Our dogs have always enjoyed rope-style tug toys -- especially if they have things attached to them and incorporate different textures.
If your dog loves to tug and you have a little free time on your hands, then you can make your dog a tug toy for free using things you already have around the house. Basically, all you need to do is braid together pieces of rope or fabric, and add a tennis ball or other dog toy (like a Kong) for added challenge and bounciness.
Making your own dog tug toys sure beats paying $15 for a tug toy at the pet store! Granted, they probably won't last as long, but I've had dogs destroy expensive tug toys in less than a day before. So, if you've got the materials lying around the house anyway, then why not make some fun and interesting tug toys for your dog?
Here are some easy ways to make tug toys for your dog...
First, A Warning:
I do want to make one thing clear...
I strongly recommend that you watch your dog closely anytime he is playing with a tug toy that he can easily tear to shreds or otherwise destroy.
The reason? Because you don't want your dog to swallow any long strings, scraps of fabric, or rope. Long stringy items can wreak havoc on your dog's tummy and can get caught up in the intestines or even cut off circulation in some cases.
So, be sure to cut off and remove any long & loose parts that your dog may have shredded, as you notice them.
In our house, tug toys are not long-lived. They only survive a few play sessions anyway -- depending on your dog's level of chewing and hard play. That's why it's usually better to make tug toys than to buy 'em!
Tug Toy Instructions
Make A Tennis Ball Tug Toy For Your Dog
What you need:
1 old towel
1 tennis ball
How To Make A Tug Toy From Jeans
What you need:
old jeans
sewing needle
strong thread
What you need:
2 Kong toys
synthetic sheepskin fleece material
What you need:
1 tennis ball
rope
Make A Braided Fabric Dog Tug Toy
What you need:
long strips of fabric
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thanks for the help, sortof, my dog loved it but hes huge now he chews any thing he can make dust out of bowling balls in 45 seconds. any advice for much larger dogs.
Rosemary -
Well, I guess it's about as safe as any 'ol rope toy.
But you make a good point...
And chances are you won't be able to braid it nearly as tight as the store-bought versions -- so that means it probably will unravel a bit faster/easier.
Every toy and every dog is different. Go with your gut, as for what's best for your dog. If she's able to chew large pieces off, I'd be concerned too. I wouldn't let her play with it unsupervised either.
Nice idea, but IS IT SAFE? - we made one just like this for our new buddy malamute/lab. After ignoring it for 3 days she decided to start chewing pieces off it and eating them.... Terrified it's going to get stuck somewhere.....