Your dog loves to play with their favorite toys every day. But dogs also love some variety in their toys and can get bored with ones they’ve had for a long time. It can be expensive to keep buying the latest toy or just be buying new toys constantly. Luckily, you probably have so many items around your house that you can turn into toys made just for your pup! Here are some DIY toys you can make with common household things you were probably going to throw away anyway!
Old T-Shirts
Toss Toy
Odds are you have so many old t-shirts around the house. Take an old shirt or a few and cut them into strips. Braid these together and tie thick knots on one end. Then take a tennis ball and cut through each side enough to fit the braid through. Slide it to the bottom near the knot and then tie another knot on the other end. You can use this as a toss toy or for tugging.
Chew/Sound Toy
If your dog loves chew toys or sounds, this is an easy toy that you can make again and again. Take an old t-shirt and wrap it around a plastic water bottle. Cut longer pieces of the t-shirt to tie around the bottle to keep the shirt in place. It will be a satisfying sound for your dog, while keeping them safe by having them chew on the shirt, not plastic. Try fun colored shirts to make it a more attractive toy.
Ball Toy
This is another easy toy for playing fetch with. All you need is an old shirt, a tennis ball, and a ribbon. Cut the shirt into two long pieces (approximately 6″ x 14″). Then place the ball in the center of the pieces and wrap the fabric around the ball and tie the ribbon tightly around the base. You can then braid the ends or leave the hanging. It is a fun toy to throw to your dog that looks like a rocket in the sky!
Food Toys
Bully Stick Popsicles
This is a great treat for a hot day for any dog that loves ice cubes. Mix water and chicken/beef broth together and pour into an ice cube tray or popsicle tray. Pop them in the freezer and half way through freezing, place a bully stick in the center of each cube. Then after freezing, let your dog go crazy and enough!
Toy Popsicle
This may take some time for your dog to get through, but it will definitely entertain them. Get a large plastic bowl and place a few toy in, along with a mixture of water and chicken broth. Freeze it until solid. Then place it outside with your pup and let them enjoy getting to each toy by licking. It is many toys inside of one toy!
There are so many DIY toys you can make. Give them a try to give your dog a new toy to play with! Get creative and have fun!