The 10 best dog subscription boxes to treat your dog with

As all dog lovers know, keeping your four-legged friends happy and entertained can be demanding. Just like us humans, dogs need fairly constant stimulus, and can quickly get bored if not kept busy, active and occupied. That boredom, in turn, can lead to some unwanted behaviours – such as barking or even destructive chewing of the furniture.

A very quick snapshot of doggie evolution explains why this is so. Dogs, after all, were originally bred by humans to lead busy, active working lives. That's no longer the case for many of today's pampered pooches, who spend much of their time curled up on a sofa. Yet, apart from being a potential concern for their weight management, too much time spent idly doing nothing won't be good for a dog's mental health or physical fitness.

So, how to keep them occupied when you have a busy life of your own to lead? Well, apart from the obvious – namely, as much exercise as is suitable for the two of you – it's a great idea to keep your dog's toy and treat cupboards well stocked. This will help to ensure that there's always something interesting, challenging and/or tasty to hand. But how often do you find yourself with time to spare to peruse the toy and treat aisle at your local pet shop?

Thankfully, help is at hand in the shape of the various dog subscription boxes now on the market. These ingenious services deliver a selection of hand-picked doggie toys, treats and accessories to your door every month. Some will even make up a specialist nutritional package to suit your pup's needs – or send you the right medications whenever you need them.

Dog treats and toys, curated for your pet

Better still, many of the latest crop of dog subscription boxes can be customised, so you will be sent food and treats appropriate to your dog's age, size and personality. Does your dog need to get more fresh vegetables? Do they respond especially well to puzzle-style toys? These are the kinds of preferences you can specify when you're arranging a subscription box.

Elsewhere, some boxes offer a degree of flexibility – allowing you, for example, to skip a month if you're already well stocked for toys and treats.

These services mushroomed during the pandemic, when many dog owners found themselves restricted in their outdoor exercise options, and needing more ways to keep their companions happy and entertained at home.

Yet, with shopping expeditions becoming more difficult during the various lockdowns, it was proving harder to get the very things these dogs suddenly needed. The doggie subscription boxes found themselves fulfilling an urgent need, for dogs and their owners right around the UK.

Subscribing to one of these thoughtfully curated boxes might be one of the best things you'll do for your beloved pet. It could be right up there with arranging the right pet insurance, when it comes to things that will keep your dog's happiness, health and quality of life the best it can be.

Here’s our pick of some of the best dog subscription boxes on the market. Subscribe to one of these and you're likely to get tails wagging around the house in no time!

Black Fief

A look at a sample box on the Black Fief homepage shows you that these monthly subscription boxes come very well stocked. Featuring a nice mix of soft and hard toys, plushies, doggie treats and more, this is a monthly box of goodness that should give your canine companion plenty of pleasure.

The premium products within have all been individually selected – and, what's more, have been road tested by Black Fief's own resident pooches. So they're pretty much guaranteed to hit the spot with your own furry friend.

Need a box in a hurry? No problem. If you're on the UK mainland, you can order before 3pm on a weekday, and expect your box of goodness on the following weekday. The subscription is flexible, too, allowing you to cancel at any time.

Price: £23.99 per month.

Postman Pooch

Based in Nelson, Lancashire, the splendidly named Postman Pooch prides itself on its flexibility and adaptability. The company has a variety of plans at various price points for different breeds and ages – puppy, adult or chewer, for example.

Options include the Basic (three items, £14 a month), Standard (five items, £20 a month) and Puppy Plan (five treats and accessories to aid development and learning, £20 a month). That kind of flexibility is something customers will always love – indeed, it's something we also provide here at Purely Pets, with our various levels of pet insurance cover tailored to suit your budget and needs.

This one has a nice backstory, too. Postman Pooch's founder Ben started up the service as he wanted to improve his dog Duke's quality of life. Suitably inspired, Ben created a monthly dog box, filling it with tasty treats, exciting toys and accessories which he tests on his own pup before releasing them into the world.

Across the year, Postman Pooch put out five seasonal themed boxes, corresponding to Five Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and your pet's birthday. It's worth keeping your subscription going, too, as more rewards will come your way the longer you stay with them. What's more, if your pup doesn't like a particular treat, Postman Pooch will send out a replacement without charge. You can also cancel or pause your plan at any time.

You also get free premium membership to VidiVet, the video vet consultation service – this membership would normally cost £10 a month. Oh, and your first box comes complete with an adorable handmade doggie bow tie.

Price: between £14 and £25 per month.

Wuf Wuf

They've certainly got an attractive offer for dogs and their owners over at Wuf Wuf. Subscribe to the monthly service, and each month you'll receive a box featuring five or more items valued at over £40, including treats, toys and surprises. Not bad for just £18.90 per month!

Just like other services of this kind, Wuf Wuf asks you a bit about your dog, so that it can send treats, toys and accessories that match your pet's breed, character, age, training needs, and so on. Your first box, however, will always be the same, and will include a magazine, some premium lamb and pork treats, 'Hex-a-Bone' dog treats, and a very cute little plush toy with three little squirrels popping out from their plush tree trunk.

Wuf Wuf delivers on its seasonal themes, too, with the boxes tweaked to include Christmas or Halloween themes, or any other quirky ideas (the Excaliwuf box features a cute little plush sword for dogs to practise their swordsmanship with).

This would also be a good one to go for if your dog suffers from any allergies. When filling out your subscription form, you can specify any intolerances, or any foods your dog simply turns their noses up at. The Wuf Wuf team will do the rest, ensuring that all the treats sent are suitable for your pet's needs.

The boxes are also suitable for all ages. Similarly, you'll get to specify your dog's size – small, medium or large – and they will get toys and accessories that are right for them.

Also, like some other subscription providers, Wuf Wuf is very happy for you to send back any unused toy, and they'll send out a replacement.

Price: from £18.90 per month.

Tails

Unlike some other doggy subscription boxes, which offer a good mix of toys and edible items, the boxes from nutritional specialists Tails are geared entirely towards food and treats. The aim? To give your beloved pet the best monthly nutritional plan possible.

How does it work? Well, you just take a few moments to tell the team at Tails.com about your dog's age, breed, size, and any health goals or sensitivities. The Tails chefs will then rustle up a unique kibble recipe for your dog, based on their range of healthy ingredients.

That unique recipe is created from over a million possible combinations, so you can be sure that the precise mix of ingredients will be tailored exactly to your dog's nutritional needs.

We love the sound of this, as years of experience of providing pet insurance has taught us that diet and nutrition are key to any dog's long-term health prospects. Incidentally, if you are ever concerned about any health issues with your dog, you may want to take a look at our A-Z of dog health problems - parts 1 and 2.

Why kibble? Well, the team at Tails tells us that this ground-up compound, shaped into pellets, keeps dogs fuller for longer, meaning that a little goes a long way. For that reason, a Tails subscription may prove particularly useful if you're trying to keep an eye on your dog's weight. The crunchy pellets are also good for your dog's teeth.

It doesn't stop at the kibble, though: Tails will also add in pouches of its own delicious wet food, plus a selection of healthy treats. The company will also adjust your dog's plan to suit their needs at any time.

The tasty ingredients are all natural, and have no added sugar, flavours, preservatives or artificial colours. The Tails chefs also work hard to provide an ideal balance of protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, minerals and supplements. Result? Happy stomachs, glossy coats, cleaner teeth and sticking to that ideal weight.

Price: Variable, depending on your dog's size and needs, but typically around £10.50 per month for a toy dog size, up to £39 for a giant dog, with medium dogs coming in somewhere around the £20 mark.

BusterBox

We love the seasonal themed boxes at BusterBox. The Christmas box featured a Snowman and Snow Elf plushies, plus – you've guessed it – freeze-dried turkey pieces. We also like the Pupfit box, which included plushies shaped like barbells and kettlebells. The selection of treats looks pretty mouth-watering, too – regulars include Duck à l'Orange, Apple and Green Tea-flavoured dental treats, duck and venison sausages and 'Sea Jerky' dental fish squares. They're all organic, too.

What's more, you can revel in the knowledge that it's not just your own little companion that you're helping. BusterBox donates a proportion of its profits to a selection of dog charities, so you'll help lots of other four-legged friends, too.

Better still, at present all new BusterBox Pack Members get a free TAPO Home Camera when they sign up. Smart, secure, and quick to set up, the camera will allow you to keep tabs on your pet while you're not around. Great if you think they might suffer from separation anxiety.

Price: from £19.99 a month.

Woofbox

Flexibility and customisation are the names of the game at Woofbox. For one thing, you can choose how long you want to go on receiving the boxes. Options include a one, three or six-month plan, with savings available should you go for the latter.

But that's not all. Each month, you can either choose a random selection, or customise the types of toys, treats and chews you and your dog want to receive.

This level of personalisation is important to Woofbox owners Debs and Joe, who also run a dog photography business with more than 500 canine clients to date – so they know well just how different dogs' personalities, likes and dislikes can be. (That's something, incidentally, that we've also grown familiar with, during our years of providing pet insurance).

As a result, they have set out to cater for all shapes and sizes, temperaments and quirks, offering plenty of choices in toys and treats alike. 

Debs and Joe source top-quality products, supporting lots of independent UK businesses into the bargain. Within your monthly subscription box you'll often find toys and treats that will be hard to find on the high street – but which will have been carefully selected to enrich your dog's life.

They also do a selection of great-looking gift boxes, including a Birthday Box, a Toy Box and a Puppy Starter Box.

Price: £24.50 per month; £67.50 every 3 months; £130.50 every 6 months.

PawPost

This excellent subscription box specialises in healthy, natural and sustainable products. For example, all the meat in their treats is sustainably sourced, the toys are all ethically produced, and many of the brands that PawPost use give to charity or to their communities.

PawPost was born in response to a very particular need. When founders Lupe and Ben brought home their pup Oscar, they soon realised he was a fussy eater – and, more importantly, had some health issues and food intolerances that they were going to need to learn to work with. After scouting around for some healthy, grain-free dog nutrition products, they decided to help other dog owners in the same position by seeking out some of the best and healthiest dog treats out there, with a special emphasis on food intolerances.

But it doesn't stop with the food: a typical PawPost box will also include a range of premium, natural and eco-friendly toys; new, exciting products that have often not yet hit the high street; and a selection of fantastic products and accessories to keep your beloved pet happy.
Oh, and cat lovers take note: they do a cat box, too!

Price: From £9.95 per month.

The Ultimutt Dog Box

Subscribe to The Ultimutt Dog Box and you'll receive five or six high-quality, hand-picked pieces in your monthly doggie box. These will include nutritional treats, chews, biscuits, funky toys, fashionable accessories, and hygiene and grooming products. You'll also find some unique, quirky items that you'd have trouble tracking down elsewhere.

The Ultimutt Dog Box itself is suitable for most dogs aged six months and over, while the company's Puppy Box will work for puppies from around 12 weeks and over. And, talking of ages, be sure to let them know your pet's birthday, as they should be able to expect a little extra surprise that month!

A nice feature of this particular box is that you can save yourself some money and go bi-monthly if you don't think your pet needs all that new stuff every month. You can also change, pause or cancel your plan at any time.

Price: £22.99 per month, or £27.99 every other month for the bi-monthly box. Puppy box: £20.99 per month.

Top Collar

Homemade goodness is the order of the day at Top Collar, a small subscription service based in Berkshire. Founder Sophie's hand-baked treats are delivered to customers every month in letterbox-friendly packaging, meaning that subscribers (and their pets) need never risk missing a box. The flavours sound delicious, too – how do fish and chips, a Sunday roast or a Full English sound? What's more, all of these are lovingly put together in Sophie's kitchen, using human-grade ingredients and no nasty additives.

Unlike many of today's doggy treats, which may have prioritised a longer shelf life over taste, nutrition and fun, Top Collar's recipes are fresh, appetising and all-natural, with never a preservative or artificial flavouring in sight.

Each box will contain one large bag of Top Collar's much-loved heart-shaped biscuits, some smaller bite-sized training treats, and a batch of novelty cookies – Doggy Donuts, Jammie Dodgers and Cupcake Cookies are among the faves here.

You can also personalise your monthly box with your pooch's photo. Cute!

Price: First box £3.99, future boxes £12.99.

Bearkind

Claiming, with some justification we think, to be the 'kindest dog boxes on the planet', Bearkind fills its monthly boxes with products that are plant-based, eco-conscious, cruelty-free and vegan. At £32.99 a month, the boxes are a shade more expensive than some of the others we've featured here. However, if concerns like sustainability, healthy eating and animal welfare are important to you, it may very well be worth that little extra outlay to be able to treat your beloved pup every month, secure in the knowledge that you are still ticking all these boxes.

Owner Louise is passionate about the welfare of both your dog and the planet. All the lovingly curated products that Louise puts into the Bearkind boxes consciously put their canine clients' health at the very top of the agenda. No harmful fumes to breathe in, no toxic plastic toys or chemically lined packaging to gnaw on.

As with other services we've discussed here, you can input details such as your dog's size and any allergies or intolerances, to ensure that you're getting the very best treats for them.

Bearkind has also built in some flexibility to its subscriptions, so you can opt to receive a box every month, or every two or three months – whatever works for you. You can also see their suppliers, with product illustrations, on the website, so you know exactly the sorts of things you'll be getting. You can even make up your own box if you prefer – boxes are £2.99, and then you can pick and choose from the various lovely, ethical and sustainable treats, toys and accessories on the Bearkind website.

Price: £32.99 per month, or £95.97 for three months prepaid.

Pet insurance - the best gift for your pup

As well as being beautifully curated, and making for an exciting doorstep delivery once a month, these pet subscription boxes could well make sound financial sense in the long term.

That's because, often, the monthly fee you pay ends up quite a bit less than the total value of the lovely treats and toys within – or the money you'd spend at the supermarket or pet shop finding similar treats for your dog.

The same goes for pet insurance. Protect yourself from unexpected vets bills with one, easy, monthly payment that suits your budget. Contact us to get a quote today.