Make your own creative dog toys

With homemade dog toys you can give a lot of pleasure to your treasure. In addition, regular play units are good for the health of your pet and also strengthen your bond. You’re not an architect, carpenter or tinkering genius and unfortunately can’t construct a sophisticated game landscape for your darling? Don’t worry, the simplest ideas often bring the most joy. Your dog doesn’t care how expensive or exclusive the toy is. The main thing is that you have fun together and it stays new and exciting.

TOBALIE would like to stimulate your imagination with a few simple craft tips. Find out here how you can make great dog toys yourself and what you should keep in mind.

Tips for the handicraft corner

Old newspapers, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, paper scraps, but also plastic bottles and other packaging materials offer a quick solution as crackling filling material for burrowing crates with a fun guarantee for small and large dogs. The recycling materials can also be used for foraging games and other intelligence toys. In autumn, leaves, tree bark or large fir cones are ideal for digging. Maybe your little pal will even find some hidden treats.

Discarded socks and garments are an excellent base for cuddly toys and chews: Simply sew the open fabric edges together and leave enough space to stuff. You can then decorate and fill the finished toy as you wish. If you want to give your darling a special treat, mix some dried earth, pieces of wood, herbs or other natural substances with the filling material to sniff. 

Do-it-yourself ideas

• Search box: Simply measure out a sturdy cardboard box or an old wooden box and line it with many smaller boxes, depending on the size. Even the box itself usually has a magical attraction. Now hide another surprise for your treasure in each box. Everything that’s fun can go inside: treats, balls, toys, differently filled scented bags, natural materials, etc. will amaze your darling.
• Sniffing carpet: Simply attach fabric strips to a rubber mat and distribute treats for searching.
• Dog-Origami: Small treats packed in origami figures are a welcome way to surprise your darling. If this is too expensive for you, you can simply crumple the treats into paper. Your dog will enjoy dismantling them anyway.
• Toilet paper rolls: You can conjure up creative hiding places in no time from customary toilet paper or kitchen rolls. Just add some treats, fold the ends, and you’re done. You can also use paper to stuff the holes so your treasure has to pull it out to get the goodie.
• Chew bone: All kinds of imaginative chew toys can easily be made from some colourful scraps of fabric. Take a few longer stripes and turn them into a garland. As soon as you have prepared enough garlands, you can twist them into a thick “sausage”. Secure both ends with a knot and the homemade chew toy is ready for use.
• Pine cones: Search for a pine cone and put some treats between the “scales”. Your dog not only may eat them out but also disassemble the fir cone.
• Bottle game: Make two parallel holes in a plastic bottle, a little over half. Put a stick through. Now you can make a frame for it or just hold it yourself. Throw a goodie into the bottle. If your dog nudge the bottle with his nose it will turn and the treat will fall out.

If you don’t have enough time make a toy by yourself, just take a look in the onlinehop. There you can find a lot of species appropriate toys.

Caution is required with the following things

• Small objects that can be swallowed (marbles, stones, …)
• Point and sharp objects (needles, metal edges, paperclips, …)
• cords (elastic bands, threads, …)
• craft materials (glitter, glue, foils, …)

Observe your fuzzy friend playing and make sure that nothing is swallowed and that there is no risk of injury to your treasure.