• Dogs and kids are a natural match, so a dog-themed party will be a big hit.dog image by Ramona smiers from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  Kids love big dogs, and big dogs love kids. So a big dog theme may be ideal for a party. Alternately, you can celebrate your big pooch's birthday party with a dog bash of his own, and have your child invite his friends and their pooches. Because dogs and kids seem to go together about as well as peanut butter and jelly, there's no shortage of ideas for a big dog party.
  
  

Decoration

• The decoration sets the mood for a party, so don't hold back. For a Clifford the Big Red Dog party, hang red and white streamers throughout your home or backyard. Make paw-print cutouts and have them leading guests from the front door to the party area. Make cardboard dog ears of all shapes and sizes that the children can choose from and wear. A large, cardboard box and a can of spray paint can be quickly transformed into a dog house. If dogs will be attending your bash, strategically sprinkle tennis balls and other dog toys throughout the yard.
  
  

Food

• Visit a baking specialty store and buy large dog-biscuit-shaped cookie cutters. You can use these to make "dog biscuits" for the kids, or cut shapes out of sandwiches. Put out trail mix for the children to snack on, but serve it in large, clean dog bowls. Four cupcakes and one loaf cake can be arranged to create a dog bone shape for the cake. If hosting a Clifford party, use red frosting. If real dogs will be in attendance, offer them dog biscuits or attempt to make your own doggy cupcakes. Just remember: no chocolate.
  
  

Games

• One dog-themed game will have kids singing, "Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Somebody stole it from your home. Guess who! Maybe you... Maybe the monkeys from the zoo. Wake up doggy, find your bone." The birthday kid will sit in the middle of a circle of other children with his eyes closed while the other kids chant the song. Give one of the children a bone (or, if real dogs are present, use a cardboard bone). All children will hide their hands behind their backs. When the chant is over, the "doggy" uncovers his eyes and guesses who has the bone. He gets three tries. The person with the bone gets to be the next doggy. Alternately, have the kids play more traditional games with a canine spin. For instance, you can host a relay race in which participants carry a dog biscuit on a teaspoon. If hosting real dogs other than your own, consider placing a couple of baby wading pools in your yard for the four-legged partygoers to splash in.