DIY Dog toys, treats and gear

Dog toys, treats and gear can be expensive. Some things are a neccesity to purchase and not make yourself (like a crate, ID tag, nail trimmers and grooming gear, kibble), but there are other items you may not know are super easy to make yourself. Think of the joy you will have watching your dog play/use your creation and the $$ you will save!

Tug Toys

Tug toys are super easy to make at home, and cheap. My flyball team mates taught me about this. I prefer to use fleece and personally don't like purchasing rope toys since the rope can be hard on sensitive teeth.

Step one: go to a fabric store and buy a yard or two of your favorite fleece design. You can also use fabric scraps at home if you are already crafty.
Step two: decide how long and what strength your tug needs to be.
Step three: cut your fabric strip into 3 pieces for a basic braid (multiple pieces for a more advanced design).
Step four: knot your end, braid and knot the bottom end.

Below is a video showing what I just described for the more visual learners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAq1jEAlM-8

Treat Dispensing Toys
These types of toys keep dogs busy, free of boredum and out of your hair for a while! There are many treat dispensing toys on the market; Kongs, Busy Buddies, Treat stik, Maze-a-ball etc., and I do own all of those, but there are many times where I make my own for my dogs as well. They enjoy variety and when I purchased my first Kongs and other toys, I wasn't aware of the possibilities of toys I could make at home.

Step one: find a container of some sort to house the treats. This can be a box, a water bottle, a 2 liter bottle, a plastic container that held potato salad or something, a milk jug. Pretty much anything made out of paper or plastic.
Step two: if the container is sealed shut, cut a hole or a few just big enough for the treats to come out. Depending on your dog, choose how difficult you want the toy to be. For boxes, I don't cut holes, I just shut the box by folding the corners over each other.
Step three: place treats or food in the toy and give to the dog.
Be sure to supervise with these toys and take away promptly if the dog starts to shred and eat paper or plastic.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup?blend=1&ob=5#p/search/0/pZl9JxFh0s4

Tire Toy
Do you have a big chewer? Do you have a sturdy tree? Then this toy is for you, ahem, I mean, your dog!

Step one: obtain a tire, preferably, a small wheelbarrow tire. You can get these from hardware stores if you don't have access to one second hand. It is much cheaper than buying the dog version at the petstore.
Step two: get some strong rope to tie around the tire. Tie the other end around a sturdy tree branch.
Step three: place food, like peanut butter, in the tire if your dog needs a little help figuring out the fun the tire can offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goB7cl8Nc_I

Frozen Treat
Hot day? Hot dog? Try this super simple treat.

Step one: find a small freezer safe container.
Step two: place water in the container or broth or yogurt or any dog-safe base of your choosing.
Step three: sprinkle kibble or treats or any dog-safe ingredient into the base.
Step four: freeze.
Step five: pop the pupsicle out of the container and serve to your dog outside, in a crate, in a large container to contain the mess or leave in the original container.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KslsK1X_GIg

Sewn Toys
I am not  much of a seamstress. I will sew up already created dog toys that bust a seam or have stuffing sticking out, but I personally, would not have the discipline or even the desire to sew my own dog toy from scratch. If you are interested though, all it takes is some sturdy fabric, stuffing (or not if you choose) and a pattern to sew.

Treats
There are tons of dog treat recipes out there. Some are time consuming and expensive, but others are, well, cheap, easy and awesome! Lucy loved Tuna Fudge (not really fudge, just the consistency), until I found out she was allergic to wheat =(

http://www.dogtreatrecipes.org/

I like the quick and easy tab on this site.

Beds
Dog beds are expensive. Believe me, I once had an addiction to buying beds since I got "such a good deal" at the various pet stores I have worked at. We currently have 9 dog beds, for two dogs. 3 are not in use, and I "re-homed" two big beds prior to our move to California! Two of our favorite mats happen to be homemade by a flyball team mate. I picked out a fleece fabric I liked, gave her the dimensions and she sewed some batting in, made two rectangle designs on it to keep it all straight in the wash and during use and voila, instant, cheap dog bed! If I wanted a more plush bed, more batting could have been added.

Miscellaneous
There are limitless possibilities in gear you can create for your dog. I know someone who made a harness for a small dog out of felt and an old key lanyard that looked pretty awesome and was fully functional. There are people that make their own leather leashes and collars, dog food, dog clothes etc. I bet a search on Etsy.com for any of these items would turn up with a lot of hits.

If you have a cool DIY dog product idea that I missed, or have had fun with any of the above mentioned, please comment!