Handmade Water Bottle Dog Toys

Print this articleThe average dog owner spends about $43 a year on dog toys, according to the American Pet Products Association. With 78.2 million dog owners in the United States, that makes this industry big business. However, pet toys don’t have to be expensive. You can keep your canine amused with a stick or even a water bottle.

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Plastic water bottles are among the everyday items that some dogs adore. Creating a handmade toy from a plastic water bottle takes just seconds. Give the bottle to your dog after you remove the label, cap and ring from the water bottle. Removing these items will protect your dog from choking on these small parts.

Additions

Adding to your homemade plastic water bottle dog toy is easy. For example, put a few pieces of food or a treat into the bottle to create a puzzle for your dog to solve. This also adds to the sound the bottle will make when your dog plays with it. Alternately, place a plastic water bottle in a long sock and tie the sock off atop the bottle. You also may leave the sock untied and let your pet work the bottle out of the sock.

Making Noise and Monitoring

If you want your toy to be noisy, place a few pieces of macaroni in the plastic water bottle and secure the lid tightly. You will have to monitor your dog as he plays with this version of the homemade plastic water bottle toy. Since dogs like to chase plastic water bottles around, bite them and gnaw on them, you need to monitor your dog when it plays with any type of homemade plastic water bottle toy -- especially if your dog is an aggressive chewer. You’ll need to take the bottle toy away when the dog chews it up enough to bite off and possibly swallow pieces.

Training Considerations

If your dog has a strong affinity for plastic water bottles you can use one when you are training your pet, according to “Knack Dog Tricks,” a dog training book by Carina MacDonald. For example, use the bottle to keep your dog’s attention as you wait for other dogs to perform tasks during an obedience class. This works best if you designate the bottle to be your dog’s special toy, used solely for training. When training with a toy, keep sessions short and end them before your dog loses interest in the toy.

ReferencesAmerican Pet Products Association: Industry Statistics and TrendsThe Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know; Tracie HotchnerKnack Dog Tricks: A Step-by-Step Guide to Teaching Your Pet to Sit, Catch ...; Carina MacDonald, et al.San Diego Humane Society: Affordable Homemade Pet ToysRead Next:

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