Dog Advent Calendars: What to Look For, and What's Actually Inside Ours

A dog advent calendar is a countdown box with a treat behind every door — and yes, they're worth it, as long as you check what's actually inside. Plenty of supermarket versions are filled with the same cheap biscuits you'd never buy on their own. The good ones are just real treats, portioned into a box that makes December a bit more fun for both of you.

Here's what to look for, how the sizes compare, and the dates that actually matter if you want one to arrive in time.

What is a dog advent calendar?

It's the same idea as yours: a box with numbered doors or drawers, one opened each day in the lead-up to Christmas. Instead of chocolate, each door holds a dog treat.

Most run either 24 days from 1 December, 12 days from the 13th, or a shorter week-long countdown from around the 18th. Shorter isn't worse — for a small dog, 24 days of extra treats is a lot of extra calories.

Seven drawers, one for each sleep until Christmas.

Are they actually a good idea?

Honestly, it depends entirely on what's in it.

The case for: it's a daily ritual many dogs pick up on within a few days. Dogs tend to be creatures of routine, and plenty get genuinely excited about the box. It's also a sensible way to portion treats — one door a day is a built-in limit.

The case against: a lot of calendars are filled with low-quality biscuits, wheat, glycerine and colours. Twenty-four days of that isn't much of a treat, and it can mean an upset stomach or two. And a 24-day calendar aimed at a 5kg dog can easily blow through the sensible daily treat allowance.

The RSPCA has plenty of general feeding guidance, and the usual treat rule holds here as much as any other day of the year: the widely used guideline is to keep treats to around 10% of your dog's daily calories, Christmas included.

How to choose one: six things to check

• Read the ingredient list, not the packaging. If it starts with cereals or "meat and animal derivatives", it's biscuit filler in a festive box.
• Match the length to the dog. A small dog does not need 24 days of extra treats. A shorter countdown is often the kinder choice.
• Check the portion size. Some calendars hide one tiny biscuit behind each door. Others give a proper handful.
• Look for a stated weight. "24 treats" tells you nothing. Grams tell you what you're paying for.
• Consider allergies. If your dog reacts to chicken or beef, a mystery box is a gamble unless the maker will tell you what's in it.
• Think about the box itself. Cardboard that goes in the bin on Christmas Eve, or something you'd keep and refill next year?

How much should a dog advent calendar cost?

In Australia, supermarket calendars tend to sit at the cheaper end, while handmade or premium ones cost noticeably more.

The gap is mostly about what's inside. A $20 calendar can't contain $40 of real dehydrated meat — the maths doesn't work. What you're choosing between is a cheap box of biscuits or a smaller amount of proper treats.

Worth doing the sum per day rather than looking at the total. A $45 calendar over seven days is about $6 a day for a handful of real treats, which is roughly what you'd spend on a decent coffee.

Ours: Sleeps 'til Christmas

We make two sizes, and everything inside is made in our Melbourne kitchen — the same treats we sell all year, just broken into drawer-sized pieces so each door is a little handful rather than one whole strip.

	Seven Sleeps	Twelve Sleeps
Countdown	18 to 24 December	13 to 24 December
Doors	7 drawers	12 drawers
Treats inside	130 to 140g	220 to 230g
Box	16.5 × 16.5 × 5 cm	26.5 × 16.5 × 5 cm
Price	$45	$85, plus a treat pouch

Twelve Sleeps: twelve drawers, a treat or cookie behind every one.

What's actually behind the doors

Every drawer holds one of three things: a dehydrated treat, one of our oven-baked cookies, or a special Christmas cookie made just for these boxes.

The treats come from the same recipes we make all year, so you know exactly what you're getting:

• Chicken & Pumpkin Wafers — Australian chicken and pumpkin. Lean, gentle, the everyday favourite.
• Turkey & Sweet Potato Patties — turkey mince and sweet potato, 65% protein to 35% veg.
• Beef & Carrot Strips — Australian beef and carrot. The one that gets the most attention.
• Roo & Pumpkin Patties — 2% fat kangaroo and pumpkin. A novel protein for many dogs.
• Roo & Carrot Strips — the same 2% fat kangaroo, 65% roo to 35% carrot, cut into strips for a different chew.

Two ingredients each. One protein, one vegetable. No grains, no glycerine, no added sugar, salt or colours, no preservatives, nothing artificial. Every one is human-grade meat, sourced locally, hand-cut and slow-dehydrated in small batches — never baked.

The cookies are the exception: those are oven-baked — apple, blueberry and our Love Notes — plus a Christmas cookie you'll only find in these boxes.

Why the treats are broken up

The drawers are only 4cm deep, so a whole strip wouldn't fit. Rather than shrink the treats, we break them into drawer-sized pieces. That means each door is a little handful — usually three or four pieces — instead of one lone biscuit. It also means the daily portion stays sensible.

What it's actually good for

• Portion control by design. One drawer a day is a built-in limit, which is harder to stick to with an open bag on the bench.
• A daily ritual. Many dogs pick up the routine within a few days and start waiting by the box. That's most of the fun.
• Training opportunities. A handful of small pieces is several rewards, not one. Plenty of people use the daily drawer for a quick practice session.
• Variety without buying five bags. Five different recipes across the countdown, including two novel-protein kangaroo options.
• Real food, not filler. Single-protein treats with a vegetable — the same thing you'd buy in a bag, just wrapped up for December.
• A box you keep. It's magnetic and sturdy. Next year, refill it with a couple of bags rather than buying another calendar.

Buy two and there's a bonus

Buy any two calendars and we'll pack in a free 100g bag of treats. Two Seven Sleeps, two Twelve Sleeps, or one of each — any combination counts. We'll pick whatever's freshest in the pantry that week.

That works out well if you're buying one for your dog and one as a gift, and two calendars also clears the $99 free shipping threshold.

Twelve Sleeps also comes with a silicone treat pouch — soft, with a heart cut-out and a wrist strap, and it clips onto your belt or lead. It's the same $22 pouch we sell on its own. The colour is a surprise, while stocks last.

Allergies and special requests

What's inside is a surprise, but it isn't a secret. If your dog can't have chicken, or you'd rather skip the cookies, message us before you order and we'll pack around it. We'd far rather adjust a box than have a dog react to it.

The dates that matter

Pre-orders close 30 November. These are made to order in small batches, so we can't take orders after that and still have them with you in time.

Everything ships in the first week of December. If you order a calendar alongside other treats, the whole order travels together — so if you want your treats sooner, order them separately.

The honest reason for the deadline: there are only so many hours in a December kitchen, and each box is packed by hand. The Twelve Sleeps in particular is a very small run.

Alfie, quality control.

Frequently asked questions

When should I buy a dog advent calendar?

Earlier than you think. The good ones are made in small batches and can sell out — ours close for pre-order on 30 November. Supermarket calendars appear from about October and last until they're gone.

Can puppies have an advent calendar?

From around 12 weeks, yes, but watch the quantity. A puppy's daily treat allowance is small, so you may want to split each door's contents across the day or share the calendar between two dogs.

My dog has allergies. Can I still get one?

Ask the maker. We'll tell you exactly what's going in and adjust if we can — just message us before ordering. If a company won't tell you what's inside, that's your answer.

Should I get the 7-day or the 12-day?

Size of dog and how much you want to spend. Seven Sleeps suits small dogs and is the easier gift. Twelve Sleeps suits bigger dogs, or anyone who wants the countdown to feel like a proper run-up to Christmas.

How do I store it once it arrives?

Somewhere cool and dry, out of reach. Dehydrated treats keep 2 weeks in the pantry or 4 in the fridge once opened; our cookies are oven-baked, so enjoy them within a week, or 2 in the fridge. The drawers stay sealed until you open them.

Can I use it as a gift?

It's one of the easier dog gifts to get right — it looks like a present, it lasts more than five minutes, and the box gets kept. Plenty of people buy one for their own dog and one for a friend's.

What if my dog opens the whole thing at once?

Store it out of reach. Many dogs work out very quickly that the box is the source of good things, and a determined nose will get through cardboard.

Do you ship Australia-wide?

Yes. Shipping is $9.95 flat, or free on orders over $99 — so two calendars, or one plus a couple of bags of treats, ships free.

So, is a dog advent calendar worth it?

If it's filled with treats you'd happily buy anyway, yes. If it's filled with biscuits you'd never pick off a shelf, you're paying for cardboard and a countdown.

Read the ingredients, match the length to the size of your dog, and buy earlier than feels necessary — the good ones can sell out.

Ours is Sleeps 'til Christmas, in seven and twelve day sizes, handmade in Melbourne. Pre-orders close 30 November and every box ships in the first week of December. Buy any two and we'll pack in a free 100g bag of treats.

Not sure what your dog likes yet? The Pantry Sample Bag has all five recipes, and is a good way to find out before December.