could enjoy just like my own family enjoys the ones I make in my own kitchen!

3.  Pup-Peroni

Now that the bottom of my stocking was full, it was time to figure out the items that I would have spilling out of the top for a festive look that would get Ollie excited about the holidays! Since the opening of my stocking was big enough, I decided to put my Pup-Peroni that boasts real beef as its #1 ingredient sticking out of the top.

With more real beef (than the leading soft and chewy dog snack competitor) and a mouthwatering aroma, it was no surprise that Ollie came running as I added the Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor dog snacks to the top of his stocking! This pack of treats that is easy to take with us when we’re visiting friends and family over the holidays always gets him so excited!

4.  Canine Carry Outs

After placing in my Pup-Peroni, I moved on to my Canine Carry Outs. Since this was the smallest package that boasts chewy bacon flavored snacks that are like what I’d bring home in a doggie bag, I knew these treats would make a perfect finishing touch to my personalized dog stocking.  Made with real bacon and perfectly sized for taking on the go, these treats that are made in the USA were the perfect way to finish off my stocking!

These are a favorite treat of Ollie’s, and I knew showing them at the top of his stocking would help get him excited about opening all his treats during the holiday season!

5.  A Small Dog Toy

Once I had my variety of treats placed perfectly into my personalized dog stocking, all that was left to do was add a small dog toy and my creation to spoil my pup rotten (cause he totally deserves it) was complete! I quickly found a holiday themed dog toy and added it to the top of my stocking.

As a finishing touch, I was able to place a little Milk-Bone Flavor Snack in the toy’s hand for a final detail that just felt right!

With all the amazing treats that I found at Walmart stuffed snugly into my personalized dog stocking, all that was left to do was hang it on the mantle next to the rest of our stockings.

While the kids’ stocking may not be filled yet, I love knowing that Ollie’s stocking is full of treats that I just couldn’t resist giving him!

And truthfully, I haven’t resisted giving him these treats each and every day of the holiday season.  You see, while I do want him to have his personalized stocking filled with awesome treats later in the month when my boys open their presents, I’m enjoying spoiling him all season long by taking his stocking down daily and letting him savor a treat that he finds inside.

I guess I’m looking at it as a perfect way to spoil him and show him how special he is each and every day and for both him and me, it’s making the holiday season even more special!

Now, dog mamas and daddies, it’s your turn! Don’t forget to stock up on treats for your four-legged friend this holiday season! Whether you use them to fill a stocking or simply as a way to reward your best friend during this festive time of year, head to Walmart today and stock up! If you’re like me, you might find that you can’t resist showing your pet some delicious love with a variety of yummy dog treat that they are sure to devour! Need more ideas to make your pet feel purr-fectly special this holiday season? Be sure to check out all the pet-perfect holiday ideas on this site!

Now tell me, how will you treat your pup this holiday season with the amazing selection of tasty dog treats from Walmart?