What Type of Fabrics Are Dog Toys Made Out Of?

Dogs have been man's best friend since about 13,000 B.C., before humans started farming. Dogs were first used to hunt vermin and eat leftover food, keeping away rats. Later, dogs were used for hunting and guarding livestock. Dog toys help channel their hunting and chewing instincts. If you want to make homemade dog toys, you can use many different types of fabrics.

  1. Socks

    • Old socks have humans' scent, and a good dog toy project could utilize a sock that has lost its partner. Place one tennis ball into the sock and tie a knot. This will make a good throwing dog toy. You can also stuff an old plastic water bottle into a long cotton sock and tie the end. Dogs will enjoy the crunchiness of this chew toy.

    Jeans

    • Heavyweight fabric like denim is ideal for a dog toy. Cut out a bone shape with a pair of old jeans. Sew it inside out, leaving an opening to stuff fiberfill into it. Once you stuff it, sew the end closed. There are endless design possibilities. For toys with sounds when your dog chews, use old newspaper or bubble wrap for stuffing.

    Fleece

    • Fleece is a soft, man-made fabric that many store-bought dog toys are made out of. Using an old fleece jacket, you can cut three long strips of fleece fabric. Braid the strips by crossing the outside strips with the middle strip. Tie both ends securely to create a braided tug toy. To make it more elaborate, tie several braids together into bigger tug toy, or braid very long fleece strips together for a giant tug toy.

    Remnant Upholstery

    • Construct a squeaky blanket toy for your dog with heavy-duty remnant upholstery fabric found from upholstery stores. Purchase safe dog squeakers, like the kind you find in store-bought dog toys. Sew and hem a large piece of fabric into a blanket for your pet. Then sew squares of extra fabric onto the blanket with a squeaker inside. If your pet rolls or walks over it, the blanket will squeak, causing the dog to look everywhere for the noise maker.