Custom Dog Ornaments Made From Your Dog's Photo
Your camera roll is full of your dog, so why does the ornament on your hook show a stranger's breed? Put the one face nobody else has on it, made from a single photo you already took.
Custom dog ornaments from MyDogPics are made to order from a photo of your dog. Upload it and we check it before anything prints, place your dog in the ornament design, then ship the finished ornament to your US address with USPS tracking. An ornament is small, so a close, sharp shot of the face works best.
Have a close, sharp shot of your dog's face? Upload the original file on the product page, and we check it before anything prints. Ordering one for a sibling too? Free US shipping on every order, and your 2nd item is 25% off in the cart, automatically.
See how it works Browse all dog photo gifts
What are custom dog ornaments?
Custom dog ornaments are hanging decorations made from a photo of one particular dog, rather than a generic breed figure. Most are flat and carry the photo, sometimes with a name or a year, for the tree in December or a hook by the door the rest of the year.
A smaller group is three-dimensional: custom 3D dog ornaments are sculpted figures colored to match a dog's coat, using photos as a reference. They capture color and build more than the exact expression.
At MyDogPics, a photo ornament starts with the picture you upload on the product page, and we check it before anything is printed. An ornament prints your dog's face small, so a tight, front-facing crop survives where a full-body shot from across the yard does not. Each product page lists its size, material and options.
Custom dog ornament shapes, names and family designs
Ornament designs differ in shape and in how much room they leave for a photo or a name, and each product page shows its own. Here is how the common ones treat your picture. For the tree at Christmas, start with dog Christmas ornaments.
Round, star or heart
Round designs give the photo the most usable space. Stars and hearts trim the corners of your picture, so leave a margin around the head, or an ear ends up in a star point.
Bone shape
A personalized dog bone ornament usually carries a name and a year across its long middle, with a small photo or none at all. Pick it when the name matters more than the face.
Family ornaments
A personalized family ornament with dog names often lists everyone, pets included, around a single photo. With several people and a dog in one shot every face gets tiny, so a custom family ornament with dog and people works best as a close group photo, or as names only.
3D figures
A sculpted figure suits a dog whose coat is the point: a brindle, a merle, or a brown dog ornament that has to match one exact shade. The match comes down to sculpting skill, so compare finished examples of your breed before you choose one.
Both photos on this page fill a round design edge to edge. The husky shot works because the face is close and sharply lit against plain snow, which leaves nothing to compete with it.
The personalized dog ornaments photo checklist
- Crop to the head. On something this small, a whole-body photo leaves the face smaller than your thumbnail.
- Face the lens. Eyes looking into the camera stay readable from across the room; a profile becomes a shape.
- Keep the edges clear. Round and star shapes trim the corners, so keep ears and chin away from the edges of the frame.
- Pick a calm background. A cut-out needs a clear edge around the fur, and on a full-photo design clutter competes with a face that is already small.
- Upload the original. Even for something this small, cropping to the face discards most of the pixels, so start from the full file in your camera roll.
Blur, darkness and a file that is too small are the problems we check for before printing, and we email you if we find one. Our photo guide shows what a strong source photo looks like next to weak ones.
Dog ornament ideas for any time of year
Photo ornaments are small and light, which makes them useful well outside December. These occasions suit one especially well.
- An adoption-day ornament with the date, hung on the hook by the leash.
- A thank-you for a dog walker, sitter or groomer who knows your dog well.
- A puppy ornament for a new dog's first weeks at home. Take the photo early, because puppies change fast.
- A keepsake for a dog who has died, hung in a window or on a wreath. Our dog memorial guides have advice on picking that photo.
Mass-produced cute dog ornaments and other dog themed ornaments show a breed, not your dog. Brand-name porcelain works the same way: a Lenox dog ornament is made to a set design, such as a breed figure or a bone in a bowl, and where it takes a name, the name is the only part that is yours. The point of a custom pet ornament is the one face nobody else has.
That makes a custom ornament worth ordering only with a photo that shows the face clearly. Shopping for the tree itself? Our dog Christmas ornaments guide covers first-Christmas ornaments, holiday timing and hanging ornaments safely around a dog.
Customized dog ornaments, one year at a time
Personalized ornaments with dogs carry one face at a small size, so the photo needs sharp eyes and the whole head in the frame. Customized dog ornaments also make a record of the years: puppy ornaments for the first one, a gray-muzzled face for a later one.
Custom ornaments with dogs from two or more photos need a design made for more than one face. Each product page lists its shape, size and options, and every ornament is made after you check out.
Doggie ornaments and pet remembrance ornaments made from one photo
Doggie ornaments from MyDogPics are photo ornaments: you upload one picture of your dog, we check it and print it, and the finished ornament ships with USPS tracking. A pet remembrance ornament is made the same way from a photo of a dog who has died, so the face on it is theirs and not a stock breed. Each product page lists its size, material and options.
An ornament for a dog who passed away works best when the photo shows them on an ordinary good day, with sharp eyes and the whole head in frame. A pet loss ornament can hang in a window or on a wreath for as long as you like, and ornaments for pets that have passed away have no deadline, so order when you are ready.
An in loving memory pet ornament needs nothing more than that one photo, and customized pet-themed ornaments for gifts work for anyone whose dog you can photograph. If you are still choosing a picture, our dog memorial guides help, and the photo guide shows what prints well at a small size.
Dog ornament gift ideas: who a photo ornament is for
A custom dog ornament makes a gift for a dog lover that is built on a photo of their own dog, not a stock breed. Each product page lists its size, material and options, so you can choose with the details in front of you.
Dog moms
Ornaments sold for dog moms are mostly a slogan on a disc or a generic breed figure. This one shows her own dog, placed in the design from a photo already on her phone.
Dog dads
A dog dad is hard to shop for, and another mug is forgettable. An ornament with his own dog on it can hang on the hook by the leash.
A dog lover who has everything
Choosing for a dog lover who has everything is tricky, and a generic present ends up re-gifted. An ornament built on one photo of their dog has nowhere else to go.
Kids and parents
Kids outgrow toys and sweaters, but they never outgrow the dog. Parents can hang a photo ornament in a child's room, and it never needs a bigger size.
Matching family
In a big family the dog is the one most often left out of the keepsakes, because every frame is people. An ornament hangs the dog among them.
Couples
Anniversary gifts feel the same every year: a card, a candle, a dinner. A couple who share a dog can hang an ornament of that dog together, one that is only about them.
Grandparents
Grandma and grandpa live far away and miss the dog between visits. A grand-dog ornament hangs in a window or on a kitchen hook, where the face is the first thing they see.
New puppy owners
The new puppy stage goes by fast, and the face you photograph in week one is not the face next spring. A puppy ornament from an early, close shot keeps it.
Birthdays and holidays
Birthday and holiday presents are stressful when they are last-minute, and a made-to-order ornament needs room. Order once you have the photo, and check the shipping page for current times.
Grieving owners
After the loss of a dog the house can feel empty, and a gift can hurt instead of help. A pet remembrance ornament from a favorite photo is gentle, hangs in a window and has no deadline.
Multi-dog homes
With two dogs, one is always left out when a keepsake shows only the other. Order one ornament per dog, each from its own photo, so every face stays clear.
Treating yourself
Buying a keepsake for yourself can feel awkward, yet your camera roll is already mostly dog. Treat yourself, just because: one photo, one ornament, no occasion needed.
Why a tight crop and the original file matter
Because an ornament shows your dog's face small, a close crop works better than a full-body shot: the head fills the frame, which means the eyes and nose stay readable. Keep the whole head in view, since a crop that cuts an ear leaves the design nothing to work with.
Start from the original file instead of a screenshot, because a screenshot has already lost pixels before anything is cropped to a face. There is no proof step, so the photo check is the safeguard: we look at every photo before it prints and email you if it is too small, dark or blurry.
Custom dog ornament questions
Is there a proof to approve before my ornament prints?
No, there is no proof step. We check every photo before it prints, and if yours is too small, dark or blurry for something this size, we email you for a better one.
Can personalized pet ornaments show two dogs?
Check the product page, which shows whether a design takes more than one dog and how many. In a home with several dogs, one ornament per dog usually reads better than every face squeezed onto one small ornament.
Can an ornament have a photo on both sides?
It depends on the design, and the product page shows which sides print. Ornaments turn on their hangers, so a single-sided print spends half its time facing the branches; a dog ornament with a picture on both sides, or the name and year on the back, always shows something worth seeing.
Should I choose a photo ornament or a 3D figure?
Choose a photo ornament for the exact face and expression, and a 3D figure for coat pattern, color and build. The photo is literal, while the figure is closer to a miniature of the dog, so compare finished examples before you decide.
Can I add a name or a date?
Where a design takes text, keep it short: one name and a year read from across the room, and a full sentence does not. Check the spelling carefully before you order.
Is a black or brown dog harder to get right on an ornament?
Dark coats need more light. A black or brown dog photographed indoors can lose its eyes at ornament size, so photograph dark dogs outdoors or next to a bright window, and skip photos where the face is in shadow. A light background behind the dog helps the outline too.
When should I order an ornament for Christmas?
Each ornament is made to order after you check out and shipped with USPS tracking. Check the current production and delivery times on our shipping page before a holiday, and order with room to spare.
Can I change or cancel my ornament order?
You have 12 hours after ordering to email us a change or a cancellation, as long as the ornament has not gone to print. After that, a personalized ornament can't be returned for a change of mind, but a print defect, shipping damage or a wrong item within 30 days of delivery gets a remake or a refund; see our returns page.
Keep reading
Have a close, sharp photo of your dog's face? That is all an ornament needs, and for a keepsake you can wear, MyDogPics prints the same face all over dog face pajamas. You get 25% off your 2nd item and free US shipping on every order, plus 30 days to have it remade or refunded if it arrives with a print defect, damaged or wrong.
Start with how it works See the photo guide