Sophie and I were having one of our play sessions today, something we both really enjoy and I thought to myself, she’s a very lucky girl; she’s got lots of love, good food, good friends and yes, lots of toys. And as I looked around at those lots of toys, I thought it would be great to find some great homemade options for those of us this holiday season who are a bit crafty, who may be on a budget or may just want to experiment and have the fun of making something for their dogs themselves. So this will be a series of DIY holiday gift ideas for your dog that also look great. Let’s start with toys.
I get a really good feeling when I make something myself. It may take me a little while, because I’m not very experienced on a sewing machine and I get a bit nervous, but when I follow through and finish the project, it’s such a great feeling! So when I was looking for fun DIY dog toy projects to recommend to you, I made sure they are not too difficult to do. In other words, something I could do if I set my mind to it. Here are some I’d recommend. Like with any homemade toy, please always supervise your dog’s play with them. Better safe than sorry.
Pet Craft-28 Great Toys, Gifts and Accessories for Pet Lovers (above) is a very cool book I found on Amazon that tells you how to make all sorts of pet crafts. It’s broken into four sections, one of which is dog and cat toys. But also included are sections on pet accessories, crafts for kids and pet celebration-oriented crafts. A great book to have around the house. It’s author, Heidi Boyd, has written twelve craft books, specializes in kids’ crafts and is a regular contributor to Better Homes & Gardens, Crayola Kids magazine and Family Fun magazine.
Debbie Colgrove has a clear, step-by-step way to make a plush dog bone toy. You can vary the size of the pattern, which she has a link to, depending on your dog’s size
DIY Dog Bone Toy
and choose a fabric that is as durable as you need it to be, depending on how big or aggressive a chewer your dog is. I like that this toy, when completed, looks homemade in a charming way and, if you wanted to make it a holiday gift, you would choose fabric with holiday colors. I would stay away from fabric that has metallic threads. It may look great but is probably not a good idea for your dog. Stick with 100% cotton, whether it be a strong twill or canvas or a thinner cotton for a small dog who doesn’t play hard with his toys. You can also either use two layers to make the bone stronger if the fabric isn’t too thick (I wouldn’t recommend two layers of canvas, in other words), or you can line the inside of the toy with a washed muslin so the cotton fibers are closely knit and strong. And I would find a safe filler like polyfill to stuff the toy. Here’s a picture of the finished dog bone toy.
DIY Pom Pom Ball
I love this fleece pom pom ball from Sherri Osborn. It is easy to make, her instructions are clear and it’s such fun. Sophie loves her toys that have streamers, bits she can tug, swing around. Again, you can choose holiday colors for your fleece or, if you are someone who sews and have some leftover fleece around the house, you can use that too. If you want to get even more creative, you can make a dual colored ball. And, if it’s cotton you have around the house instead of fleece, this toy will work with that, as well. When you’ve finished, your dog will have a colorful pom pom that she can play with for hours. Here’s a picture of the finished pom pom toy.
ChemKnits has a great, adorable pattern for a knit dog ball. The complete knitting pattern is there. I’m not a knitter, so I can’t tell you if it’s an easy pattern, but if you are, please get back to me and let me know if this is clear and concise and not too difficult to do. There is a video tutorial on the site of how to “felt” your knit dog ball so that the stitching is
DIY Knit Ball
no longer visible and the ball is much tighter. The recommendation is that you don’t overstuff the ball with polyfill so that, when it shrinks a bit from the felting process, it isn’t too tight. I love the end result; a fuzzy, soft ball that the little dog in the story and videos, Indiana, seems to really love. One of the videos also gave me a good idea for a toy storage bin for Sophie! And please, as with all knit dog toys and some of the other handmade toys, supervise your dog while playing with it.
The Bark Post has a wonderful page called 33 Dog Toys You Can Make From Things Around the House, that takes you through
Rope w/Sweet Potato Chew
everything from pull toys made with old t shirts or old rags, to crinkly soda bottle toys, to brain teasers, to frozen toys for your dog. Easy to make and very practical and a great way to put to good use old stuff like jeans, t’s, bottles and rope. There are too many to go into here so click on the link and see what tickles your fancy!
And for those of you who might be interested in a book on how to make your own dog toys that you can keep on your shelf and refer to over and over again, here’s a good one from Amazon called
DIY Dog Toys-Buy It Here
Silly Dog Toys: 12 Easy Projects That Will Make Your Dog Smile. You can check it out here.
I hope I’ve given you some ideas for fun, easy toys to make for your pup. If you get started now, you’ll be able to get at least one done in time for the holidays, maybe more. I would love to hear from you on how things worked out and please reach out if you have any questions.
Let your creative juices flow and have fun!
Until next time…
