27 Best Gifts for Dog Lovers, According to Dog Owners

The classic game of fetch just got a major upgrade. Hyper Pet GoDogGo Fetch Machine was one of our top choices in a recent evaluation of the best ball throwers for dogs. It’s designed with an extra-wide bucket on top where you or your dog can easily add balls to it instead of feeding them into narrow compartments. You also have the option of filling the bucket with all five balls for continuous play, or one at a time. You can fit up to 17 tennis-sized balls or 25 smaller balls in the bucket, according to the manufacturer. This automatic fetch machine does not require setup, though you will have to plug in the AC adapter and fully charge it before using it. It also comes with a rechargeable lithium battery.

For the one who’s looking to take it back to the basics, consider the Chuckit Classic. It’s ideal for dog owners who are searching for a low-tech ball launcher option that requires no setup and still allows you to get involved in a game of fetch, but takes your natural throwing arm to the next level. The plastic handheld launcher comes with one fuzzy 2.5-inch tennis ball that is stored in its “claw,” which keeps a solid grip on it so that it doesn’t fall out. When you’re ready to play with your pup, you treat the launcher like it’s an extension of your own arm—pulling it back and then launching it forward to release the ball from the claw. 

One of the nicest things about this launcher is that you can retrieve balls (including saliva-coated slobbery ones) with the claw itself so that you never have to touch the ball with your hands.

Aside from serving as a stimulating activity for pets, puzzle treat dispensers can be a great way to encourage slow(ish) snacking. Nicky Besuden, CR’s associate director of new ventures, recommends this dynamic treat dispenser: “My dog loves all the treat puzzles.”

At under $2, this plush teddy bear—with a removable squeaker in tow—is a no-brainer. “Kong has a line of soft squeaky toys that have replaceable squeakers that dogs love and last long,” Besuden says.

CR’s Lauren Kiesel has a 6-month-old cockapoo who loves these bully sticks. The high-protein springs are meant to occupy pups as they gnaw their way through the treat. “The curliness makes it easier to grasp, longer to eat, and fun,” Kiesel says.

Barkbox’s Super Chewer subscription box comes with two toys and two full-sized bags of treats, which can be customized for allergy and diet preferences. “I have three dogs, and they seem to know when the monthly box arrives (maybe because toys are scented),” says CR’s Theresa McDermott. “They have monthly themes, and we get the Super Chewer toys, which are pretty indestructible.”

Prices start at $45 for a one-month subscription.

In an evaluation of the best dog beds, our editors said this had a sturdy and structured appearance and feel. The cover is removable and machine-washable and comes in three sizes to accommodate dogs up to 90 pounds. It ranges from $139 to $249, depending on size, with two layers of foam construction (including memory foam), a soft nylon-polyester-olefin cover that fits tautly over its rectangular cushion, and raised bolsters around all four sides. 

Full disclosure: I don’t have a dog. But I am an aunt to an incredibly sweet Frenchie who has enjoyed many staycations in my apartment. To say that he loves this shaggy doughnut bed would be an understatement. He lounges in it throughout the day and sleeps in it at night. He has the same version at home as well as another one at his grandparents’ home. Available in four sizes and just as many colors, it’s machine-washable to boot.

The Petsite 3-in-1 pet stroller was among the best in our evaluations, for being multifunctional, easy to assemble and fold, lightweight, sturdy, comfy, and less expensive. The removable car seat carrier is a game changer, making it really versatile for travel. It serves as both a car seat and portable carrier, complete with a carrying strap. It has a max capacity of 33 pounds and our evaluator found that the seating space felt very secure, held in place by a substantial fabric fastener on one end and a pocket on the other.

In our lab tests, it scored second for stability and maneuverability. With nice extras like storage underneath and pockets to hold additional items like doggy bags and treats, this pet stroller earns the designation of Editor’s Choice.

In evaluating the best pet cameras, the Furbo dog camera was our editors’ top choice, thanks to its aesthetically pleasing design and camera with a wide viewing angle. The ability to choose a voice prompt for the treat toss is a bonus. The device’s basic app features include live view, toss treats, talk to and hear your pet, and get barking alerts. The Nanny cam subscription includes cloud recording, advanced barking alert, Doggie Diary (a video summary of the day that you can choose to save to your device), activity alert, selfie alert, and person alert.

Learn more about the Furbo dog camera.

The Petlibro automatic pet feeder was easy to use and has an app that makes setting schedules and dispensing food a breeze. It dispenses accurate amounts of dry food for dogs or cats and has a voice recording feature that allows you to call your pet for meals.

This automatic feeder allows pet owners to schedule up to three meals a day, in any desired quantity, says Amanda Arnold, senior manager of business analytics at CR. The device has a maximum capacity of 26 cups and can be programmed to give out meals as small as 2 teaspoons.

Even CR writer Lisa Fogarty’s curly haired labradoodle, Blake, is a fan of the Tangle Teezer Detangling Brush. In fact, she found that Blake reacted with excitement to being brushed. According to Lisa, the brush is easy to hold, and its width is helpful in detangling her pup’s fur quickly.

A number of my colleagues mentioned the Kong ZoomGroom as a must-have for both dogs and cats. It’s meant to help ease the process of cleaning and shampooing your pet. The cherry on top might just be the soft bristles that double as a massage tool.

If you can have only one pet hair removal tool in your cleaning toolbox, this is the one. The ChomChom was a favorite with our at-home evaluators and the best-performing option in our formal lab tests. What sets it apart is that it’s the only tool that gathers and picks up all the pet hair it touches. After just three forward and backward swipes, our velvet and linen-polyester pillows were left almost completely free of hair, minus a few stragglers. It was the best tool on carpet, too, even though crouching low to use it wasn’t the most comfortable position. No other tool left it as hair-free as the ChomChom. One evaluator who has carpal tunnel syndrome noted that this tool required significantly less pressure to work, which meant that her condition wasn’t aggravated as it was with a few of the other pet hair removers. It’s also worth noting that three of our at-home evaluators liked this tool so much that they bought it for themselves post-evaluation.

The Analan Mini Pet Hair Remover is a triangle-shaped device that has three unique ridged sides, and it did very well in our evaluations. The rubber material created a static attraction with our velvet pillow so that it was able to pick up all the cat hair we applied to the surface. But this was the only surface where it picked up hair. On the polyester-linen blend pillow, it bunched up the hair in easier-to-pick-up piles. Ditto for the carpet, where it did a great job of gathering up the hair in neat piles, but we did notice some redepositing of hair on subsequent swipes as it became stuck on the ridges. The hole in the center of the triangle allows for a comfortable grip. Because the ridged surfaces are so small, cleaning a large area, like a whole upholstered couch, takes a significant amount of time.

When you’re on the less glamorous side of pet care, solid and dependable products are a must. Case in point? Poop bags that can get the dirty work done. These budget-friendly bags come in a pack of 300. They’re durable and include a convenient dispenser with a hook. Even better, these poop bags were our top editor’s choice in our evaluations.

The Arm & Hammer Pooper Scooper offers a practical and hygienic solution for waste removal at home, featuring a swivel bin that facilitates easy collection from various surfaces. It includes an adjustable rake and handle, allowing height customization to suit individual needs.

Okay, so maybe your dog won’t love this gift, but if it saves you a trip to the groomer, we’d call it a win. The Gonicc Pet Nail Trimmer is basic and inexpensive, but it gets the job done. Our evaluator used these clippers on their skittish border collie for years and found them to stand the test of time. They haven’t rusted, and they boast sharp blades and nonslip handles. The clippers have a guard along the back to prevent you from clipping more than you intend to, which could cause your dogs’ paws to bleed. Because they’re manual, they’re quiet. (This is ideal for skittish dogs.) And they almost always cut the entire nail within one go, making for an efficient process.

The Sleepypod Clickit Sport Plus harness has a three-point design to keep it more secure around your pup’s torso, and it can be worn as a harness on walks before converting to a car harness that locks into place using your car’s seat belt. It’s made of luggage-grade ballistic nylon, and you can wipe the front clean with a cloth and use a vacuum attachment to suck up pet hair from its interior. It has a padded front and strappy back. Simply slide your car’s seat belt through two straps on the back and click it into the seat belt buckle to secure your dog to the seat. 

Hands down, the PawZ Rubber Dog Boots proved the best option for repelling water and mud. After being submerged in water, they dried completely in less than 1 hour, and mud and dirt washed off them with little more than cold or warm water.

These adorable dog shoes will keep your pooch’s feet protected from the snow, rain, and hot pavement. They have a rubber sole with grips and adjustable fabric fasteners with reflective strips, making them safe on nightly walks.

Light-up leashes and harnesses are another must for McDermott, who says it can be helpful for dog walkers to wear something reflective when out for nightly strolls. This rechargeable LED dog collar features two light modes—a gentle glow and a flash—and can be operated by an easy push button.

For CR’s digital marketing manager, Diana Ortiz, an ideal pet tracker comes in the form of an Apple AirTag. Ortiz says the pets wear them in their collars when she’s away on vacation and someone is watching them.

The Bluetooth-based AirTag tracker can be a saving grace for travelers—or those with pets that are inclined to run off. As with other trackers, the tiny device gets attached to any item you want to monitor. If the item goes missing, the AirTag relays its location via Bluetooth to other nearby iPhones, which discreetly convey that info to you. AirTags work best if you’re looking for them within Bluetooth range (roughly 30 feet of your own phone). But, that said, there are millions of iPhones and other Apple devices roaming around out there to help if you find yourself searching, say, a park or a school campus for the keys you dropped. They simply need to have the Find My feature activated.