Christmas Dog Treats

October 16, 2026

Christmas dog treats range from shaped cookies to freeze dried ice cream, and the ones that work at a holiday table are small and plain.

Treats that are made for the season

Start with the general range in dog treats, which is sorted by protein and form, then narrow to the festive ones. A seasonal treat is usually an ordinary treat in a festive shape or flavor: a bone cookie cut as a tree, a cranberry biscuit, a soft chew with a red ribbon on the bag. A few are real novelties, such as a freeze dried ice cream scooped for dogs. Ice cream for dogs covers what to look for in those.

The trade off is easy to state. A shaped seasonal treat looks good in a stocking, and it usually costs more per ounce than a plain one. If the dog is going to eat it in two bites, you are paying for the cutter.

Sniff and Shift's Freeze Dried Cheddar Cheese Bites, made with cheese from New York and freeze dried in small batches in Malvern, are a plain small treat that fits the jar by the door.

What to keep off the dog's plate at a holiday table

The holiday table is full of foods made for people. FDA warns that chocolate is toxic to dogs, and that xylitol, a sweetener found in some sugar free candy and baked goods, is dangerous for them. VCA Hospitals names chocolate, raisins, fatty meat scraps and xylitol among the holiday foods that are hazards for pets.

That covers most of a dessert table and the fat trimmed off the roast. The gravy, the stuffing and the leftover ham are people food too, and they sit lower than the counter and closer to the dog's nose.

Fatty trimmings and cooked bones come off a roast in the kitchen and land in the trash can, and a trash can with a loose lid is an easy way for a dog to get into the holiday food. Set a heavy lid on it, or keep it in a cabinet until the guests have gone.

Put the dog in another room while you carve. Clear plates straight away, and tie the trash bag shut before it goes outside.

A treat from the jar is the answer to the question the dog is asking under the table.

Stocking sized treats

A stocking holds a small pouch, a chew, and a few loose items. Wrap the sealed pouch, and put the chew at the top where the dog can see it. Our gifts for dogs guide goes through how to wrap a treat so it stays crisp, and how to choose between one big chew and a small sampler.

Check the size of the treats against the dog. A stocking treat for a big dog should be a chew that takes work, and for a small one it should break into pieces the dog can manage. Hold one beside the muzzle before you hang the stocking.

Weight matters too. A stocking hung from a mantel carries whatever you put in it, and a heavy chew pulls it down. Wrap a chew separately and set it beside the stocking, and keep the stocking for the light things.

A stocking is also a fine place for a bandana, a toy, or a sample bag of something new. New foods go in small amounts at first, as the raw feeding notice on this site says.

Visitors and treat rules

Guests hand out scraps. They mean well, and the dog has never been more popular. The fix is a jar of small treats by the door, with a note that says one treat each. Visitors get something to hand over, and the dog gets a smaller, plainer version of what the people are eating.

Pick treats that are quick to hand out. A dry, hard treat does not leave a greasy hand, and a visitor does not have to wash afterward. Keep the jar out of the dog's reach, since a jar on the floor is an invitation.

Tell the children. The treat rule is the same for a six year old and a grandparent: one piece at a time, and into an open hand. Show them the first time.

A dog that jumps up at the door is better served by a treat tossed on the floor than by one held high. Keep a few pieces in your pocket, and hand over the first one yourself so the dog knows the sequence.

After the holidays: what keeps

Look at the best by date printed on the bag. Sealed pouches keep to that date as the label says, and an opened bag keeps as long as you reseal it. Squeeze the air out and press the zipper shut.

Soft treats go stale first, and the shaped ones, with icing or sprinkles, are the most likely to be forgotten in a drawer. Use them first, or share them with a neighbor's dog.

Plain crunchy treats keep best, which is why a jar of them lasts into January. Check the storage directions on each bag, because they differ by maker.

Write the date you opened a bag on the bag with a marker. It is a ten second job and it ends the argument in March about whether the pouch at the back of the cupboard was opened last week or last year.

Common questions

Can dogs have Christmas cookies made for people?

It is better not to. Cookies made for people often contain chocolate, raisins or xylitol, and FDA warns that chocolate and xylitol are dangerous for dogs. Use a treat made for dogs.