It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season. You’re busy hitting the stores, searching for the perfect gifts for those special people in your life…but don’t forget your CBF (canine best friend)! After all, who loves ya, baby? (Apologies to the late Telly Savalas.) Your pup provides unconditional love and entertainment throughout the year, so why not give him something special from Santa? (My two, Cosmo the Golden Retriever and Tara the Border Collie mix, may be getting coal in their stockings after their behavior over the past few days, which includes nearly pulling me face-down in numerous attempts at catching squirrels and several large holes which now adorn my flowerbed. I think they’re trying to dig to China.)

If you have no clue on what would be the best gifts for your dog, think first on what he likes to do. Is he a couch potato? Then perhaps a new soft cozy bed would be ideal. Or is he a more active guy who loves to chase toys? A new ball or a Frisbee could be just the thing. By the way, if your dog always brings his ball back to you covered in slime and dirt (hey, he’s a dog, he doesn’t mind), and you’re tired of getting your hands all gross, then you should look into getting a toy called a Chuck-It. This is a sort of scoop with a long handle on it. You use it to scoop up the ball and fling it. You don’t ever have to get your hands dirty, so this is a gift for you as well.

One of our friends has this toy for her tennis-ball-obsessed Chocolate Labrador Retriever and loves it. Is your dog a smarty-pants who gets bored easily? Give him a challenge with one of the many puzzle toys available. Some, like the Buster Cube, are relatively easy. This plastic toy has several openings in which treats or dry food may be hidden. Your dog figures out how to move the toy to make the bits of food or treats fall out of the holes. If your dog is highly food-motivated, he’ll love this toy–but you’ll be busy refilling it unless you give him limited access.

I’ve got two different stories for this toy. The first is about a young male German Shepherd/Lab mix named Ty that I babysat for some years ago. I bought him a Buster Cube, but he picked up on the game a little too well and wanted to play with it constantly. It would only take him about ten minutes to empty it and then he would drop it in my lap, expecting an immediate refill. He had gained two pounds by the time his parents came back from their four-day trip to Disney World. Oops…the second story involves our Golden Retriever/Collie mix, Buster, who unfortunately passed away in 2007 from adrenal cancer. Buster was a rescue who had been abused and neglected before he came to live with us at age 2 1/2 and did not know how to play with toys. Figuring that he would be interested in something involving food, we bought him a Buster Cube (how appropriate) and showed him how to play with it. He figured out very quickly that he would rather see one of us roll the cube to make the food fall out, and then he would eat the spoils. Lazy–but smart.

Want to make your dog work a little harder for his treats? Look for a puzzle game where he has to figure out how to open a compartment to find the tasty morsel hidden within. You can even use these puzzle toys to give your dog his regular meal. Then he will start wearing a sign that says ‘Will Work For Food’.

If your fur-child has a short or thin coat, a cozy sweater or coat might be perfect for keeping him warm on those evening walks. He also may benefit from a pair of boots such as Muttluks. I am not kidding–for a couple of reasons. First of all, your bow-wow’s tootsies get cold too and are subject to frostbite. Second, it’s a given that we will get snow and ice during any given winter. (Hello, this IS Michigan…) Broken ice can scrape and cut your pup’s little paw pads. And since we use this corrosive stuff called ‘road salt’ to melt street ice, it’s a given that your dog will get this irritant on his feet at some point. If it gets into a sore on his paw pad, ouch! Plus, he will then lick his feet, and road-salt residue can make your dog sick. So if the two of your are going to be spending a lot of time outdoors, make him more comfy with boots. Then you can video him as he’s trying to figure out how to walk in these weird things on his feet, post the video on YouTube, and get a million hits.

If you’re thinking of putting treats in a stocking for him to find on Christmas morning, please be mindful of the type of treat. Always give treats meant for dogs and avoid anything containing sugar, salt, artifical colors, or any unpecified animal fat. It’s also a good idea to avoid wheat, corn, and soy, since many dogs are sensitive to these items. FYI–and I apologize for the shameless plug–I have a company making organic, human-grade dog treats, with no artificial ANYTHING. Go to PetCraftStore.com and type in ‘Peanut Cinnamon Woofies’ or ‘Freckles’ in the search box. I guarantee your dog will love either of these.

I hope I’ve given you some helpful suggestions on finding the perfect gift for your CBF (canine best friend)! Now get out there and support the economy!!