Feb 15, 2018

6 Simple DIY Dog Toys

Dogs are active animals and can quite easily get bored and frustrated with the regular working person's schedule. Read here how to spot a bored dog and how to help them! Luckily toys can entertain and keep your doggo busy while you have other things to take care of!

Most dogs love toys, but it can get a little expensive, especially with a rough doggy. And the worst thing is to notice your furry friend really isn't into the new funky toy you just got them. So how about making your own dog toys? It's not such a bummer when they break in battle or maybe you're at a friends house and forgot to bring toys.

Here are six simple DIY dog toys you can make in an instant from stuff you have at the house.

1. The Lazy Man's Puzzle

The simplest way to keep your dog busy for a while is to hide treats inside a bath towel. Just place some treats on the towel and roll it tightly. After playtime, it's easy to just toss the towel in the washing machine and there's no mess left behind!

2. Recycled Tennis Ball

Talking of rough dogs, you probably have some chewed up tennis balls around the house. Let's reuse and recycle them! Cut some slits into them and put small treats in. This simple DIY dog toy will likely keep your pup busy for quite some time. But watch out for loose pieces and don't let your dog eat them.

3. Rag Tug Toy

Playing tug is so much fun and takes a lot of energy, so you'll have a calm tired doggy after playing. Make an easy tug toy out of an old t-shirt or other piece of clothing, cotton is a good material for this use. You can go about this a couple different ways:

Cut the rag into thin long strips, leave two out and divide rest into three parts and braid. Then tie the ends with the left-over strips.
Divide strips into two pieces and start making knots on top on knots until the desired length.
You can also place a ball in the middle of the rag, then tie a strip or a string around the rag and the ball and cut the "tail" into strips. Then braid or tie the strips into a 4 or 5 pieces.

4. Container Fun

There are a lot of household trash that suit the purpose of a dog toy pretty well! Plastic containers such as water bottles and milk jugs can easily be turned into a dog toy by cutting a few holes in them and putting some small treats inside. Cardboard containers and boxes are handy as well, you don't need to cut holes in them, and destroying some cardboard takes a lot of energy. You can put boxes inside of boxes, or containers inside of boxes to make the game harder. Put some treats in every layer to keep the dog motivated. This might leave a mess behind but will take quite some time for your dog to get through.

Remember to keep an eye on your pup, especially if they are the hungry type that may swallow some plastic of cardboard with the treats. If they're the destroyer type, make a container from plastic pipe and lids, then drill in a few holes big enough to let small treats fall out and fill with kibble or small treats.

5. Muffin Tin Game

This is a classic! Turn a muffin tin upside down and put small treats in the slots. If this is too easy for your pup you can also put treats in the little tins and put a tennis ball on top of each. That will keep your dog busy a little longer!

6. Crackle Toy

If your furry buddy likes noisy toys, put some rocks or other sound effects causing things inside a plastic bottle and put the bottle inside a sock and tie it shut or sow fabric around the bottle.