Salt Dough Paw Print Ornaments – An Easy Holiday DIY for Pet Parents

Homemade ornaments are something that we have always cherished in my house. Every year it is so fun to look back on all the ornaments that we made over the years in school or as weekend crafts. Now that my siblings and I have all grown older, the homemade ornaments are a thing of a past. This year, however, I wanted to bring that back. Homemade salt dough paw print ornaments are the perfect holiday keepsake for dog parents. With only 3 ingredients they are super simple to make and they’re easy to customize to fit both you and your pups personality. 

Please note: the amount of salt used to make these ornaments is incredibly toxic to dogs. Wipe their paws after making the ornaments and hang them high on a tree where they won’t be accessible to your pup.

Ingredients for Salt Dough Paw Print Ornaments

• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of hot water

Mix the salt, flour and water together until you form a dough like consistency. Then use a cup or a circular cookie cutter to cut circle shapes in the dough. Finally, use a straw to make a hole in the top where you’ll put the string.

When pressing your pups paw print into the ornament, make sure you press hard enough to leave a deep impression. If you press too lightly you’ll have a hard time seeing the paw print later on. 

Bake your ornaments at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2-3 hours, or whenever they’re fully dry.

Now the fun part! You can customize the paw print ornaments however you want. I used acrylic paint to make different color combinations. I then used mod podge on the paw print and covered it in glitter to help it stand out. I used twine to hang mine but you can use ribbon, yarn, or anything else you have on hand.

Make sure to write your dogs name and the year on the front or back of the ornament so that you’ll be able to look back at it for years to come.

That’s it! These salt dough paw print ornaments are so simple and fun to make. They’re an adorable keepsake that you can make on your own, with your kids, or as gifts for the dog parents in your life. 

Print

Salt Dough Paw Print Ornaments

Materials

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup hot water

Instructions

• Mix flour, water, and salt together to form a dough consistency
• Roll out dough and cut individual circles with cup or cookie cutter
• Press dogs paw print into salt dough and use a straw to make a hole at the top of the ornament
• Bake at 200 degrees Farhenheit for 2-3 hours or until ornaments are completely dried out
• Paint and customize to your liking!