Kitchen-Towel Rope
To make this, you’ll need an old kitchen towel.Cut two lines along the length of a towel, equidistant from each other (as if you were cutting it into 3 strips) and stop cutting about an inch from the top. Then braid or plait the towel as you would do with hair. If you have big dogs, for an even tougher toy, braid three complete kitchen towels together and tie the ends (or sew them). As an alternative, old jeans can be used to make an even hardier chew rope.
Rope and Ball Tug Toy
Tug toys help your dog release a lot of excess energy. They are fun to play with and simple to make. All you need is a thick rope, a tennis ball, and a drill. You can also use braided fabric instead of rope.Cut holes on either side of the tennis ball that are just large enough to thread the rope or braided fabric through. Make the rope long enough to play a good game of tug with your dog. Thread the rope through so the ball is centered, and tie knots to keep it in place. You can also tie some knots on the end.
Squeaky Dog Toy
If your dog loves to rip toys apart, this is a great way to recycle the insides. For this, you’ll need some fabric (an old t-shirt or flannel PJs that smell like you is best), some stuffing, a squeaker, and a needle and thread.Cut out two identical shapes from the cloth, like a bone! Choose the side you want for the outside of the toy. Put these sides together and sew around the edges; leave a small opening for the stuffing and squeaker. Turn inside out, push in the stuffing, squeaker, more stuffing, and then sew the opening closed.
Crackling Sock
For this toy, you’ll need an empty plastic bottle and a sock.Safety first – so take the cap off your old bottle and throw it away, it’s a choking hazard. Squeeze all of the air out and pop it inside an old sock and tie a knot at the end to keep it in place. The sound of the crackling plastic will be something your canine will go nuts for if they like noisy toys!
No-Sew Stuffy Toy
For this, get around ½ yard of fleece material for a medium-sized toy. Fold it in half. Draw a heart stencil around 7-inches wide on a piece of paper, cut it out, and tape at the top and bottom in the center of the folded fabric. Leave ample material on the outside to make knots. Cut out a circle around 3-inches away from the heart stencil through both pieces of fleece. Then cut strips of 1-inch width through both sides around the heart shape. Remove the stencil, tie each set of two strips for the top and bottom layer together in a knot. Leave at least two sets of strips untied so you can push in the stuffing. When all the strips are tied, push the stuffing through the opening, and tie the remaining strips into knots.
