All of my dogs have loved empty water bottles and cardboard tubes. Both items can still be recycled after they’re done with them, so it’s a win-win.

 

My puppy looooooves empty water bottles and we save them up for her to crunch and chase around the room. It's her favourite thing.

 

Annie is surprisingly high maintenance lol. I find mostly it's worth it to buy her the more expensive toys. But a few things.

Cardboard boxes. Homemade treats (a dehydrated can of tuna or some cut up meat makes a LOT of training treats for very little money). Toys made of braided cut up old socks are often a hit.

Her favourite canned dog food is the President's Choice (grocery store brand) beef stew - a $2 can instead of a $6 can, I keep it around for if she is sick. Her bed is an IKEA crib mattress, way cheaper than a similarly sized orthopedic dog bed. Bully sticks blow my dog budget, but raw bones are cheap and really helpful for her teeth. Our camping and travelling dog bowls are old margarine containers. Lightweight and free and I don't fuss about losing them.

 

Homemade treats (a dehydrated can of tuna or some cut up meat makes a LOT of training treats for very little money).

How do you dehydrate the canned tuna? Ziggy tends to get diarrhea from chicken and I am not a fan of buying tons of store-made treats. I'd love to do this!

 

My dogs Like boxes with treats stuffed inside, empty water bottles, I myself am probably the best toy they could have, they love playing 'You cant catch me'

 

How do you dehydrate the canned tuna? Ziggy tends to get diarrhea from chicken and I am not a fan of buying tons of store-made treats. I'd love to do this!

I give my girls almonds for crunchy treats, 10 each a day, it may seem expensive (Aldi are cheap n nice) dehydrated chicken strips has something on them that is toxic, the vet bill is way more expensive than almonds 🐩🐩

 

Kleenex. Or any paper. When we get a package that has lots of brown paper packing we let Zoe play with it until I get tired of picking up little bitty pieces. The only thing she likes better is her tennis ball.

 

My home made flirt pole vies with a Kong squeaky tennis ball as one of Galen's two favorite toys.

When Pogo and Snarky were teething they loved plastic water bottles. Galen wasn't quite as into them, but he occasionally enjoyed the novelty.

 

Well, I have to say I am SO guilty of spending too much on toys. 😉 There are a few of the more expensive ones that have seriously been worth it as there has been no cheaper alternative. They have been a hit, are used regularly and since Bobby is not seriously destructive nor a power chewer, these more expensive favorites will last for years, so totally worth it. Then there are the many toys that I thought would be a hit but were not. I guess it takes time to figure this all out. I know lots of dog folks so I just pass the ones that were a bust for Bobby and on to them and they have been loved so that’s all good by me. One dog’s garbage is another dog’s treasure! 😉 This all goes for other items as well.
I’m always looking for the perfect equipment and it took time to figure it all out. Actually, my favorite collar is one I made. Totally not an expert in sewing but it was basically free as I had all of the supplies. The martingale chain was from an old collar we didn’t like. The collar is made out of an old pair of denim jeans. It works wonderfully and Bobby really likes it too. It’s a super wide martingale that is very comfortable and gentle on his neck but it does the job well. It has become his “go to collar.”

Bobby’s cheap toy favorites? Hands down it is his homemade flirt pole with cheap no stuffing floppy plush toys tied at the end, which I purchased at Menard’s. He also beyond loves his rubber squeaky toys, which are fairly inexpensive. His favorite is his rubber chicken which was cheap from the local tractor supply store. The Hartz Dura rubber squeaky balls are his favorite balls. While tennis balls are definitely less expensive, these rubber balls are not too badly priced. They are like gold to Bobby and are perfect for our “Houseball“ fetching games, which he loves. I think you can get them just about anywhere. He’s a bully stick dog and I get those pretty inexpensively from Costco. And ever since puppyhood he has enjoyed shredding paper bags so I give him those once in awhile. It’s especially fun if I put treats in the bag and fill it up with paper, toys or whatever and he digs for the treats then shreds the bag into little pieces.

 

OMG everyone has such good ideas

 

Question for those of you whose poodles play/chew/shred paper and cardboard products: do they eat them? If so, are you ok with that? My main issue with letting Cody chew on stuff like that is that he has been known to eat (sometimes swallowing whole) whatever he puts in his mouth. Is this something he'll outgrow? (He's 6.5 months old) Or can I train him to chew but not eat certain things? Or is it just okay?

 

Tatls favorite toys are quite small sticks, leaves, and a $3 cellophane filled hedgehog that crinkles. He also loves anything that our big dog has, and Link loves tearing up cardboard boxes, so Take will steal small shreds of box from him and run.

We're okay with Link eating cardboard, but that's because it's not the most dubious thing he ever ate. The first week we had him he ate a ball of chocolate mochi dough off the counter (I panicked but he didn't even get indigestion). We're more careful with Tatl, because of his small size. The difference between something making a dog really sick or just giving them indigestion is often a matter of size.

 

I said in my earlier post that Bobby is not too destructive and not a power chewer but I’m smiling now because the one thing we couldn’t give him was empty plastic water bottles. Such a shame because they are great toys. He used to love them, probably still does but he immediately would chew the opening where you drink which is hard plastic and they would become flat and sharp as he chewed. We figured there were better things to chew on. We tried putting them in the toys made to have water bottles inside but even then, he would immediately find the end and chew and chew to where they weren’t safe and there was a hole in the toy. I guess it’s the same idea as the dogs who are obsessed with chewing the squeakers out of squeaky toys, which Bobby doesn’t do. He didn’t want to play with the bottles any other way so...on to other things.

Cody’s_mom, Bobby never actually ate the paper bags. He‘s always just shredded them into little pieces and spit the pieces out. I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable with him actually eating the paper but not sure if it’s actually dangerous or not. I‘m thinking amount would matter. A piece here and there is probably no big deal but eating a lot, I‘m not so sure.

 

I said in my earlier post that Bobby is not too destructive and not a power chewer but I’m smiling now because the one thing we couldn’t give him was empty plastic water bottles. Such a shame because they are great toys. He used to love them, probably still does but he immediately would chew the opening where you drink which is hard plastic and they would become flat and sharp as he chewed.

Yes there can be sharp edges. Winnie is not a power chewer but she can still bite her way through the bottle if left long enough so she gets them to the point when they are flat and then I put them in the recycling. To entertain her a bit longer I put a treat inside. She loves cardboard too and will dig her way through a box and tear it to shreds. I sometimes let her do it if the box is getting thrown out but have to stop her when she starts to eat the shreds. I always have an endless supply of boxes with all the Amazon deliveries I get

 

Poppy has never been very interested in toys, but she loes food - especially chicken. I buy chicken breasts from my pet food supplier, and they make every meal and every dose of medicine a new excitement and delight for her. Home made chicken treats cost pennies per hundred, and even the cats like them. Wandering around outside sniffing, snuggles, silly games - all free. I do have several Ottosson games which get used regularly and thoroughly justify what I paid for them, but the toys that get played with most (by Sophy) are the IKEA mice and rats and chicken. She likes to nibble soft toys, and these seem to be just the right size, shape and texture for nibbling! Pity they seem to have been discontinued...

 

Dryer balls. Specifically these:

Wool Dryer Balls 3-Pack | MightyNest

mightynest.com

Peggy thinks they're actual gold.

She also enjoys shredding cardboard. I would not allow her to eat it. But, as a "treat," I occasionally give her a tiny piece of toilet paper....like the size of my pinky nail. Up until recently, she ate it with great reverence, like she was taking communion. Now she rolls it around in her mouth and then spits out the tiniest ball.

But the greatest value of all? Her eye goops and crusties. She will let me mess around with her eyes as much as necessary, providing she gets to enjoy the fruits of my labour. Ew.

 

Balls. Specifically, the cheap, non-squeaking, drool-soaked Boots & Barkley balls from Target. He's got balls that squeak, balls that whistle, balls that crinkle, balls that bounce funny...But nope, his first and only love when he's fetching at the park is the Boots & Barkley ball (Loki: "The pink and blue ones only, please").

 

They'd go nuts without their Kong squeaky mini-tennis balls. After that, the Lambchop stuffed toy - I have one for each. They also love their dog beds placed near my feet when I'm at my desk. My male also likes an old blanket that chews on every night, and he kneeds it like a nursing puppy when he does this; it's kinda weird.

 

Dollar store plush toys are cheap and easy. I'll buy 10 toys for $10, and once one of them gets pulled apart, I restuff it, sew it up, and give it back to him. It is easy to do because Ziggy very carefully (but quickly) pulls them apart by the seams.
A pack of 10 will last a while.

I also like to use old clothing and towels and tie a tennis ball or a treat inside for Ziggy to dissect.

He really likes to pull things apart so I try to give him an inexpensive outlet. No matter how expensive the toy is, he will find a way to dissect it in minute.

 

I have a dehydrator I just spread a can out on a sheet of parchment paper and turn it on. I have also done other meats like little pieces of beef or pork, and some people do their own liver or heart. Other fish would likely work too. I usually try to fill it with doggy things if I am turning it on. Annie also gets sick from chicken.

I used to dehydrate things by putting them in the open warming oven over a wood cookstove.... You probably don't have one of those.

People say you can dehydrate food with the lowest temperature for an oven. I usually burn things when I try it, but I have always had cheap apartment ovens.

 

and some people do their own liver or heart.

There is a joke in here somewhere


Thanks for the reply! Ill have to put a dehydrator on my Xmas list this year! It would also be good for me to make my own camping and roadtrip snacks!

 

When Winnie was smaller I made her a toy out of an old nylon cloth bag with a zip. My husband loves crisps and whenever he finished a packet I would put it in the bag. It got filled with lots of different smells and made a nice crackling sound when she squashed it. She played for weeks with it until the bag tore but its a great toy that can be made up again and again and the smells can vary.

 

From all your ideas, I used some scrap fleece strips, an unmatched sock, an empty supplement bottle, some kibble to make a noise maker, and my sewing machine to create a new toy. "Up cycling" is the trending term.

I'll need to revise and play around with the materials because it lasted about 10 minutes. Huge hit, but durability strategy needs improvement. Maybe I'll try and double sock it or use a deflated water plastic bottle.

Looks like I'll have something to do today!

("New toy.. I'm not sure what to think yet, but it's MINE.")

("OMG so much fun")

Ten minutes later... And Basil starts to whine.

 

Look how happy she is! I actually ordered fleece last week to make Starla a big braided rope. I’ve sewn dog toys up before using old jeans and found the “heavy duty” thread really made a difference in their durability.

 

Yeah!! Those rope toys!! It's definitely on our radar too.

That makes sense to use denim as a patch and a thick upholstery grade thread, that's a great idea.

I've been using regular thin cotton thread, but I might as well have been using floss because it's as flimsy versus chainsaw sharp dog teeth.

 

A friend made puppy Peggy a "bone" from braided denim, which she really loved. But if I'm remembering correctly, it was a Poodle Forum member who encouraged me to look up the dangers of rope toys (which is what denim pretty much turns into as it frays):

"Thin strands of rope are very dangerous when swallowed. Categorized by vets as a 'linear foreign body,' rope is just about the most dangerous object your dog can swallow. As one part of a long piece of rope toy remains stuck in the stomach, the other half enters the intestines, cinching like a drawstring on a pair of sweatpants as the digestive system attempts to pass the string through the body.

"This causes the intestines to be drawn into a tight ball. As you can imagine, this is very painful for your dog. The tightening can do permanent damage to the intestines, sometimes even creating painful lacerations as the rope cuts into the intestine walls.

"Even if your dog only pulls off small pieces of rope at a time, this type of toy can still be dangerous to his digestive system, slowly creating an obstruction like hairs collecting in a shower drain."

Not trying to be a downer. Just be careful.

 

That is why I got fleece to make a rope out of. No strings but still a fun toy she can pull on, chase, and fling around. I have made braided denim ropes before but they’re such a pain since I would sew tubes out of denim, iron them flat, and then braid them so there was nothing exposed to fray. A whole lot more prep goes into those than fleece!

 

For my spoo it has always come back to just plain tennis balls. I bought a bag of them inexpensively about a year ago, and if they are the good balls they will last a long time, although they may get very dirty! I do occassionally wash them. I do NOT buy the fake tennis balls that are made as toys. They fall apart, the rubber cracks, and goes into pieces, the outside cloth material rips off etc. Just plain tennis balls

 

Yes, proper tennis balls. I have more tennis balls than Wimbledon 🤣

 

I finished Starla’s fleece rope today and she thinks it is great!

 

Topper LOOOVES leaves! There is a pile of leaves along the gutter of the street and Topper never fails to enjoy jumping in them, burrowing in them, rolling in them and chewing on them. In other areas, he will select an especially large leaf and just walk around with it. He also likes to rummage through paper towel and TP tubes for kibbles. A box of rags with kibbles sprinkled in provides many minutes of entertainment for all of us. I keep an eye on him to limit how much of any fun thing he ingests.

 

I have terrible allergies, and therefore lots of empty Kleenex boxes. I put a treat inside, usually a tripe stick, and Buck has fun knocking the box around, upending it, whatever it takes for the reward. It doesn’t take him long,..