Don’t be a Grinch and put fake antlers on your pooch. Instead, give Spot real antlers he can chew. Dogs dig Free Range Chews Buckarooz ($11.79, Amazon. com) and ZiwiPeak Deer Antlers ($12.99, lukesallnatural.com), which help keep teeth clean and look seasonally appropriate.
OK, OK, if you must outfit Fido with fake antlers, choose a pair that’s cozy to wear, like Bark Slope’s bright red ones; $5.99, barkslope.com.
Dogs gotta chew, but cats gotta scratch, so give your fave feline a stylin’ “Wallflower“ wall-mounted scratcher; $50, doggystylenyc.com.
Nobody — canine, feline, or human — enjoys the pet-grooming process. The Furmin atordeshed – ding tool makes the chore go faster , which is a real gift; $29.99 – $54.99 at petsmart.com
Maybe you’re a virtuous vegan, but trust us, your dog or cat is a confirmed carnivore. Treat Spot and Socks to high-protein morsels like Stella & Chewy’s Carnivore Kisses; $10, sitstay.com.
After the recent pet-product toxi c i ty scare, reported in this column, dog owners are choosier about chew toys. Play it safe with nontoxic rubber playthings like mint-scented Mint and Snowball toys (both $10.95, planetdog. com) and the “Bumi” boomerang ($10, westpawdesign.com).
As kids, we used to hope we’d find fun board games under the tree. Now, lucky dogs can ask Santa for the Dog Brick Interactive Game, designed to give Spot a fun mental workout. Here’s how it works: Dogs demonstrate their dexterity by moving the plastic bricks around with their paws; they’re rewarded for their puzzle-solving smarts when they discover food treats hidden beneath the bricks; $42.95, cleanrun.com.
Finally, here’s a doggie gift that’s really strictly for the giver: a dog collar that comes with a built-in, retractable bottle opener. Dogs being true buddies who will do anything for their masters, the sudsloving inventors of this item fully expect their pets to learn the command “fetch me a beer”; $14.95, bark4beer.com.