This is sponsored guest post.
Author byline: Written by Casey Dickson, Rover.com community member. Rover is the nation’s largest network of 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers.
There’s nothing like the feeling of bringing joy to your four-legged, tail-wagging, cold nose-nuzzling friend. As dog owners, we find plenty of ways to do that, of course — dog parks, bacon treats, and belly scratches all come to mind — but one of our favorites right now is to grab simple household items and transform them into pup-friendly toys that entertain, bring delight to, and distract the canine member(s) of the household. These easy projects are cheap and simple to create, and they’re fantastic for a variety of scenarios: for new puppy owners who need a last-minute chew toy to protect the furniture from becoming a masticated mess, to energetic older pups who love trying new toys in order to stay mentally engaged.
Your materials
As for your materials, allow us to introduce you to our favorite concept: the ratty old t-shirt that you don’t have any particular use for, but also haven’t thrown away. This seemingly insignificant item that exists in households pretty much everywhere becomes a genius tool for creating cheap, easy, effective, and delightful do-it-yourself dog toys.
Water bottle option (for the pup who’s all about the noisy toys):
- Grab that plastic water bottle you just threw in the recycle bin.
- Cut a long strip from the shirt, wrap it around the bottle, and tie.
- Hand over to Fido and let the crinkling commence.
Rope option (for the tug-of-war-inclined):
- Cut your t-shirt into three long strips.
- Knot together at one end and braid.
- Knot the rope at the other end and let the games begin.
T-shirt ball (to inspire the fetch-happy):
- Cut a long piece off the shirt.
- Ball up the shirt and wrap the extra piece around the ball and tie in order to keep the round shape.
- Toss for endless retrieving fun.
