Here’s a great Halloween freebie for dog lovers! BHG.com has a gallery of printable pumpkin stencils in 25 different dog breed designs. You can carve your jack-o-lantern to look like your own dog or choose a different type of dog just for fun. I think the Chihuahua is especially adorable and wish we had room for enough pumpkins so we could carve them all! Go here to download one or all of the dog pumpkin stencils via free PDF files.

UPDATED Recommendation for 2021:

Check out this new Pumpkin Carving Kit with Tools,  LED Candles and Stencils to help making carving easier, safer and more fun!

Pumpkin Carving Tips from Woof Woof Papa

If you’ve been following us on Facebook or Instagram you know that Woof Woof Papa is a pumpkin-carving wizard! Here are a few tips he has for carving the perfect pumpkin:

• When choosing your pumpkin, think about the type of design you’ll be carving and make sure you get one that is tall and big enough.
• Clean and dry your pumpkin before carving.
• Tape your stencil, or draw your design before cutting the opening.
• Cut the bottom, not the top.  I was raised to cut the top off, but it looks cool and is easier to light the candle or hide the cord from a string of lights when the opening is at the bottom.
• Make sure to scrape well to get out all the goop.  Be sure to save the pumpkin seeds to roast later!
• Take your time and use tools if you’re doing an intricate design ($2-4 at Michael’s)
• Don’t stress if you goof up a little…imperfections give your pumpkin extra character!

Last night we (he) carved a spooky cool witch and spider, and tonight we’re going to do a dog-themed pumpkin for Daisy. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see how our pumpkins turn out! Are you carving a pumpkin this year?

Let us know what design you’re doing and feel free to share a photo of it with us on Facebook. We’d love to see!

 Top photo: BHG.com