Celebrate all of the many years of joy your pug brings to you and your family by having a birthday celebration in their honor. Pugs love being the center of attention and will enjoy being around their doggie friends, human friends and family.

Plan your pug’s birthday party to suit his personality. Include decorations, treats, specialty doggie cake, activities and games. Here are some great tips for planning your pug’s birthday celebration.

• Invitations – Create a guest list; choose to invite your pug’s doggie friends, family, children and neighbors. Invitations can be sent via email or they can be store bought invitations or handmade. Choose a specific date, time and location. Some pet parents have their pug’s birthday party at their home, outdoors in the yard or at the local doggie park.

• Decorations – Choose a decorative theme or special colors to express your pug’s personality. If your pug is calm and relaxed, he may enjoy a Hawaiian luau theme, or if your pug behaves like true royalty, perhaps a princess theme is suitable. You can also just use a color theme that expresses your pug’s charm and sense of humor. Decorate your chosen location with birthday banners, balloons, party hats and streamers.

• Games and Activities – Keep your doggie party guests busy by playing Hide and seek with objects, such as treat dispensing toys. Agility courses are becoming popular for outdoor birthday celebrations. Your pug and his friends will run, jump and play as they conquer the agility course. Enjoy observing and and encourage your human guests to participate in certain games and activities. Many pet parents enjoy playing along with their dogs. A great activity to involve all of your guests, is a team game. Create two teams of dogs and their owners. Play against each other, similar to a soccer match. Enjoy kicking the ball around and trying to get it into the opponent’s goal. Instead of using a soccer ball, use a tennis ball. This will allow your pug and his doggie party guests to pick up the ball in their mouths and run with it or kick it with their feet. A popular outdoor activity for summer birthday parties is sprinkler fun. Turn the sprinklers on and allow the dogs to run and jump in the water. This will keep them cool and entertain them. Some human guests may even want to join in the fun.

• Cake and Cupcakes – Tasty treats and cake is a must at every birthday party. You can purchase cake mixes specifically created for dogs at your local pet store or online. Choose from a variety of flavors including peanut butter or banana cake mix and frosting. Add some delicious doggie treats to the party by offering ice cream scoop rawhide dog treats or biscuit ice cream. There is also organic, wheat free and specialty birthday cake mixes available specifically for dogs.

• Have a Parade – Give your dog a birthday parade. Safely tie decorative birthday balloons to your pugs collar or harness, have his guests join in the fun and tie streamers and balloons to their collars as well. Parade your pug and his doggie friends around the neighborhood by walking them in a line, wearing their party hats, balloons and streamers. Your pug will enjoy all of the attention the parade brings.

Doggie birthday parties are becoming increasingly popular. It’s fun for the entire family. Kids and adults have as much fun as the dogs. Remember to provide snacks and drinks for your human party guests. Some pet parents choose to entertain their human guests by having a barbeque for outdoor parties and even have a wine tasting party for indoor parties. Having a birthday party for your pug is an exciting time for the entire family.

Photo credit: Josh/Flickr