Natural Dog Toys

Most dogs resort to bad behavior such as chewing on furniture and garbage on account of boredom. Most people are not too keen on purchasing toys for dogs that are commercially available as they are very expensive and sometimes the synthetic products used may also be harmful to your dog. Hence the next option is to make dog toys at home as they tend to be more economical. The first step towards making natural dog toys is to determine what are the ideal play materials for your dog because some dogs may like the texture and taste of certain materials like mesh and toweling whereas others are not too fond of them. While making homemade dog toys care should be taken to avoid plastics parts as they can be easily chewed into small pieces by the dog and may prove to be a choking hazard. Additionally if swallowed, plastic and even rubber are known to block the digestive tract. It is advisable not to give your dog an old or discarded shoe to play with because this will indicate to the dog that it is fine to chew shoes and he will even consider shoes that are currently in use to be his toys.

One of the easy homemade dog toys is the ball which basically is an old tennis ball with holes punched in it and a small metal ball inserted in that hole. This toy keeps the dog engaged as they are intrigued by the sound made by the ball. Another toy for dogs that can be made of home is a rope Frisbee which involves taking a heavy cotton rope and tying the two ends together in the form of a circle. This toy is also suitable for small dogs that are unable to actually catch a full sized frisbee in their mouth. Additionally dog owners can also use an old clean sock and fill it with a ball or a few pellets of dog food. Sew the open end of the sock together so that the ball or food pellets cannot come out. This toy keeps the dog engaged for hours as they try to remove the object from the sock. Some dogs are able to differentiate between their toys and between their owner’s belongings whereas some aren’t. Hence if using a sock to prepare dog toy it is advisable to make interesting shapes from the socks using ones imagination rather than simply tossing a sock to the dog to play with.