7 Tips For Making Pet Toys


Hello Everyone,

One type of craft project that will never get old to me is Pet Toy DIYs! I mean, there is just something about making your furry four-legged friend a handmade gift. In my mind, I think they know handmade from store bought! ;)  

With that being said, I've been making pet toys for a couple of years now and people really seem to enjoy them. So, to break the DIY streak that I am on, I thought today I would give you my top 7 tips to consider when making pet toys!

Before we get into the tips, I will say that I have always owned a dog. So when I talk about my thoughts regarding each tip, I'm just using a dog as a point of reference. I'm not discriminating against any other cute furry animal! All these tips I would recommend when making any type of toy for a pet! 

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1. Think About The Size Of Your Pet: When making a pet toy it's important that you consider their size. This may sound like a no-brainer, but you don't want to make too large or too small of toy for your pet to play with. Doing either one could potentially be dangerous and result in an unhappy pet, since now they can't play with their new toy. So when making a pet toy, don't forget to consider their size! 

2. Choose The Right Fabric: Now the type of toy your making for your pet could dictate whether or not you even need fabric. However if you do need fabric, you need to choose the right one. For this tip, you need to consider the different types of fabric out there, like cotton, fleece, felt etc. I recommend staying away from fabrics which could be hazardous (like lace) or that are already difficult to work with (like Burlap). Personally, I'm a fan of fleece and felt because there inexpensive to buy and don't fray!

3. Don't Spend A Ton Of Money On Fabric: Don't get me wrong, I would spend heaven and earth, to buy whatever my puppy wanted. However, there is a reason why we making instead of buying a store bought pet toy! So when making your own pet toy, see if you can buy fabric that is on the cheaper side or use items like t-shirts which can be recycled. 
  • My Tip Within a Tip: Usually all fabric departments in a craft store, have a clearance bin. In those bins you can find a bunch of different fabrics that are on sale. These fabrics are perfect for pet toy making because your getting a little bit of fabric for a little price!

4. Keep It Simple: When making a pet toy, you don't need to get over complicated with the design. Nine times out ten, the toy is going to take a beating anyway, so you might have well saved yourself some time when making the toy. 

5. Forget Embellishments: If you dog or cat is named Princess that is fine and dandy! However, that doesn't mean you need to bedazzle their toys with gems. Embellishments on homemade pet toys are an accident waiting to happen (in my opinion). They can be a choking hazard and can cause all types of trouble. So again keep it simple and forget the embellishments. 

6. NO GLUE: No hot glue, no Elmer's Glue, no Tacky Glue, not even no-sew glue. Get your needle, get your thread or break out that sewing machine. Your pet will be much safer and the toy itself will last much longer.

7. To Stuff Or Not To Stuff: Almost all pet toys will fall into one of two categories, stuffed and not stuffed. This is something to consider when making your own pet toy. Why do you ask? Well, simply because you will be the one picking up the stuffing when it gets ripped out of the toy. Also, if you have a little puppy, you may not trust them yet to have a stuffed toy. Again, this is another tip that allows you to think ahead and possibly saves yourself some future headache. 

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Those are my 7 Tips For Making Pet Toys! If you want to check out my past Pet DIYs, you can see them all by clicking here

Have you every made a pet toy for your furry four-legged friend? 

xo Katie

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