8 dog toys to make at home

Are you a crafty crafter? Do you get excited when you see the letters DIY? Well, welcome then, because you’re in the right place.

Today we’re going to be talking about DIY crafty dog toys. Yes, you can make your own dog toys that are puppy-safe, fun, and durable. The same rules that apply with store-bought toys will apply to your DIY toy—when they are damaged, or if small pieces break off, then it’s time to retire them.

We don’t want your pooch ingesting any parts of the toys that you make for him or her. Also, researchers have found in studies that dogs get bored with old toys, so adding a little variety will provide some mental enrichment for your pup.

It’s also a good idea to rotate which toys are in use and put the older toys away for a while. Sometimes if a dog hasn’t seen or played with a toy for a while, it’s like it’s brand new again!

So, let’s get started:

Crunchy Yarn/Water Bottle Toy

Dogs love it when their toys mimic nature. Since we don’t want your dog crunching on actual bones, we can imitate the sounds and sensations of crunching to a degree with this fun toy. 

Here’s what you will need: 

• A plastic water bottle with no cap. This is important, because dogs are experts at getting caps off of bottles, swallowing them, and then…surgery. So let’s avoid that. 
• Scissors
• A Large Crochet Hook
• Yarn Needle
• 3 Balls of 2.5oz Cotton Yarn
• 4 Size 13 DPN needles

What you’ll need to do first is to make a three stranded yarn ball with the heaviest, most durable yarn that you can find. We want this toy to last! In order to make the knitting easier, wind a center-pull ball of yarn, which we’ll break down how to make for you right here:

• Make an “L” shape with your hand using your index finger and thumb
• Wrap the ends of the yarn around your thumb, securing them under your three remaining bent fingers. The trailing yarn should be hanging past your wrist
• Start by wrapping a figure eight around your extended thumb and index finger with the three yarn strings
• You will soon run out of room on your finger. When this happens, slide the figure eight off of your finger and then keep winding by pinching the yarn in the center of the figure eight. Be sure to keep the shorter end of the yarn close and accessible
• If you leave your thumb pinched in the middle of your figure eight to hold the shorter end in place, it will create a ball shape
• At the end of the yarn, tuck the ends into the ball
• Begin knitting from those shorter ends that you started with (that will be hanging from the middle of your new center-pull ball!)

Now you’ll start stitching. There are some steps to this too:

• First, you will need to cast 24 stitches on one DPN
• Then, slip 2/3 of the stitches onto a second DPN
• Next, slip half of those stitches onto another DPN, which will divide the stitches evenly onto three needles.

Note: You may have to adjust your stitching to the size of your water bottle. 

• With the last DPN, knit each row beginning with the first stitch, and keep knitting across the first needle. It may help to make-believe that you are knitting with two needles (and not four)
• When that needle is finished, it will free that needle to start the next row
• Keep doing this until you have covered your bottle
• Next, you will cast off the stitches from the needles. Be sure to leave 3-4 inches of yarn at the end
• Take your yarn needle and weave in the yarn ends that remain
• Then, you will make your fringe—Cut several 6–8-inch pieces of yarn and put them in groups of three
• Then you will close and tie the knitted ends of the tube using your crochet hook. You will secure the fringe by flattening one of the ends of the tube. To do this, you will fold the yarn strands in half, and then pull the looped end through the stitch with your crochet hook
• Now you will have the loose cut ends of the fringe and a loop. To tighten this up, pull the fringe ends through the loop
• You will do this step over and over until you have a closed end
• To secure it, knot the pieces of the fringed yarn
• Now you can put your empty plastic bottle into the sleeve you made
• Repeat the fringe procedure until the end of the toy is closed, and then double knot each fringe
• Play!

T-Shirt Yarn Toy

You gotta love T-shirt yarn—also known as “tarn,” or “T-Yarn.” It’s made from well-worn T-shirts, so it’s soft and stretchy, but still durable. Perfect!

What you’ll need: 

• Four different colored T-Shirt Yarn skeins
• Scissors

This toy is simpler than the first one. Here are the steps: 

• Cut four of each color yarn strips to 1.5 meters (1.6 yards) long
• Put your four groups next to each other, and then gather all of the ends together and make one big knot with them. Now you will have the ends, the knot, and all of the yarn together below the knot
• Separate the four groups into sets of three, and braid each group so that you now have four braids
• Knot the ends of the braids
• Separate the four braided cords so that you have an + shape
• With your right hand, pinch the top cord at the base of the knot
• Bring it over your thumb so that it is now pointing downward
• Then, take the braid that is the downward-pointing part of the +
• Bring that braid up next to the first braid
• Then, take the left braid of the + and put it down in between the two braids and pull it all the way through
• Next, take your last remaining braid, the right side of the +, and do the same thing—put the end in between the first two braids and pull it through
• Pull on all four sides of the + to tighten it up, and now you have a knot
• Repeat several times until you are at the end of the rope toy—top one down, bottom one up, left side between, right side between, pull tight
• When you have about 10-inches left, undo the knots at the ends of your four braids
• When you have all of the loose ends free, run your fingers through them to separate them from each other
• Then, take the whole bunch of ends and tie another big knot at the end
• Pull on all of the ends individually and then all together to make the knot tight
• Cut the ends straight across all of them so that they are all the same length
• Voila! You just made a doggy rope toy!

Tug of War Ball Toy

For this simple tug toy, you’ll need:

• Scissors
• An old T-shirt
• One tennis ball

For this dog-friendly recycled T-shirt toy, you’ll need to:

• Lay your shirt on a flat surface
• Cut horizontally all the way across the shirt just under the arm holes
• Two-inches below that cut, cut another strip horizontally across the shirt
• Then, about 6-8 inches below that cut, cut another strip horizontally across the shirt. Your shirt will now be in four separate pieces that are shaped like a tube
• Next, cut the ends of the tubes so that they are separate strips
• Then lay two strips in an X shape, and put the tennis ball right in the center
• Next, wrap the ball with all of the shirt layers, so that you have what looks like a lollipop with the ball at the top
• Take the thinner strip and tie it around the base of the ball in a double knot to secure it, which will give you the remaining four wider strips hanging from the ball
• Choose one of the strips, and cut it vertically into three even sections
• Braid the three sections together and knot the end
• Repeat with the other strips
• Start a game of tug of war with your great new toy and your dog!

Some more ideas for DIY Dog toys…

Last, we’ll tell you how to make a DIY dog toy out of old clothes, so round up your old jeans, socks, and T-shirts that you don’t want anymore. If you have long socks, you can just tie a knot in a sock, wet it, and throw it in the freezer—your dog will love it!

Another easy thing to do is to cut your old clothes (jeans, sweatshirts, stuff like that—cotton) into strips, braid it, knot the ends and call it good. Of course you can wet these ones and put them in the freezer to make things more interesting for your dog too. You can also take one of those extra-crinkley water bottles that make a lot of noise (without the cap, of course), put it in a sock, tie the open end in a knot, and there you go.

For an easy food-dispensing toy, cut different shapes into a tennis ball and stuff it with treats—fun!

Lastly, you can do the same thing with any kind of box—a cereal box, any different kind of cardboard box, etc. It does make quite a mess, but this toy provides a safe, inexpensive, eco-friendly way to have fun snuffing and searching around for treats. If your dog happens to swallow a small amount of the cardboard, it won’t hurt him/her. 

So, there you have it — a bunch of ways to scratch your itch to craft, repurpose old things around the house, and provide eco-, dog-, and wallet-friendly ways to play with your pet. You’ll both be happier for it, and you can pat yourself on the back for being environmentally conscious while saving money and being a DIY expert!

Looking for more things to hand-make and DIY for your dog? Check out some of our favorite things to make for dogs. Owning a dog can be very expensive and not only does making your own dog beds, coats and toys seem like fun, it is also a great way to save money on pet supplies too. 

One of our puppy’s favorite homemade dog toy is a soda bottle ½ filled with rice. It is noisy, it flips and spins and has a spout for him to grab. 

Looking for more sewing patterns for your fur baby doggies? Check out these sewing patterns over on Etsy.

No Sew Easy Dog Bed – Quick and easy to make, you will want this soft and fluffy dog bed for every room, if you are looking for more DIY dog beds check out these articles for making your own dog beds.

DIY Dog Shampoo for sensitive skin – Even doggies have allergies and this recipe is for dogs with sensitive skin. 

Recycled TShirt – Dogs Tugga Toy This project was featured in Moderndog magazine and was so fun to make, the best part was ripping up all the old t-shirts. Such a great way to recycle.

Recycled Dog Collar – Pickup old shirts from thrift stores and make fun collars in different colors and sizes. Make sure to measure your dog’s neck before heading out so you know what size to shirt to buy. 

No Sew Dog Wrap –  Made from old human track pants, very affordable to make.

Peppermint Dog Soap –  Stinky dogs are gone, peppermint is soothing and antibacterial too.

Dry Pet Shampoo – Sometimes they haven’t even dried from their bath before they are dirty again, this shampoo helps to brush out the grime.

Dog Cakes – Perfect for dog parties and doggie friend playdates

Dog Biscuits– 16 yummy dog treats you can make yourself at home in the kitchen.

Looking for pet supplies, toys, food, or gift ideas? Check these out.