Dog toys are essential in providing your pup with entertainment and exercise, but they can be costly. One way to save money by crafting homemade dog toys with items you already have on hand can be creating them yourself!
Make a snuffle mat for your pet using fleece and plastic mat. They will love sniffing around to find treats in its holes!
1. Chicken Nesting Box Treat Toy
Engaging high drive dogs by giving them toys with treats and puzzles can be a fun way to keep them engaged, especially during play sessions. Daily Dog Tag offers this DIY toy, consisting of a chicken-warning box frame connected with PVC pipe and two 2-liter soda bottles which allow pups to spin around to retrieve treats from within it.
This toy may not be as engaging, but it’s still an effective way to reuse old socks that no longer see action. According to Barkington Post, you could add extra life and extend its usefulness by crinkling and wrapping it with fabric from an old T-shirt tee shirt.
Permacrafters provides another great tee-shirt treat: make this tennis ball rope toy from their easy tutorial! Even craft-challenged pet parents should be able to manage this project easily, or braid the material as described above for added texture for chewing or tugging pleasure from their pup!
2. PVC Pipe Treat Toy
Dogs love chewing on plastic bottles, but chewing on these empty containers is often unsafe for their teeth and poses a choking hazard. Blogger New Leaf Nickie provides an innovative alternative with this DIY toy: simply cover an upcycled water bottle in upcycled tee shirt fabric before twisting and tying strips of fabric around its twists for security.
Create an identical toy from old 2-liter bottle caps and your collection of rope. Instructables Living’s tethered treat dispenser is an example of such an activity, taking traditional tennis ball toss to a whole new level!
Pretty Fluffy has come up with another easy DIY toy idea in the form of this no-sew heart toy, making an excellent option if your pup loves tugging toys but lacks sewing experience to construct more complex plush toys.
3. Tennis Ball Toss Toy
Your dog might quickly exhaust all available toys, leaving an impressive pile of remains on the ground. But by crafting your own interactive toys from materials destined for waste, you can keep him entertained while saving money!
This DIY project only needs three components: a 2-liter bottle, some tee shirt fabric and some treats. Simply crumple up the bottle, wrap it in fabric strips from a T-shirt and twist and secure. Add treats before throwing it to your dog to chew on and tug. Although this cognitive toy can be easily assembled in less than an hour, be mindful that eating fabric strips could present a choking risk and supervise their use to ensure safe play sessions!
4. Dog Pupsicle
Dogs that prefer burying toys can be challenging to entertain. Toys that require mental effort from puppies are an effective way to engage them; try the DIY puzzle toy from CrazyRussianHacker that dispenses treats or kibble for your pup to find!
BARK has come up with another easy DIY toy perfect for pups who enjoy chewing: this rocket popsicle plush toy features both crinkle noises and two squeakers for maximum fun!
If there are socks left from each laundry load that went untouched by those mysterious forces that seem to take one for themselves, use them as toys for your pup! Simply cut down the seams of an old sock and wrap a tennis ball inside of it before tying off its remaining strips with fabric ties to complete this project.
5. Muffin Tin Puzzle
If your pup loves destroying toys, try crafting this nearly indestructible chew toy from sweet potato and rope for easy playtime and cost efficiency – the ideal DIY project to occupy their busy minds!
Convert unused socks and jeans into an engaging toy for your four-legged friend with Permacrafters’ simple tutorial on creating this Tee(shirt)-ball toy.
Enrichment toys like this one provide your dog with mental stimulation that encourages problem-solving skills while familiarizing your puppy to your home’s sights, smells and sounds. Try your hand at DIY enrichment games for quick results that are engaging yet cost-effective; in no time at all you will have created an engaging yet cost-effective toy!
6. Repurposed Clothes
Even with an extensive toy box full of stimulating toys, some dogs still become bored quickly. You can keep them engaged by creating these easy DIY dog toys from old clothing and fabric scraps.
Cut strips from an old shirt that smells of both you and your pup to create short teething toys or long tug ropes for your dog to play with. For heavy chewers, braid the fabric into ropes for extra bulk against their teeth and claws.
Hide treats in a muffin tin to create an enrichment toy for your pup that will stimulate both their nose and brain, but be sure to supervise play and inspect for damage regularly.
7. Tattered Towels
Some dogs are powerful chewers who can destroy even the toughest toys within seconds, leaving a trail of destruction behind. Such toys tend to end up in toy graveyards quickly; keeping your pup entertained with these might prove costly over time if replacement costs keep mounting up.
As long as your household contains some basic household supplies, there’s likely something available that you can use to craft DIY dog toys. A sock with a squeaker and tennis ball could easily turn into an amusing homemade toy for your pup!
Use old towels to create fun puzzle toys for your dog! Simply wash the towel to eliminate any scents, cut strips lengthwise and braid them before filling them with treats for your pup to discover!
