Providing your canine companion with a good variety of dog toys is important for their wellbeing. It ensures they have lots of different play options and helps with their cognitive development. If you want your dog to have something a little different, or you just don't want to spend out on new toys, DIY dog toys are a great idea. Not only are they fun to make they are a sustainable way to give your dog lots of fun.
How do you make an indestructible dog toy?
If your dog tends to destroy their toys, a few homemade dog toys made from recycled materials is the ideal solution that will also provide your dog with hours of fun. Here are a few ideas for you to try.
Sock-covered tennis balls
If you have some odd socks in good condition, use them to cover a couple of tennis balls, which will stop your dog from accidentally inhaling them and help them last longer. You can also add in one or two squeaky balls to give your dog a fun surprise.
Nylon rope toys
Tightly plait a couple of lengths of nylon rope together into different shapes to give your dog a fun and durable chew toy. You can even try making a doll by threading some plaited nylon through a tennis ball to make the head and twist the rope into a torso, legs and arms.
DIY dog toy treat feeder
Drill some large holes into a short length of PVC pipe and put some tasty dog treats inside. The PVC piping should stand up to gnawing and chewing and not be too hard on your dog's teeth. They'll enjoy the challenge of trying to knock the treats out of the hole.
3 Easy to make DIY dog toys
You really don't have to be a crafty person to make some DIY dog toys that your pup will enjoy. Not all DIY projects have to be complicated. Here are three easy to make DIY dog toys.
1. Tennis ball puzzle
This is a simple way to entertain your dog and doesn't take any time or effort to put together. Simply put some dog treats in a muffin tin and hide them by placing tennis balls over them. Your dog will have endless fun sniffing the balls and knocking them out of the way to get to the treats. And once they've eaten all the treats, they'll have great fun playing with the tennis balls.
2. Plastic bottle toy
A great way to reuse old plastic bottles is to cut some fabric scraps into different-sized strips. Make sure you have one large section that you can use to wrap the bottle in. Then put the bottle in the middle of the biggest piece of fabric and wrap it tightly, ensuring you cover both ends. Make ties around the bottle and fabric to keep everything in place with the rest of the strips. You can add as many ties as you like and plait any excess fabric to create different textures. Your dog can then get to work chewing the bottle.
3. Scrap fabric DIY dog toy
This is another great DIY project for using any scrap material you may have lying around. Cut the material into long strips. Depending on how big your dog is and how big you want the toy to be, you can make these strips different sizes. Roll the fabric strips into tube shapes and tie them at the top. You then need to plait the strips together and secure them at the other end.
3 DIY dog toys you can make from items in your house
One of the great things about making your puppy toys is that you can often use items you already have in your house. It's a sustainable way to give your dog some new toys. And as you made them for free, it doesn't matter if the toys end up lost or destroyed. Here are three DIY dog toys you can make from items you find in your home.
1. DIY flirt pole
This is a great fun toy you can use to move dog toys around the floor. All you need is a wooden stick, some bungee rope or string and an old dog toy. Forage for a good-sized stick on your next walk and tie the string to one end of the stick and tie the toy to the end. Now all you need to do is wave it near your dog for them to try to catch. Just make sure you are careful when playing sticks with your dog.
2. Hide-and-seek shoebox
This toy is all about testing out your pup's nose and getting them doing some scent work at home. Find some empty containers that you have around, such as clean margarine or ice cream tubs or some shoeboxes. Group the containers together on the floor and put some tasty (and smelly) treats inside one or a few of them. Then let your dog have a good sniff of all the containers to try to find the hidden treasure. You can make it easier for your dog by poking some holes in the tops of the containers. But once they've got the idea of what they need to do, you can begin increasing the challenge by just putting treats in one of the containers and spreading them around the floor.
3. T-shirt or jeans tug-of-rope toy
Get an old t-shirt or pair of jeans and cut them into long strips around three inches thick. Take three of the strips and begin plaiting them as tightly as possible into a rope. Continue until you have three completed ropes, and then plait them together. You'll now have a tough plaited rope that makes a great tug-of-rope toy. Thread the plaited rope through a tennis ball and tie some tight knots a few inches apart. Using jeans will make the rope extra durable, but it's a good idea to stitch the fraying edges to avoid unravelling.
Shop bought dog toys can be expensive and don't always last very long. Try out these ideas for making your very own DIY toys and see how much fun your dog can have. What will you make first?
