Easy, Cheap, DIY Dog Toys

Great Gifts for Your Canine Friend

I know that when I keep my dogs happy and entertained, they just behave better. They are a lot like children in that way. When they get bored – oh no! You better watch out! No telling what you might go into a room and find. Possibly a shredded pillow with feathers flying all over. The kitchen trashcan dumped over and cans and trash all over the kitchen floor. You see where I am going with this. My 11 year old dog will even still get “in trouble” occasionally if I don’t have ways for her to overcome her boredom.

Dogs are super smart. They need their minds to be stimulated. If you don’t provide them with stimulation, they will find it on their own and that most likely will not be a good thing.

They also love to be showered with gifts. When I come home from the store with a new squeak toy or a raw-hide bone, my dogs can barely conceal their excitement. They dance around, wagging their tails so hard and their eyes full of anticipation. It is so cute and fun to see. I think I get just as excited as them.

Just as you show your human friends love and appreciation through attention and gifts, you can show your canine friend how much you love him by spending quality time together and giving him a few special gifts that are perfect for dogs. Remember, though, that no amount of chewy bones or squeaky toys can ever take the place of affection and attention between owner and pet, so make sure you spend time with your furry friend daily and let him know how important he is in your life.

Dogs love to play games, so one of the obvious gifts for your pet is a ball or toy that he can play with individually or with you. Some dogs favor squeaky toys but you should exercise caution – toys should be well constructed so there is no danger of your pet chewing the squeaker out and swallowing it.

Another longtime favorite is the rope toy that allows your dog to chew to his heart ’s content without ruining any furniture or shoes. You can also use the rope to play tug-of-war with your furry friend. Most pet stores carry a wide range of toys to amuse even the most blasé of dogs but the average dog will be fine with some bones and a ball or two.

A good choice for summertime is a hard plastic pool filled with water. Your canine friend will delight in splashing in and out of the cool water, and it will help keep him cool and stay hydrated even in the hottest months. Avoid buying any soft inflatable pools since hard doggie nails can puncture the plastic and quickly turn a pool party into a party pooper.

Keeping Your Dog Happy:

Creative, Recycled Toys for Your Best Friend

A person can spend a great deal of money on dog toys.  Some people can spend hundreds of dollars on toys for their pet dog in a very short amount of time.

But is that really necessary?

If you are interested in making sure that your dog has entertaining toys to play with, you will want to look at some simple items that you can safely use to keep your pet well entertained.

For example, a tennis ball wrapped in a sock and knotted at the end makes for a good recycled toy that your dog will be less likely to swallow. There are many benefits to the tennis ball and sock toy. One of the primary benefits is found in the fact that it is a very inexpensive method of keeping your pet entertained. Rather than spending a good chunk of money on dog toys from the pet store, you can spend nothing on a toy that truly will be something that gives your dog hours of entertainment.

In addition to being cheap, the ball and sock toy is also safe. Oftentimes, even the more expensive toys offered in pet stores turn out to not be as safe as you might like. Unfortunately, many toys end up degrading quickly, breaking a part into smaller pieces that a dog can accidentally swallow and choke on. This is not the case with the ball and sock toy. These handmade toys are extremely durable and you don’t run the risk of your dog swallowing and choking on the ball and sock toy.

When it comes to the ball and sock toy, simple is better — both in terms of cost, entertainment and safety.

Best toys to stimulate your dog’s brain:

Complex balls

Complex balls will not only stimulate the brain of your dog but also train them to play catch. There are different types of balls that contain nodules and have been instilled with sound effects. The sound effects are produced when the ball is thrown or rolled. When they make sounds, a dog’s brain is fast stimulated and gets ready to catch the ball.

There is, however, a DIY inexpensive complex ball that your dog will love even more than something you buy at the store.

It is the DIY Interactive Tennis Ball.

Use an old tennis ball, cut a small slit in it, and fill the ball with small dog treats. Trust me, your dog will love this more than anything you can buy at the store. The treats will rattle around and make a curious sound when the ball is thrown or is shaken and rattled. This will keep your pup occupied and focused for long periods of time while he works to free the treats from the ball. This is also a great toy for teaching and reinforcing strategy and focus.

Pull toys

Pull toys help satisfy the need for a dog to chew. It can also create a fun game for you and your pup to play together. Hold a pull toy on one side and let your dog pull the other side. This is so fun for your pup as he wants to pull the whole rope to his side. Pull toys can be easily chewed by dogs. The chewing helps to keep the dog busy and occupied. A pup parent can also train the dog on how to play with a pull toy; helping him to improve mentally.

An easy DIY pull toy can simply be an old, long tube sock. A sock with a missing match is even better. Put it to use and play tug-of-war with your pup instead of just throwing in the trash.

You can also take an old pair of denim jeans, cut a long strip from the leg, knot on both ends, give your pup one end, you take the other and pull. The denim should be stronger and more durable then just cloth or cotton articles so should last a lot longer and can tolerate the aggressive pulling.

Treat puzzles

Puzzles are liked by adults. They impact largely on the thinking capacity of humans. They help develop good thinking skills. Treat puzzles for dogs also stimulate a dogs brain. You can buy treat puzzles made of rubber and therefore they pose less harm to dogs. Stuff the colorful toys with sweet treats. Your dog is then supposed to figure out how to remove the treats from the toy.

Here is a DIY treat puzzle option that your dog will surely love just as much.

You may already have some PVC piping around your house but if not, you can purchase at your local hardware store very inexpensively. Just place some treats in the strategically placed holes along the shaft of the piping and your pup will be entertained for hours while rolling the pipe around to make the treats fall out.

Multi-sensory toys

These are toys that target an improvement of sensory senses in a dog. Toys that make noise for instance improve the communication skills of a dog.

The water bottle toy is a favorite multi-sensory toy at our house and is ridiculously easy and cheap to make. Simply put an empty water bottle in an old sock. Tie a string around the sock opening to keep the bottle securely inside and that is literally it. Your pup will love chewing on it and will like the feel of the plastic bottle on his teeth and the crinkly sound that the bottle makes.

A bone also stimulates the brain of a dog. It helps to make him active and alert.

Instead of buying a plastic bone or even a raw-hide from the store, you can make your own “bone.” I like to make homemade pupsicles. I make them with natural ingredients and then freeze them. After they have frozen, I store in a freezer bag and periodically give to my pups to use as a fun, stimulating chew toy as well as a special treat.

My pups especially love these treats:

Yogurt Pups

16 ounces plain nonfat yogurt

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules

 

Icy Paws

2 cartons plain or vanilla yogurt (32 oz each)

1 small can tuna in water (8oz.)

2 tsp. garlic power

24 3 oz. plastic cups (not paper)

Open yogurt, if they are full to the top use a spoon & scoop out one cup.(these will be frozen as plain yogurt). Put half of the can of tuna in each yogurt container add the garlic power (1 tsp. in each) & stir thoroughly.

Use a spoon & scoop the mixture into the cups. Place on a tray & freeze overnight.

Makes about 24 treats.

VARIATIONS:Mix in garlic powder, brewers yeast & fennel seed.Veggie Delight: Mix in cooked peas or other vegetables. Chicken Icy Paws: use canned chicken instead of tuna Potassium Boost: Add in a mashed banana.

Dissolve bouillon in water, Combine water and yogurt in blender and blend thoroughly, Pour into small containers for freezing, cover and freeze.

Dog toys can go a long way in not only keeping your fur baby entertained and out of trouble but also great tools for teaching, stimulating and creating fun games that you and your pup can play together. And despite what the pet stores want you to believe, you do not need to spend much, if any, money at all to create fun and entertaining games and toys for your pet.

Give some of these DIY ideas a try and let me know in the comments what your pup thinks. Better yet, if you have a “tried and true” DIY toy or game, drop it in the comments so we can all give it a try.