You've decided that you want to throw a party for your doggo. Whether it's a birthday, bark mitzvah or graduation, there's nothing quite like a party for dogs.

One of the main considerations is where the party will take place. You might assume that a dog party has to happen outdoors, and while that would definitely be easiest for a few reasons (no bathroom breaks, less ability to destroy things or disrupt the peace with barking), there are definitely indoor places that rent out event spaces.

When deciding where to hold it, consider things like:

✔️ The size of the party (how many humans and how many doggos)

✔️ Is the party an excuse for humans to get together, or is it truly for the dogs?

✔️ The weather that time of year   ☀️ or ❄️

✔️ How much money 💲you’d be willing to spend on renting a space (some facilities do offer their space for free)

Tip: Limit the party to two hours, that’s just about the right amount of fun, before dogs get cranky and you become tired.

Location Options

1. Inside Your Home This works for 1-4 dogs, depending on their size + their associated humans. If the party is more about the humans, then this is a great way to go.

2. Your Backyard or a  nice friend or relatives, or rent a house with a large yard.

3. A Dog Park (check with the park's management to see if you can rent it out. If not you could still have it there but it would be unstructured and more casual (ie, you couldn't set up a photo booth or set up a birthday cake)

4. Dog Friendly Human Park (remember to contact the city council to reserve the space)

5. Agility Course We love this concept, it’s like a kids party at a roller rink or gymnastics studio. Built in entertainment, managed by someone else!

6. Dog Water Park If you’re lucky enough to live near a dog water park, and it’s summer, that’s a perfect venue. You wouldn’t have to worry about a lot of fru fru decorations or planning… the dogs would entertain themselves.

Check out Country Kennels Dawg Water Park in  Murietta California.

If you live on the coast or a large river and there’s a dog friendly beach, this would be another location that offers built in entertainment. The humans could enjoy a beach day and the dogs could get into all kinds of shenanigans  

8. Dog Party Centers

Often doggie day care centers & pet stores will rent a space or offer them gratis as a way of showcasing their facility and merchandise.

This is the direction that Vivian Son went with her Corgi Nacho for his birthday party. She was co hosting with 2 other Corgi's (Otis and Butters) so they needed space to accommodate at least 15-20 Corgis.

In the end they chose The City Dog Club in Los Angeles. "We live in a city and didn't have a big enough backyard and we knew it would be a hot day, so having it indoors was a win because it's cooler and it's less clean up when it's not your house," Vivian said.

While there were other really good options for dog friendly party spaces, Vivian and her friends chose City Dog Club because:

• of their awesome customer service
• the venue was large enough to accommodate their party
• it was free for two hours (on Sundays)
• they help with the set up
• they provide doggy jungle gyms, tables, napkins etc.

On the other hand, Matt Elias, dad of French Bull Dog Pierre, rented a house with a large backyard. "I really had this vision of dog's running around on the grass having fun," Matt said. Pierre (shown below on left) shared his birthday party with Gus Gus (shown on right).

📷: @tygerlilz 

Because the party was in late July when temperatures are around 90 degrees during the day, the party was held in the evening from 6 - 8 pm when it started cooling down but was still light.

"There was enough space for us to have a bounce house, water slide and lots of other fun attractions for the dogs," Matt said. "The only draw back is we were renting the house by the hour, so it only gave me about 2 hours for the set up, which wasn't enough time."

To take a look at the space, the bounce house, water slide, cakes and all the dogs in action check out this Insta Story that shows it all

The Cake

No matter which location you choose, a birthday cake is a must. Come on, what birthday party doesn’t involve a little cake for the birthday boy or girl!? 

You can either make your own or order one from The Dog Bakery where you can order all natural grain free cakes for dogs in a variety of shapes and colors. The cakes can be shipped any where in the United States, or if you live in L.A. you can pick up the cake in store. Check store locations here.

Pssst... sign up  for The Dog Bakery’s Birthday club and get discounts on cakes and other doggo delights bit.ly/TDB-Birthday-Club

This listing is by no means comprehensive, but gives you a starting point to know what's out there so you can search for similar facilities in your town.

Also read: The Ultimate Guide To Throwing Your Dog The Best Party Ever!

Rocky Kanaka

Rocky Kanaka is an entrepreneur, pet rescue advocate and dog dad to a rescue boxer named Flip, a blind Cane Corso called Kobe, and a terrier mix named Zoey. He's also a pet chef and owner of The Dog Bakery, which specializes in dog birthday cakes and fresh baked dog treats. His three dogs can't get enough of the dog cakes and treats!

Lorna Ladd

Lorna Paxton Ladd is a passionate dog lover and enthusiast of The Dog Bakery. She loves spoiling her 3 rescue dogs with dog cakes and jerky. A 15 year veteran in the pet industry, her aim is to educate pet parents on the best recipes, products, tips and tricks to optimize the human/canine bond. Her favorite product at The Dog Bakery are the customizable dog birthday cakes.