Last updated: June 18, 2026 · 8-minute read
What Are the Best Dog Treats for Christmas? The Short Answer
The best Christmas dog treats are single-ingredient and fully digestible, with no rawhide and no mystery additives. At Bully Sticks Central, our holiday favorites are 100% real-meat chews — bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, and cow ears — ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms. Pair one safe, long-lasting chew with a simple homemade pumpkin-and-turkey treat and your dog gets a festive, healthy Christmas without the upset stomach.
Key takeaways
- Choose single-ingredient, fully digestible chews over basted or artificially flavored holiday treats.
- Never give rawhide — it swells in the stomach and is a choking and blockage risk; bully sticks are a safer long-lasting alternative.
- Match treat size and hardness to your dog's weight and chewing style (see the serving guide below).
- Homemade treats should use dog-safe ingredients only: pumpkin, sweet potato, turkey — no nutmeg, no xylitol, no chocolate, no raisins.
- Keep all treats to roughly 10% of daily calories, even during the holidays.
What Makes a Christmas Dog Treat Safe?
A safe holiday treat comes down to one rule: you should be able to read and understand every ingredient. Single-ingredient chews like bully sticks contain exactly one thing — beef — so there are no binders, dyes, or preservatives to upset a sensitive stomach during an already rich season. Our chews are 100% natural, 100% real meat, and 100% high-quality guaranteed. Avoid anything labeled "holiday flavored" or "basted," which usually means added sugar, salt, and artificial coloring.
For a long-lasting chew that keeps a dog happily occupied while you host, reach for 6-inch standard bully sticks or, for heavy chewers, 12-inch monster bully sticks.
Which Christmas Treats Should You Avoid?
The holidays are the single most common time for emergency vet visits from food. Keep dogs away from chocolate, anything sweetened with xylitol, raisins and grapes, cooked bones, onions, and heavily spiced table scraps. Rawhide deserves its own warning: it is a byproduct of the leather industry, chemically treated, and poorly digestible — exactly what you don't want. Every chew we sell is no rawhide, by design.
How Do the Best BSC Holiday Chews Compare?
| Chew | Best for | Chew time | Single-ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-inch Standard Bully Sticks | Most dogs, daily chewing | Moderate | Yes — beef |
| 12-inch Monster Bully Sticks | Large & power chewers | Long | Yes — beef |
| Beef Cheek Rolls | A safe rawhide alternative | Long | Yes — beef |
| Cow Ears | Lighter chewers & puppies | Short–moderate | Yes — beef |
| Beef Trachea Tubes | Joint support (natural glucosamine) | Short | Yes — beef |
| Beef Tendons | Stuffing & training rewards | Moderate | Yes — beef |
Browse the full lineup in our natural dog treats and chews collection.
How Much Should You Give During the Holidays?
Treats — store-bought or homemade — should stay around 10% of your dog's daily calories. Use this as a starting guide and adjust for activity level.
| Dog weight | Chew size | Treats per week |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 lb | Cow ears, 6-inch bully sticks | 2–3 |
| 25–60 lb | 6-inch bully sticks, beef cheek rolls | 3–4 |
| Over 60 lb | 12-inch monster bully sticks, cheek rolls | 3–5 |
How Do You Make Homemade Christmas Dog Treats?
This festive pumpkin-and-turkey recipe uses only dog-safe ingredients and pairs perfectly with a long-lasting chew. Makes about 24 small treats.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix 1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pie filling), 1/2 cup cooked, finely shredded turkey, and 1 mashed cooked sweet potato.
- Stir in roughly 2 cups of oat flour, a little at a time, until a firm dough forms.
- Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch and cut with Christmas-tree or star cookie cutters.
- Bake 20–25 minutes until firm, cool completely, and store in the fridge for up to one week.
Serve a baked treat alongside a 10-inch tripe twist stick for dogs who love a stronger scent.
Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the safest dog treats for Christmas?
Single-ingredient, fully digestible chews like bully sticks, beef cheek rolls, and cow ears are safest because there are no additives, dyes, or rawhide to upset your dog's stomach.
Can dogs eat human Christmas food?
Most rich holiday foods are unsafe. Keep dogs away from chocolate, xylitol, raisins, grapes, onions, cooked bones, and heavily spiced scraps. Plain cooked turkey or pumpkin is fine in small amounts.
Are rawhide treats okay for a holiday gift?
No. Rawhide is chemically treated and poorly digestible, and it can swell or cause blockages. Choose a no-rawhide chew like a bully stick or beef cheek roll instead.
How long do bully sticks last?
It depends on the dog and the size. A 6-inch standard bully stick lasts a moderate chewing session for most dogs, while a 12-inch monster bully stick lasts much longer for power chewers.
How many treats can I give over the holidays?
Keep all treats to about 10% of daily calories. Overfeeding rich treats during the holidays is a common cause of stomach upset.
Are homemade dog treats better than store-bought?
Homemade treats let you control ingredients, but they spoil quickly and don't satisfy the urge to chew. Pairing a homemade baked treat with a single-ingredient chew gives you the best of both.
What can I put in a dog's stocking?
A safe stocking mix is a couple of single-ingredient chews — a bully stick, a cow ear, and a beef tendon — plus a small batch of homemade pumpkin treats.
Where are Bully Sticks Central chews sourced?
All of our chews are ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms, made from 100% real meat, and 100% high-quality guaranteed.
Preston Smith is the co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. He started BSC because he couldn't find single-ingredient, fully digestible chews he trusted to give his own dogs — no rawhide, no chemicals, no mystery ingredients. He writes about dog nutrition, safe chews, and the practical side of feeding dogs well. Read more about Preston →
This post was last updated at June 23, 2026 23:54
