There are hundreds of advent calendars out there, from classic chocolate-filled options and coveted beauty advent calendars to those boasting beer, gin, jewellery and more. There’s one problem, however – they’re all for humans.
When you see your pooch looking sadly on as you gorge on sweet treats every morning, it’s hard not to feel a little guilty. Thankfully, your dog doesn’t have to feel left out this December. Counting down to Christmas with a bite of festive cheer isn’t just for dumb homo sapiens anymore.
Several brands have launched dog advent calendars filled with everything from meaty treats to squeaky toys, so your pup can really get into the festive spirit this year.
If you’re always telling your dog what a good girl or boy they are, these advent calendars are the perfect treat, offering them a little parcel of joy each morning until the big day.
Keep scrolling to find out which ones seemed to impress our pooch the most.
How we tested
With help from Gatsby, our nine-year-old (but still very spritely) cockapoo, we’ve spent the past two months testing a range of different advent calendars for dogs. For Gatsby, that meant sampling a whole host of treats and playing with toys, while we had the slightly less glamorous job of scrutinising the quality of the treats, ingredients, poop and the quality of the packaging.
We’ve sought out the highest-quality dog treat advent calendars, as well as tested whether the toys will outlast Gatsby’s teeth. From premium dog treats to variety advent calendars, here’s our pick of the best for 2024. We’ll be continuing to test more advent calendars for dogs in the lead-up to Christmas, too, so, watch this space.
The best dog advent calendars for 2024 are:
Woof Club Naturals giant advent calendar
It really was the most wonderful time of the year when we opened up the windows on Woof Club’s advent calendar. It’s filled with all-natural meat treats, and Gatsby (our canine tester) galloped over to us when we took it off the shelf. We’re not surprised, either, as these are the most premium treats we’ve ever seen – the high-quality kind you’d buy at dog shows, and attempt making in your own kitchen.
Gatsby absolutely loved every single treat inside this calendar, and they’re enormous, so we could break them down, if we wanted, helping them last longer. If your dog loves meaty treats, they’ll find it hard not to get a sniff of these. The calendar features everything from a whole king bull pizzle, fish skin fingers and a full pig’s snout to gourmet sausage bars, beef liver and rabbit’s ear. There’s so much in here that it could last well beyond the month of December, plus it’s packed with protein and omega-3.
The back of the advent calendar tells you what’s behind each window, so, if your dog has an intolerance to something, you can find out if anything needs to be avoided. The only thing we didn’t like so much was the packaging. The treats are packed in a plastic tray with a film seal on top. You have to open the cardboard window and pierce each plastic film to get to the treat, but the piercing area is so small it becomes very difficult to retrieve the treat. A lot of other dog advent calendars we’ve tested have this same problem, though, so it’s nothing unique to this design.
Buy now £29.99, Amazon.co.uk
Lily’s Kitchen dog Christmas advent calendar
If you don’t want to spend too much on your pup in the lead-up to Christmas, Lily’s Kitchen offers a fairly affordable Christmas advent calendar filled with tasty grain-free festive-themed biscuits that had Gatsby licking his lips after every crunch. With a soft texture that makes them easy to break up, they’re great for training, too.
The calendar includes three different flavours of treat – turkey bites with a sprinkling of cranberries; chicken bites with a dash of ginger; and chicken with beef bites. They’re quite small, but quite tasty, judging by Gatsby’s reactions – he seemed to love the cranberry treats the most. Just watch out, as these are a bit stinky (much more than usual dog treats).
As with most dog advent calendars, all the treats come in a big plastic tray with a film on top that has to be pierced to access the treat. While we aren’t a fan of this kind of packaging, it wasn’t too hard to extract Lily Kitchen’s treats from the pierced hole.
Buy now £9.60, Amazon.co.uk
Pets At Home all kinds of treats advent calendar
This is one of the best-looking advent calendars we’ve ever laid eyes on, and it’s not even for us – it’s for the dog. Built like a cardboard house, every window contains something different that spiced up the day – from treats and toys to accessories and Pets At Home vouchers.
All the biscuit treats are wrapped in their own plastic packaging, which makes it easier to take each one out of the window, rather than having to pierce holes in plastic film. The two raw hide chews, shaped like a Gameboy and a phone were hits. Gatsby can be a bit picky with his toys, but there were two in here that he absolutely loved. The small, bouncy chew ball (a classic), and the squeaky, scrunchy coffee cup that makes the right kind of noises that drive him mad. You won’t get to these until closer to Christmas, though, so you’ll have to build up the anticipation. There’s also a cute vinyl mince pie and Christmas pudding plush.
There was a good variety of treats inside the calendar. Everything from meaty pigs in blankets to chicken rolls with cod and milkies. They’re quite small, and you could buy them quite cheaply without the advent calendar, but we guess that’s the novelty. Some of the accessories are a bit lame as well – the holly charm felt like a bit of old tat you’d get from a cheap Christmas cracker, though the bandana was nice. There’s also a £5 voucher that can be spent on clothes and accessories and a £10 voucher that can be used towards a Pets At Home groom.
Buy now £30.00, Petsathome.com
Denzel’s jumbo Christmas dog advent calendar
This is one of the best-looking dog advent calendars we’ve laid our eyes on. Designed like a giant storybook that opens up to reveal little doors, it’s the best countdown in terms of value. You don’t just get one treat or one biscuit in each door, you get an entire bag of treats.
There are ten mini treats in each bag, with six different festive-themed recipes, ranging from salmon and banana bites and turkey and nut bites to pigs in blankets and Christmas lunch bites. Gatsby devoured every single treat in every bag, and this boy can be picky. He particularly liked the duck and orange bites.
Made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, we loved that there was no plastic film covering the advent calendar that required piercing. Each door just contained biodegradable treat puches, so we could just take them out on our morning walk, and the bag of treats would last (if we were particularly frugal) the entire day.
Denzel’s doesn’t tell you what’s in each window, so if you’re not a fan of surprises, you might have to open more than one door if your pooch isn’t a fan of a particular treat. That’s not too much of an issue with this advent calendar because the treats are packaged in individual bags. Overall, a really great value advent calendar, with lots of tasty treats inside.
Buy now £12.50, Amazon.co.uk
Skipper’s Christmas advent calendar for dogs
If you’ve got a dog who goes absolutely bananas for fish treats, or you’re trying to introduce more fish into your pet’s diet, Skipper’s dog advent calendar is the one for your pooch. Fish treats happen to be among Gatsby’s favourites, and these chunks of fish hidden away inside every window had him wagging his tail ferociously.
Made from 100 per cent fish, there are three different varieties of cube-shaped treat inside each window. Gatsby already loves the fish skin cubes, but he’d never tried the luxury whitefish cubes or salmon supremes. Needless to say, he crunched and gobbled them up every morning. This is a really healthy treat that seems to taste good, as well as being great for his skin and joints as a senior dog.
Like the Woof Club advent calendar, it’s a little tricky to take the treats out of the windows, especially if the treat had broken into bits already (typical with flaky fish treats).
Buy now £14.39, Amazon.co.uk
The verdict: Advent calendars for dogs
If you’re looking for a dog advent calendar to ensure your pooch doesn’t feel left out during the countdown to Christmas, Woof Club Natural’s offering is by far and away the best one on test. The treats are super premium with all-meat ingredients, and they’re enormous (so they last a long time). Despite the calendar being on the relatively pricey side, you’re really getting your money’s worth here. Our canine tester couldn’t get enough, enjoying every single treat. Want something with a bit more variety? Pets At Home’s Christmas advent calendar comes with treats, fashion accessories, toys and even a couple of vouchers to spend in store.
Join your pooch in the festivities and treat yourself to one of the best vegan or beauty advent calendars this year
