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| Dexter on the Slide © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Let's face it - dogs love to chew and pull! Dog toys provide a great option for letting your dog have fun while shredding their favorite toy. But it can become very expensive to keep replacing these toys.
So why not make your own homemade toys for your dog? DIY dog toys are cheaper, quick to make and can be customized for your dog, including size, durability and interactivity. Some toys will even help your dog improve his or her problem-solving skills.
However, use your best judgment to keep your dog safe, remove the toy immediately if your dog starts to chew or swallow any pieces. We aren’t responsible for any injuries caused from the following homemade dog toys tutorials – so please play responsibly!
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| Muffin/Cupcake/Ball Game © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Muffin/Cupcake/Ball Game:
1. All you need is a muffin/cupcake baking pan, balls and some kibble or treats to play this game.
You can use a 6, 12 or even 18-cup pan. The pan can be a tin, silicone or even disposable foil pan.
I prefer to use street hockey balls and pool balls for this instead of tennis balls, since I can wash them and these balls seem to last forever!
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| Mini Cupcake/Ball Game © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Put a bit of kibble or a special treat in each muffin cup, put a ball on top, and let your dog figure out how to get to their kibble/treat!
Some dogs, like my Denny, thought this was too much work, and took a while to warm up to this game. But Dexter figured it out quickly and now tosses the balls out quickly and efficiently to play this game and get to his treats!
Got a tiny dog that couldn't play this game because the balls are too big? Use a mini cupcake tin and hollow practice golf balls instead!
More info and video: DIY Interactive Game for Dogs - How to Make a Dog Game Puzzle
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| Water Bottle Toy © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Water Bottle Toy:
2. All you need is an empty water bottle and a sock to make this.
When you finish drinking from your water bottle, just grab a sock that is at least 5 inches longer than the bottle.
Add some kibble to the water bottle for an added shaky noise!
Put the water bottle into the sock and tie a knot at the open end of the sock.
Tie the knot tight, as your dog may chew on it and it could become loose over time.
If your dog is a heavy chewer, use several socks to protect the bottle and make it take longer for your dog to get to the bottle. Simply cover the bottle with one sock, twist at the top of the bottle and fold back. Then starting at the top, cover with a second sock, twisting at the bottom and folding back.
You can keep going with sock layers, or add one more sock and tie a knot.
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| Snuffle Mat © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Snuffle Mat
3. You can make your Snuffle Mat out of anything with big enough holes to thread the fleece thru.
It is suggested to use a rubber door mat, but since I have a latex allergy, I looked for a different alternative.
I found a plastic square of fake grass at the Dollar store, and just pulled off the plastic grass tuffs first.
I cut up a polar fleece dog blanket
(also found at the Dollar store) into 1 inch by 16 inches long strips.
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Snuffle Mat © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com
All rights reserved |
That turned out to be a bit long, so you could cut them shorter. But in the end it turned out OK.
It took three dollar store dog blankets to cover a 12 inch square.
Knot one strip in every hole, and when you are done, just toss in some kibble or treats and let your dog
snuffle
for it!
Instructions and Videos: Snuffle Mat Mayhem -
How to Make a Snuffle Mat - Puzzle Game for Dogs -
Making a Snuffle Mat
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| Braided Rope Toy © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Braided Rope toy:
4. No-Sew Rope Toy - This is really easy and quick to make — I am sure you already have everything you need to get started.
I wanted a few different colours in my toys, so I used four t-shirts, but then I ended up with six toys.
So you probably could make this with just one old t-shirt. Perfect for chewing and tug-of-war!
Step 1: Cut 15-30 pieces, 1-2"
(2.5-5 cm) wide in 16"-30"
(40-76cm) long.
(Or even longer if you want!)
(Small dog - 15-20 pieces, 1" wide, Large dog - 20-30 pieces, 1"-2" wide).
Step 2: Divide your 15-30 pieces into 3 piles of 5-10 pieces each.
Step 3: Tie a knot in one end, making sure to pull tightly on the tassels so there’s at least an inch dangling after the knot. Separate your pieces into three sections, and make a few braids, as snugly as you can, leaving at least 5 inches for your second knot.
Step 4: Make a knot on the other end. You are done!
Denim Knot Toy:
5. No-Sew Denim Knot - Got some old tattered jeans? Recycle them into a denim knot toy!
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| Denim Knot Toy © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
All you need is an old pair of jeans and scissors. Cut off one leg to a length of about 26" (66cm) . At each open end, cut up towards the middle to make fringes 1" wide by 8" long (2.5x20cm).
(Optional)
Then grab both ends firmly and make a loop. Tie into a knot and pull tightly on the knot. And you are done!
Other knot toys can be made of out old socks, dish towels, or hand towels. Use your imagination!
More ideas: Reclaimed Towel dog toy - Sock Chew Toy - Denim Dog Toy - Simple DIY No-Sew Denim Dog Toy
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| Octopus Toy © Catherine Watt of PupVacay.com - All rights reserved |
Octopus/Wubba Toy:
6. No Sew Octopus toy - all you need is a ball and your choice of a old t-shirt, fleece fabric
(think fleece pjs, fleece blanket, fleece jacket, etc), denim jeans, hand towel, dish towel, bath towel - anything you can imagine!
The thinker the fabric, the sturdier the toy - so make with your dog's chewing habits in mind. As you can see the gray t-shirt octopus toys has thin braids, but I used 9"
(23cm) wide fabric pieces.
While the fleece blue and white toy
(made from a fleece blanket) was made with 8"
(20cm) wide fabric strips and yet the braids are much thicker.
So the wider the strips means a thicker, more sturdier toy.
Cut your fabric at least 26"
(66cm) long by 8-9" wide
(20-23cm) - mine were 36"
(91cm) long because that's how much fabric I had. If your fabric is too short, it will be hard to braid it. Cut one more fabric strip about 1" x 12"
(2.5x30cm) for a tie.
Lay the fabric strips in an X, and place the ball in the centre. Wrap the fabric around the ball, and use the fabric tie you cut, wrapping several times and knot. Then cut one "leg" into three, and braid. Repeat for the other three "legs". Tie ends in a knot.
More instructions and video:
DIY Ball Dog toy toss-able toy -
T-Shirt Ball and Tug Dog Toy -
DIY Dog Toy – The Purple Wubba -
DIY Knotted Tee Shirt Strips Dog Toy -
No Sew Fleece Octopus -
DIY Dog Toy: Tennis Ball Buddy
Want even more toys?
Click for 101 Frugal Dog Toys You Can Make (and more!) 
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