You probably already know how vital it is to always have toys on hand for your dog, especially if they are a mouthy breed like a retriever or a Goldendoodle, or if you just got a new puppy. 

 

Toys, bones, and other items for a dog to play with and chew on cost the typical American household approximately $50 per year to purchase.

 

You may protect the environment and save money at the same time by making your own teething and tug toys out of old clothing or clothing that has been repurposed. Even though they aren’t the most long-lasting toys, these can be whipped up in a matter of minutes. 

 

There will be no financial impact even if your dog manages to damage one of them. Make a quick new toy by grabbing another t-shirt from the closet or the donation center and following the instructions below.

 

How to Make a Dog Toy from an Old T-Shirt

 

The health of your dog is dependent on more than just his food; his toys play a role as well. A large number of toys, such as plastic ones, either contain harmful materials or have been treated with chemicals.

 

However, there is a less difficult approach to ensure that your pet has a safe toy, and that is to make it yourself. This is a guide on how to make your own dog toys out of shirts at home.

 

Your dog can have just as much fun as a kid would play with an old shoe or a water bottle. Toddlers get just as much enjoyment out of playing with pots and pans as adults do. 

 

If you want a fun and useful craft project, why not make some toys for your dog or puppy out of old t-shirts? With a few colorful shirts, a pair of scissors, and a ruler, you can make a teething or tug toy in less than 20 minutes. 

 

This is a great way to spend an afternoon. Even if you’re not very crafty, you can make these toys.

 

5 Different DIY No-Sew T-Shirt Dog Toys – Sew Historically

 

Do you still have any of your old t-shirts lying around? Then repurpose those shirts into something useful by making one of these five fun T-shirt dog toys that your pet will adore.

 

Warning: the toys are not durable, therefore if they become torn, you should toss them away and get new ones.

 

DIY T-Shirt Dog Toys

You’ll need:

• old T-shirts or leftover jersey knit fabric
• scissors

NOTE: You can make one or two dog toys out of a single T-shirt.

 

Easy Braided T-Shirt Dog Toy

 

Cut the shirt’s seams and hems off. Cut the shirt into strips that are about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Then make sausages out of the strips of the T-shirt.

 

 

Use an overhand knot to join three T-shirt strips together. Braid the three strips together tightly, and tie another overhand knot at the end of the dog toy to keep it in place. If you need to, cut off the ends.

 

Square Knot T-Shirt Dog Toy

 

 

Cut the T-shirt into strips that are about 10 inches (25 cm) long and roll them up like sausages. Then start tying square or crown knots (see picture above). Watch this video to learn how to tie a crown knot.

 

 

Using a knitting needle, push the ends of the T-shirt back into the dog toy.

 

Knotted T-Shirt Dog Toy

 

 

Cut the T-shirt into strips that are about 10 inches (25 cm) long and roll them up like sausages. Make a series of square knots to connect the two strips of the T-shirt.

 

Optionally, you can hide the ends of the T-shirt inside the dog toy so they don’t fray: Using a knitting needle, push the ends back into the dog toy.

 

Donut T-Shirt Dog Toy

 

 

For the nautical donut dog toy or the life ring dog toy, you’ll need a cut-off sleeve, leggings leg, or socks with the toes cut off. Like you would for a sock bun donut, roll the sock up into a donut shape.

 

 

Wrap a long strip of knit fabric around the donut shape and tie the ends together with an overhand knot to keep the shape in place.

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Conclusion

 

As you can see, making t-shirt dog toys is a simple and fun craft that people of all ages can do. Try out different fabrics, like fleece or old blue jeans, to make patterns that are interesting. Share your results in the comments below, or join the pack on social media to see what other people have made for their dogs.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

What kind of fabric is used for dog toys?

 

With the exception of a few tests, my favorite material for making tug toys is polar fleece. It’s cheap, doesn’t fray, keeps its color, can be washed, and has a nice, thick, firm, but slightly stretchy feel. Nothing I’ve tried comes close to the durability of fleece for a no-sew tug toy that doesn’t fray or shed, with the possible exception of some recycled materials like t-shirt hem dog toys and our more recent recycled sweatshirt material dog toys. No matter what the material is, it is very dangerous for a pet to eat threads or pieces of a toy

 

Every material and toy, whether it’s bought or made, has its pros and cons. Fleece is strong and doesn’t lose threads like woven fabrics, but it is usually made of 100% polyester and is a synthetic material. From what I’ve seen, it can be hard to find all-natural fabrics that are strong enough for big dogs to play with and that don’t lose their color when washed, chewed on, or drooled on.

 

Source: sewhistorically.com