To decorate make a paw print trail for kids to follow that will lead them to your door. When the door opens the paw print trail continues all the way to the party room. If the party is going to take place outside, have kids follow the paw print trail wherever you'd like them to go. Lots of Doggy Balloons everywhere will add to your decor.

Purchase a solid vinyl table cloth and sponge paw prints, in a variety of sizes, all over the top with craft paint. Matching napkins and plastic ware will help make clean-up that much easier.

General - All colors of balloons with construction paper ears and face drawn on with permanent marker.

Blue's Clues - Blue and magenta colored balloons. Use construction paper ears and draw face with permanent marker.

Dalmatians - black balloons with white spots, white balloons with black spots, black and white spots all over the walls and ceiling. Let your guests add to your decor by inviting them to come to the party dressed as their favorite Dalmatian pup.

Scooby Doo - Make an over-sized Mystery Machine and hang on wall. Use some flower power and cut over-sized groovy yellow flowers out of construction paper. Hang flowers on walls and ceiling. Balloons, in bright colors, will add to the fun. Stuff a few dog biscuits "Scooby Snacks" in each, before inflating, for a creative flare.

If this is a boys party, rather than flowers everywhere, you'll want ghosts, mummy's, and anything mysterious and spooky you can think of. Replace a few light bulbs in the room with colored bulbs to add to the mystery fun.

Food  

A cake could not be simpler than this Blue's Clues Cake which can easily be adapted to any dog themed party simply by changing the color of the frosting.

PARTY FAVORS

Doggie bags are easy to make when you take a brown lunch bag, fringe the top and cut ears, eyes, and muzzle out of colored construction paper. Draw mouth with a black marker and you're ready to fill with party favors.

Want to be a bit more innovative? Check out our Dalmatian Bank or Party Favor Holder. Consider filling with some of the following: stickers, bone shaped cookies, personalized dog tags, ball, whistle, toy car, or some Puppy Chow.

Puppy Chow Recipe
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
8 Cups Chex Cereal
1 Cup Peanut Butter
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Cube Butter or Margarine

Melt butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter together. Pour over Chex cereal. Put mixture in paper bag, add powdered sugar and shake until covered. Delicious!

Games & Activities

Pin the Tail (or bow) on the Doggy - Blow up an image of your favorite dog. Make enough tails or bows for each child and put their name on front. Blindfold and turn child three times before letting them go. Give a party prize to the tail or bow that comes the closest.

Drop the Dog Bone into a Dish - Purchase dog biscuits and a dog dish. Have children kneel facing the back of the chair and drop as many bones into the dog dish below as possible.

Puppy, Puppy, Dog - Have children sit in a circle. Birthday child is "it". As they walk around the outside of the circle they pat each child on the head saying, "puppy, puppy, puppy...DOG" When the child says "DOG" the one sitting on the floor jumps up and both children run around the circle in hopes of being the first to sit down. The child left standing is "it" and the game continues.

Scooby Doo Adaptation: "Scooby, Scooby... Doo"

Red Rover - Divide players into two teams. Each team forms a line by holding hands and stretching themselves out. The two teams face each other and should be about 25 feet apart or more. Each side takes turns calling, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name) right over." At that signal, the player called, runs from his line and tries to break through the line of his/her opponents. If he breaks through, he can take one opponent back with him to his team. If he does not break through, he joins the other team. The team to add the most players wins.

Musical Dog House - Some fun, upbeat, music and a dog house, made from a cardboard refrigerator box, with a crawl through hole in back and front, is all you need. Kids get down on all fours and pretend they're dogs. When the music begins they crawl in a circle around and through the dog house. When the music stops the child that's in the dog house is out. To be fair, have the person that is starting and stopping the music keep their backs to the children while another adult keeps track of who's out.

Dog Gone Relay - The race is on to see which team can fetch the most items first. Divide children into two teams. Have them form two lines at one end of the room. At the other end have two piles of things dogs would want to "fetch": old shoe, bone, ball, toy car, stuffed cat. When you say "Go Fetch" the first player on each team runs to the other end of the room and grabs an item. Here's the catch. If they grab the shoe they must put it on and run back to their line wearing it before the next player can proceed. If they pick up the car they must race it back with its wheels touching the floor. The ball they must carry in their mouth. The cat requires them to say, "meow, meow" all the way home. Lots of fun! First team to get all their items home wins.

If you're throwing a Blue's Clues Party make sure you have a Treasure Hunt. You'll want to use these Find Blues Clues! Paw Prints to make it extra special.

Crafts to Make at the Party

Make a Dog Mask using a paper plate. Cut holes for the eyes and let the children color the face and add construction paper ears.

Color your own placemat. Print a coloring page and add the child's name. After pages are colored mount onto 11x17 cardstock and cover with Con-Tact paper. Send it home with them to use again and again.

Blue's Clues - Blues Clues Party Hat
Easy Dalmatian Hat
Dalmatian Hat
Dalmatian Fire Dog Craft

Coloring Book - If you would like to have a coloring contest or make each child a coloring book you'll want to check out the printables below. You can make a personalized coloring book with the child's name on the front with a coloring picture of a dog. If the budget permits, GBC bind them...otherwise staple the pages together.

Contributed by Alecia Dixon

More Dog Party Ideas
Contributed by Maureen Miller

I made dalmatian ears for each party guest to wear and passed them out as they arrived. (made with rectangle spotted fabric folded in half, sewed an elongated u then turned inside out at open end. Attached them to a thin loop of elastic. Kids slipped over their heads and wore like a headband) We also painted their faces as they came in with white and black spots.

For games - I painted a stove cardboard box like a doghouse. One kid would go in and count while the others hid. Hide and seek. I also got several cheap trash cans and attached paper dog bones on the outside with points on each. I arranged the cans with the highest points in back and had a dog bone toss.

For food I served munchies in plastic dog dishes. For adults, I cut cheese with a dog and a bone shaped cutter, skewered onto toothpicks that were stuck into a styrofoam ball covered with lettuce. I mounted that on a dowel rod that was implanted in a dog dish with plaster of paris. I used dog biscuits to cover the plaster of paris.

Printables and Instructions

Dog Print Cake
Blue's Clues Party Crafts
Dalmatian Party Crafts
Scooby Doo Party Crafts

Dog Printables:

Dalmatian Coloring Pages at Disney.com (hit more for other pages)
Dogs & Puppies, by Cartoon Critters
In the Dog House, by DLTK Kids
Howling Dog Poster, by DLTK Kids
Dog Printouts, by Enchanted Learning
Coastie the Safety Dog, by U.S. Coast Guard
Courtney's Puppy, Vicki's Dog, Playful Dog, Another Dog, by Mrs. Singer
101 Dalmatian Coloring Pages, at Childfun

For those of you planning a Blue's Clues Party or looking for even more ideas you could adapt to your Dog Party check out Blue's Clues Games & Activities Printables, by Nick Jr.
Blue's Clues Coloring Pages