DIY Dog Toys You Can Make At Home

Having fun with our dogs need not be time or space-consuming. While new toys are always a bonus, enrichment and entertainment can often be found and created with items that are already existing in our household. Here’s a list of DIY toys for dogs that you can make out of everyday items!

Snuffle Mat

Photo credit: The Dog Edit

A snuffle mat not only keeps our buddies entertained, but also encourages them to use their canine senses to sniff and search out hidden treats among the strands of the mat.¹

Materials required

Cloth (can be from unwanted shirts or any odd scraps of materials you have around the house)/Felt
Scissors
A mesh with wide gaps or a mat that is pliable enough for holes to be cut into. Alternatively, you can use a piece of cardboard and poke a grid of holes

Steps

Cut the cloth into long strips, approximately 5cm wide
Knot the strips through each hole of the mat. Ensure that knot is underside and strands protrude on the top side.
Continue filling the holes – this might take some time!
Once completed, hide the snacks into the strands. Now, watch your buddy figure how to get them out!

Food Tube Puzzle and Brain Game

Besides providing mental enrichment, this game also helps slow down your buddy’s eating too!²

Materials required

Toilet paper inner rolls/Paper towel inner tubes
Scissors
Box of any sizes, it could even be a shoe box

Steps

Cut the rolls and tubes into different heights
Pack the tubes together in a box vertically
Scatter the dog treats into the different tubes
Once completed, watch your buddy work out how to pick the treats out from the tubes

For safety, do take note that this game should not be used with brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs or dogs with bulging eyes as they might get scratched on the tubes. Also, supervise your buddy as they use their snouts to explore the tubes to prevent them from ingesting something inedible!

Bottle Puzzle

Photo credit: Proud Dog Mom

As the name suggests, this puzzle merely involves having an empty water bottle filled with treats. It’s that simple! Your buddy would then have to paw at the bottle and spin it to make the treats fall out. ³

Materials needed

Empty water bottle
Scissors
Treats

Steps

Grab the water bottle and remove any labels and unscrew the bottle cap
Pinch a section of the bottle and cut several holes around the bottle. The holes placement should be varied. The more holes, the easier it is for your buddy to get the treats
Place a few pieces of treats in the bottle and cap it
Place it on the ground and let your buddy have a go at it!

Bottle Spinning Toy

This game is similar to a treat-dispenser and could be used to keep your buddy occupied as they actively think about how to get the treat out. ⁴

Materials needed

Plastic Bottles
String
Dog Treats

Steps

Cut 2 holes in the bottle on the opposite sides of each other
Thread the string across the bottle
Loop each end of the string to something secure; for instance, you can use a suction hook and stick it to your door frame
Put some treats into the bottle

Tennis Ball of Treats

This is another variation of the find-the-treat game that could possibly get your buddy entertained.

Materials needed

Tennis ball
Knife
Treats

Steps

Use the lines on the ball as a guide and cut an opening in the ball that can be easily opened when squeezed
Fill the ball with treats
Let your buddy have fun with the treat-filled ball

There you have it, a list of DIY games and puzzles that your best friend is going to enjoying playing with, without you having to incur new costs. Letting them have fun can be as simple as bringing together some of our common household items and injecting a new form of life to these items.