My human says Christmas is the day when everyone stays at home. From where I stand, it is the day when somebody throws paper on the floor and nobody complains.
A Christmas gift for your dog therefore does not have to do very much. It has to fit, it should still exist on the 25th, and it should look like something in the photos that get taken that evening anyway. The rest is wrapping.
This piece is not neutral: the things in it are sewn and embroidered by me in Prague, one at a time, after you order. I am still going to ask you the three questions below — how big the dog really is, what the piece should say, and how much time you have left.
What a Christmas gift for a dog actually has to do
Dogs have no relationship with dates. All we notice is that it smells different, it is louder, and everyone is sitting down on the floor. A gift that makes sense on that day does three things.
- It fits first time. A piece that pinches or slips gets worn for two minutes and then lies under the tree. With dog things, size is not a detail, it is the whole risk.
- It survives the evening. In my house a squeaky toy lasts until pudding, and treats come from all sides at Christmas anyway, usually in secret from your uncle. Something to wear is still there in January.
- It works in photos. Photographs get taken that evening, whether the dog wants them or not.
You can see a bandana in the photo. You cannot see a chew.
So this is about things to wear. Not because I sell them, but because they are the only ones that manage all three.
Six pieces I would wear myself at Christmas
White with red stars — Christmas without the antlers
The white bandana with red stars is the simplest answer to this evening: red and white, but no hat, no antlers, no jingle bells. It looks good on a light coat and on a dark one, and on 6 January it is not suddenly embarrassing — stars stay stars all year round. If you are buying one piece only and it has to look festive, take this one.
Navy with white stars — for dogs who live outdoors
The same pattern in a different base colour: the navy version is the one for dogs whose Christmas walk goes through mud. Dark forgives more than white does, and in front of the tree it still cuts a figure.
Khaki with a red reverse — two sides, two occasions
The khaki bandana with the red reverse is double-sided. On the 24th the red side is on top; on the 27th you turn it over and it is an everyday piece again that nobody in the woods notices. For anyone who eyes seasonal things with suspicion, that is the most honest answer in the range.
Khaki Dog Bandana — Red Reverse
Red side for Christmas Eve, khaki side for the rest of the year.
€19,90
ViewRed hearts on white — when the gift is really for the human
Honestly, some dog gifts are in truth a gift for the human who loves the dog. The bandana with red hearts and a red reverse is made for exactly that — and with one embroidered line it becomes the Christmas gift for your sister that the dog happens to be wearing.
Hearts Dog Bandana — Red Reverse
The piece for everyone whose human is the one really being given something.
€19,90
ViewAnd this is how the piece gets onto the dog: it is not tied, it is pulled over the head. So on Christmas Eve you do not have to practise knots while three people watch.
Red cap with stars — the piece that wins every photo
The red cap with white stars is not a baseball cap for dogs. It has openings for the ears and a strap under the chin that you pull tight. If you want a picture the whole family laughs at, buy the cap. If you want a piece the dog forgets about after ten seconds, buy the bandana. Both are sensible, they are simply not the same thing.
Navy cap with stars — the same thing, a shade quieter
In case there is quite enough red in your living room in December already: the navy cap with white stars cuts the same figure but comes out quieter in pictures — and it is the obvious second half to the navy bandana.
Photographed flat you can see both: the openings for the ears and the strap under the chin.
€29,90
ViewAll the headwear lives in the Dog Caps collection, all the neckwear under Dog Bandanas.
The line is the gift, not the fabric
The piece itself is only the carrier. What turns it into a gift is the line on it. Into every bandana and every cap I embroider whatever you type in: up to three lines of letters, numbers and spaces, in a thread colour of your choice. For the opening, the embroidery is free, on as many pieces as you like.
I can't read a word of it. That is not an excuse, it is the basis of the business — I wear what you write, and I do not judge it.
What works well at Christmas:
- First Christmas — for the puppy who moved in over the summer.
- The name — the one line nobody else can wear.
- Please do not pet — useful when twelve relatives reach out at the same time.
- A phone number — unromantic, but on New Year's Eve the most sensible text there is.
The collection Dog Bandanas With a Message holds the pieces I have already written a line on, so you can see what one looks like for real. One thing matters here: the line is not a property of those. You can type it in on any bandana and on every cap — the field is on every product page.
Size is the only thing that can go wrong
With a bandana there is exactly one measurement, and that is the neck — measured low, where the collar already sits, over the coat, comfortable rather than tight. Two fingers should fit flat under the band.
| Size | Neck circumference | Typical breeds |
|---|---|---|
| S | 22–28 cm | Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Toy Poodle |
| M | 28–36 cm | Dachshund, Miniature Schnauzer, French Bulldog, Jack Russell |
| L | 34–44 cm | Corgi, Cocker Spaniel |
| XL | 41–53 cm | Dalmatian, Australian Shepherd, Labradoodle |
| XXL | 50–63 cm | Labrador, Samoyed, Husky, German Shepherd |
Two rules will save you an exchange. First: if you are between two sizes, take the larger one — going up costs you a little fit, going down costs you the whole bandana. Second: with anything whose skull is wider than its neck — Bulldog, Boxer, Pug, Staffordshire Terrier — you are buying for pulling over the head, and that means one size up.
When the breed and the centimetres disagree, the centimetres win.
I am a Corgi and I wear L. Which size belongs to which breed is set out at length in Bandana size by breed; how to measure properly is shown in the dog bandana size guide. With the caps it is not the neck that gets measured but the head — that is what the dog hat size guide is for.
A Christmas gift for small dogs
Small dogs are the harder case when it comes to gifts, because with them every centimetre counts. Chihuahuas, Maltese and Yorkshire Terriers almost always land on S, Dachshunds and Miniature Schnauzers on M. If you cannot measure, because the gift is meant to stay a surprise, the bandana is the safer choice: a neck is easier to estimate from a distance than a head, and the piece forgives half a size. A cap forgives nothing.
And one piece of advice no shop likes to give: before you guess between S and M, go and measure the collar in secret while the dog is asleep. A tape measure on Christmas morning is not a lovely gift.
When to order so that it stays relaxed
Nothing sits here finished on a shelf. Every piece is cut and embroidered only after you order — that is why the line can say whatever you want, and that is why it takes longer than a box out of a warehouse. Processing takes 1 to 3 working days, then the parcel goes out.
I do not guarantee a delivery date. The post is not mine, and in December my queue gets longer than in October — things are sewn one at a time here, not in shifts. If you want it calm, order in November or in the first week of December. Order on 20 December and you will get a lovely bandana, but perhaps only between Christmas and New Year.
And one more thing that belongs with a gift: pieces without embroidery you can send back within 14 days, a piece with your line on it you cannot — nobody else can wear it. If I have made a mistake, that is a different matter: I put it right or refund it, embroidered or not.
What it costs
| Piece | Price |
|---|---|
| Dog bandana | €19,90 |
| Dog cap | €29,90 |
| Dog bucket hat | €29,90 |
| Bandana and headwear together | €42,90 |
| All three pieces | €65,90 |
| Embroidery with your words | €0,00 |
Free shipping over €40,00.
And if the dog already has everything at Christmas
Then he has a birthday anyway, and the same principle applies there: a piece that fits, with a line that belongs to this one dog and no other.
If you are still undecided: take the white bandana with red stars in the size the centimetres tell you, put the dog's name on it and wrap it in paper that rustles loudly. The paper is the part we dogs unwrap first anyway.
Bandanas, caps and bucket hats — and into every one of them I embroider your line, free. I can't start sewing until I know what it is supposed to say.
See all dog bandanas