Homemade Toys for Dogs

Considerations

• What's most important to your dog is she gets to play and interact, not how much the toy cost or what color it is. Your primary criterion in making dog toys is to ensure they are safe. You need to know your dog--if she's a destructo-dog who enjoys ripping toys apart, make sure they're made out of materials she isn't likely to ingest. Be careful about using balls or other items that can be swallowed. Also avoid making confusing toys, especially for puppies who have not learned to discriminate. Giving her knotted socks or a shoe to play with quite understandably makes her think all socks and shoes are fair game.

Tug Toys

• You can go to a pet store and buy an imported $10 knotted rope toy, or you can go to the hardware store and buy rope for well under $1 per foot and custom-make a toy for your dog. Choose softer ropes like cotton and hemp blends, which are less likely than some synthetic ropes to shred into short, indigestible threads. Strips of fleece, either store-bought or cut from old sweat pants, work well too. Pick a width suited to your dog's size, or braid thinner material into thick tug toys. Make them any length or combinations of lengths for multiple dogs to play with.

  Dogs who are highly prey-driven and love to chase will enjoy ripped-up dog toys, scraps of leather or denim knotted into the rope because it flaps enticingly. Cut holes in tennis balls and pass rope through, knotting it to secure the ball; this also makes it easier to throw tennis balls further. Many dogs love the crunchy sound and texture of plastic water bottles; these easily can be threaded onto rope and replaced when squished beyond recognition. Use your imagination and your dog's preferences to craft toys using rope, fleece and other objects. If you're sure your dog can differentiate between sock toys and your own socks, use knotted socks instead.

Duct Tape and Other Toys

• Plastic milk jugs and water bottles also make good interactive toys. Remove the cap because it can be a choking hazard. Put a few treats inside and let your dog figure out how to get the goodies out. Hide treats or a ball or favorite soft toy inside folded-up toilet paper or kitchen towel tubes.

  Most dogs love sticks, but they can be messy if brought inside and potentially dangerous for dogs who chew them into sharp splinters. Make a non-messy, safe stick toy with duct tape. Find a stick that's the right size and shape for your dog. Remove loose bark and wrap it thickly with several layers of duct tape. Because duct tape (electrical tape works for smaller sticks) comes in many colors and patterns, you can make duct tape sticks suitable for gifts.

  For traditional stuffed toys, just about any sort of fabric can be cut into shapes and filled with stuffing.