7 DIY Dog Toy Ideas including One that Squeaks

Homemade dog toys don’t need to be fancy to be fun. DIY toys are a great way to alleviate boredom and an easy way for me to interact with them. I make all sorts of quick and easy dog toys for my lovable lugs, but destuffing store-bought toys is always their favorite. My Great Pyrenees loves pulling the stuffing out and scattering it around the living room, but my little husky needs the squeaker to dig for, she can’t be bothered with stuffed toys without a squeaker.

I decided to look for both dog toys and squeakers at Temu, their toys are pricey, but you can grab a whole bag of 20 dog toy squeakers for $3.50 This was a game-changer for me. (Here is the nonaffiliate link to the ones I bought)

Of course, my dogs will still get the odd purchased toys from the pet store (Kongs with peanut butter,) and a Dollar Tree rope toy now and then, but this way we can give them many more. The lower cost means I can easily give my dogs new toys daily if I want to.

The cheaper toys also mean I can swap out food treats for toy treats. Our rescued husky was lost without anyone looking for her, and no one knew for how long. I think my little girl knew real hunger. She went from thin to fluffy (like me) in about six months. Having lots of toys to show her love is the best way to reward her without a snack.

Things to Consider

Aside from safety, there are a few other things to consider when making your own dog toys. Every dog has unique preferences when it comes to play, and DIY toys allow you to customize them in size, complexity, and activity level. For example, my Great Pyrenees has no interest in fetch, true to his breed, he has little to no prey drive. His favorite pastime is guarding.

My Husky, on the other hand, loves action. She’ll happily chase a stick but has no intention of bringing it back! It’s always fun figuring out what they enjoy, but don’t be surprised if you make a toy that doesn’t quite capture their interest. The good news is there are so many different ideas we can try using items we have on hand.

1. Easy Sew DIY Dog Toy with Squeakers

These stuffed dog toys are not only quick to make but also endlessly entertaining for my dogs and us to play with. Watching my pups tear into their chew toys is always hilarious and fun to encourage. Since the toys don’t last for a long time, they must be simple and fast to sew. While I could experiment with fun shapes like dog bones, gingerbread figures, or circles, I’ve found that the triangle design is the best, it provides three corners for gnawing and requires only two seams. I can easily whip up several in just half an hour.

Let me show you how simple they are to make!

Materials Needed

How to Make a DIY Dog Toy that Squeaks

Step 1 – Cut Your Fabric

Cut a square the size you want. I made my squares 10″, for my big dogs. Here is a template for a dog bone, if you want to do that instead.

Step 2 – Sew

Fold the fabric right side facing in. Sew along the two sides, leaving an inch open for stuffing. Sew a straight stitch with a 3/8 inch seam. I go over the seam twice to make the dog toy last longer.

Step 3 – Add Stuffing and Squeaker

Turn the fabric right-side out and fill the toy with fiber stuffing. Add the squeaker insert in the middle so your dog gets that satisfying squeaky sound when they play.

Step 4 – Sew the Opening Closed

Fold the raw edges inward and sew the last side closed using a top stitch.

Step 5 – Give It to Your Pup

And that’s it! In just a few minutes, you’ve created a fun, durable, and squeaky toy your dog will love. Once they’ve torn the stuffing out and about, if it’s still clean I put it in a plastic bag to reuse. My husky destroys the squeakers, so I make sure to have an extra package on hand now. You can always make one without the squeakers, and place some plastic inside for noise instead, but again I am amazed that I found those squeakers.

2 – Thrift Store Stuffies

Our local thrift store has a box of stuffies they give to little kids. I explained I wanted them for my dogs, so they sold them to me for 25 cents each. Just wash them then, cut a hole in the seam, pop the squeaker in, and sew it closed. The dogs don’t care if the seam is neat or not, so it’s really quick to do. I often sew them closed by hand cording, it only takes minutes.

3 – Old Sock

My Gunter loved chewing socks, I would purchase tall socks from the thrift, store stuff them, and tie knots in both ends. This worked when he was an older more mellow dog. Thin socks from the thrift store can be easily torn, for heavier chewing dogs, look for old work socks and place one inside the other before tying them.

4 – Cardboard Tube Toys

Materials Needed

Slide the paper tube inside the sock first. Stuff it with the heavenly scented treats. Tie a knot in the open end.

When making these dog toys I often have a Husky helper at my feet supervising.

Then there is always bopping the big lug on the head with a gift wrap tube, and watching him react and play.

Like the other sock toy, if you have a heavier chewier, use work socks, and insert one sock inside the other one for added strength and durability.

5 – Treats in an Old Blanket

You can use an old towel or old T-shirts for a little dog. But for my large dogs, I use two old much chewed-on throws.

Wrap our dog’s favorite treats inside the blanket, old towel, or shirt several times hiding treats between folds. This is an easy way to make their regular treats last a bit longer as they need to dig around to find them.

Once again our husky is much more willing to dig around, so I make the game harder for her by making more folds. It helps her with excess energy, especially on rainy days when I don’t want her outside in the mud.

6 – Empty Water Bottles

Not sure why but every one of my dogs loves an empty water bottle. I think it’s the sound of the crackling plastic because they prefer the noisier water bottles. Typically our bigger dog gets a 1 L size empty plastic bottle as it lasts better.

Whatever bottle you choose take the label and cap off, and wash it. Then put a broken piece of milk bone inside to add a rattling sound and toss it. Even the Pyrenees will play with them sometimes.

7 – Tug Toy

I made these tug toys for two other dogs, my much missed Pyr Gunter and my son’s dog Hunter. They would play tug of war and it was hysterical because the little terrier held his own with the incredibly larger dog. To make a tug-of-war toy, cut long strips of fabric, braid them together, and tie knots in the ends. This older post has two more DIY dog toy tutorials included.

I hope you find one or two easy DIY projects you can make for your man’s best friend. Now that we are retired we are able to spend more time playing with our dogs, and the DIY toys have made this an inexpensive fun pastime we all enjoy. It alleviates the dog’s boredom, but also ours. Happy Crafting Leanna