Best gifts for dogs lovers 2021: From prints and collars to toys for their pooches

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

If Barley could talk, we’re pretty sure she’d tell us that this might just be her favourite collar yet. We opted to have it printed with her headshot, and one week later our collar arrived, featuring her wrinkly-browed bonce in all its glory. The collar’s bright hue – a cheery forest green – paired perfectly with her chocolate-brown fur, and size-wise, there are small, medium or large lengths, each with plenty of room for adjustment.

The image came out incredibly well, and had been digitally cut from the photo we’d sent over with impressive precision. Although we opted to use only the one image of Barley, we loved the fact that there was an option to upload two images, both of which would then appear on the collar.

Best: For style

Rating: 10/10

We love a good tote bag and this one is everything a tote should be: strong, stylish and adorned with images of dogs. In this case the images depict two lab-like dogs, one of which has an umbrella firmly clenched between his jaws, while the other is sporting an adorable, sunshine-yellow raincoat and hat.

The cotton has a wonderful thickness, and the image is incredibly crisp – we should also mention that Joules is a member of the planet-friendly Better Cotton Initiative, so you know this is a responsible purchase too. Its sky-blue colouring works brilliantly with the black-and-white striped strap, and the packaging – the bag comes wrapped in tissue paper – ramps up its suitability for gift-giving. Just don’t blame us if you can’t bear to give it away.

Best: For festive fun

Rating: 9/10

Printed dog linen can often be a doggone disappointment when it comes to quality, but this isn’t the case with this bedding set, made with a wonderfully thick cotton, printed with crisp, clear images of dogs sporting various festive attire (the bobble hat-wearing Labrador is our favourite). It’s available in a wide range of sizes too: single, double, king and super king. All Christmassed out? Flip over the cover to reveal a cheery red chequered design, making it perfect for any time of year.

Best: For quality

Rating: 9/10

All too often personalised ceramic items have a cheap feel. For many companies, the approach seems to be about simply slapping the required name onto the item in question with little regard for quality. Not so with this sturdy food bowl, which has a high gloss finish and your four-legged friend’s name embossed in bold black letters alongside a heart symbol. Names of up to 12 characters can be added, and delivery times are listed as five to seven working days (ours arrived in six).

Best: For fun factor

Rating: 8/10

Woof and Brew do a surprisingly wide range of drinks for dogs, but we opted to forgo the bottom sniffer beer (£3.99, Woofandbrew.com) and opt for something classier instead – the posh pooch barker bay dog wine. Honey, our test dog, loved it, although whether her appreciation extended to identification of the different ingredients (elderflower, nettle, ginseng, limeflower and black carrot), remains to be seen.

Then again, that’s not the point – this isn’t necessarily a repeat-purchase item, but a brilliant present to make your dearest dog-owning friends smile, and that’s exactly what it does. You don’t need to worry about doggie indigestion (read: hangovers), either – it’s not just non-alcoholic (obviously) but non-carbonated, too.

Best: For family fun

Rating: 9/10

This is a brilliant game which will appeal to dog lovers of all ages, but is especially suitable for children. It’s easy to get to grips with, and the cute packaging is to die for. The concept is simple – use the tiny plastic pugs as dice and toss them onto a hard surface. The amount of points you get depends on the position they end up in. For example, a face plant by one of the two plastic pugs will earn you double points, while if the pugs end up back-to-back, your score reverts to zero.

Concerns about losing the two plastic pieces were lessened by the presence of a cleverly designed case with cut-out spaces for the pugs – something which makes it especially suitable for travel.

Best: For budding animal behaviourists

Rating: 8/10

Ever wondered whether that wide-eyed look is your dog asking for a toilet break or a plea for another doggie biscuit from the doggie jar? The reality is you’ll probably never know, but this brilliant book might just help you and your fellow dog owners work it out. Obviously, it’s a book which is intended to be taken with a pinch of salt, but that doesn’t reduce the fun factor one bit. The book is packed with surprisingly useful tips about reading dogs’ body language and knowing what certain behaviour might or might not mean (even if, nine times out of 10, the answer is: they want a biscuit. Now.)

Best: For dirty dogs

Rating: 7/10

It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it (and let’s face it, we can’t rely on our four-legged friends). When the inevitable poop-scooping moment comes, these rainbow-hued poop bags (the hot pink is our favourite) might just make the job a little less painful – plus they’re the only poop bags we’d ever give to a friend as a gift.

The best bit? These are plastic-free and made with non-genetically modified corn starch, which will break down naturally within three to six months. The green credentials don’t stop there, because one percent of the price tag goes to organisations which help spruce up our oceans. Each pack contains four rolls of 60 bags in cornflower blue, hot pink, mint and lilac.

Best: For foodies

Rating: 9/10

We all know (hopefully) that chocolate is bad for dogs, but we bravely rose to the challenge of scoffing these cute dog-themed chocolates. They had a deliciously creamy consistency but it was the detail which impressed us the most.

All too often novelty chocolates are very clearly mass-produced and we weren’t holding out for any decent amount of detail. We’re pleased to report we couldn’t have been further off the mark. Hotel Chocolat have somehow succeeded in creating incredibly crisp, clear images, using dark, white and milk chocolate for the ears, background and facial features.

At £8 for 12, all presented in a beautifully designed box, they make a fantastic gift, although it’s worth pointing out they make brilliant cake toppers too.

Best: Novelty dog bed

Rating: 9/10

We love everything about our dog bed – the top quality water-resistant material which is both easy to spot clean and incredibly rugged, and the crisp, clear print, which has plenty of detail and features bright, bold colours. There are dozens of designs on offer, and medium or large sizes to choose from. At first we were concerned by the bed’s plumpness – it’s got a cushion-like fatness which we were worried might seem like a mountain to our small Bedlington terrier, Honey. However, our concerns were unfounded and the stuffing’s mouldability makes it suitable for dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Best: For devoted pet owners

Rating: 8/10

Who wouldn’t want to immortalise their pooch with their very own personalised piece of art? Purr & Mutt offers dozens of designs, allowing you to turn your dog into everything from a light sabre-wielding Star Wars character, to a Lord of the Rings villain.

We opted for the former and were absolutely blown away by the results – our framed photo of Barley who had beem transformed into a jedi, arrived a couple of weeks later. We think the quality of the print was fantastic, and Purr and Mutt did a great job of digitally cutting her head from the provided photo, which originally showed her frolicking in the garden. The designs can also be printed onto blankets and cushions, too.