A paw print is the one keepsake that comes from the dog itself rather than from a photo of the dog. It takes a few minutes of the dog’s time and can be done at the kitchen table. The only real decision is which kind you want, because people mean two quite different things by “paw print,” and they need different supplies.
If you want something to hold or hang, use clay. Pressing the paw into soft clay gives you a three-dimensional impression — the pads, the toes, often the nails — that sets into an object: an ornament for the tree, a round keepsake, or an insert that sits in a frame beside a photo. You need the clay, a smooth surface, something to roll it with, something to cut a shape, and a little patience, since air-dry clay takes a day or two to set. There are three kinds of clay. No-bake air-dry kits, like Pearhead’s, come with everything and need no mixing or oven. Oven-bake clay is what many veterinary hospitals use for the prints they make, and it sets in a short bake. Homemade salt dough is the from-scratch option, and the one with a real safety problem for dogs, which is covered below.
If you want something flat to frame, copy or turn into artwork, use ink or paint. Coating the pads and pressing them onto paper gives the crispest outline of the paw, and a flat image can be framed, scanned, printed again for family, shrunk down for a locket, or handed to an engraver or a tattoo artist. You need a nontoxic, washable ink pad or paint, some cardstock, a damp cloth, and somewhere you don’t mind a mess. If the mess is what puts you off, inkless wipe kits print onto specially treated cards without any ink touching the paw.
If you can, do both in one session. The hard part of either method is having a calm dog, a helper and the treats out at the same moment. Once you have that, an ink print takes only a couple of extra minutes: clay for the shelf, and a flat print for the copies and anything you decide to make later.
If you are buying for someone else, think about who holds the dog. A paw-print kit is a gift the recipient finishes themselves. That is lovely for a household you are part of, and much harder to pull off as a surprise. If you can’t get near the dog, give the kit with an offer to help, or skip the print and choose something that only needs the dog’s name. Our personalized dog ornaments guide ranks those options by what each one asks of you.
The three picks below follow that logic. Our top pick is the Pearhead frame and clay imprint kit: a wooden frame that holds a photo beside a no-bake clay print you take yourself, so the finished piece goes straight onto a shelf. Second is Pearhead’s paw-print keepsake ornament kit, the same idea made to hang, which suits a first Christmas or a memory gift. Third, for when a print simply isn’t possible, an engraved wooden paw ornament carrying the dog’s name. And if the dog is old or unwell, the print has a deadline — our guide to gifts for someone whose dog is sick explains why the kit is the one gift worth giving now rather than later.
Getting your dog to cooperate
Most of the effort in a paw print goes into handling the dog, not the materials. None of this needs training, just a little planning.
Recruit a second person. One of you steadies and reassures the dog; the other handles the paw and the clay or paper. The ClayPaws instructions recommend recruiting help for exactly this reason: some pets have sensitive paws and resist.
Pick a settled moment. A dog who has just come back from a long walk or finished dinner is easier to work with than one who has just heard the doorbell. If the dog is lying down, leave them there and bring the materials to the paw; ClayPaws notes that is usually easier than moving the animal.
Get them used to paw handling first. The AKC’s guide suggests teaching paw-handling skills beforehand. For a few days, touch and gently hold each foot, then reward. On the day, treat and praise after every impression, as the AKC recommends.
Keep it short, and know when to stop. Have everything open and ready before the dog arrives so the actual pressing takes seconds. If the dog is pulling hard or getting worried, stop and try another day. A slightly smudged print is fine; a dog who now dreads having their feet touched is not.
Puppies are wriggly but worth it. Small paws take a small amount of clay or ink, and the print records a size the dog will never be again. It is one of the nicest things to make, or to give, in the first weeks — our new puppy gift guide has more ideas for that moment.
Turning a paw print into a gift
A print on its own is a keepsake. A print with a little thought around it becomes a present. A few ways to get there:
Frame it beside a photo. This is why the frame kit is our top pick: the print and a favorite picture sit together in one finished piece. Choose a photo of the dog with their person rather than the dog alone, if you have one.
Hang it on the tree. A clay print cut as a round with a ribbon hole becomes an ornament that comes out every December. If you would rather not take a print, our guide to ornaments made from a photo, a name or a paw has the alternatives side by side.
Mark a beginning. A first-weeks print for a new puppy, or a newly adopted adult dog, is a lovely thing to add to a welcome gift, and the size difference a year later is half the charm. Pair it with something from the new puppy gifts list.
Make it wearable or permanent. A clean ink print is the starting point for jewelry and engraving, because the maker needs a flat image to work from. Scan it at a high resolution and keep the original safe. Our guide to personalized memorial keepsakes covers engraved and custom pieces, and memorial jewelry covers the pendants and charms.
Pair it with a portrait. A print records the foot; a portrait records the face. Hung together, they make a more complete picture of the dog than either alone. If you are going that route, our guide to custom dog portrait styles helps you pick a look, and how to order a custom dog portrait walks through the photo, the size and the timing.
Or give the kit, not the print. When the dog isn’t yours, the gift is the kit plus the offer: “I’ll hold her if you do the pressing.” Tucked into the box with a card, that offer is often worth more than the kit.
Rather buy the finished keepsake?
Our personalized dog gift guides cover ornaments, portraits and keepsakes made from a photo or just a name, with live prices.
