Homemade games and dog toys are an affordable and eco-friendly alternative that your furry friend will love. They must be created so that they are safe for the animal.
Dogs love to play. While not all games you can play with them involve the use of a toy, they love having objects to play with. Those sold in stores are sometimes not cheap and spoil easily, so we offer you four games that you can create with your own hands.
Homemade games must be safe for dogs
Dog toys must ensure their safety, so you have to keep some considerations in mind. The most important thing is the materials you use: they must not have toxic paints or small pieces of plastic that the animal can swallow.
Use materials such as cardboard or paper, because if they are ingested, they do not compromise the health of the dog. If you need to tie two objects together, it is best to use cellulose tape.
When a game starts to go bad, you have to throw it; do not wait for it to break completely and be harmful to the animal. Likewise, if you are using pieces of stiff material, be careful with sharp edges, as they could get injured.
When you give your 4-legged friend a toy, he first needs to know how to use it. Let him examine it and try it, without teaching him how to do it. Start with simple objects to use and increase the difficulty level little by little.
Supervise your dog as he uses the toy, and if you see that it is too difficult for him, help him understand how to use it. Let him play for 10 minutes a day, as for too long he may get bored or stressed.
The Prize
These games are all about seeking and finding a prize . There are many foods that could be used as a reward, so choose the one your dog likes best.
The success of the object lies in the animal’s interest in receiving the reward and in the satisfaction of having solved the problem. This is fun if the dog wants to find the reward that is hidden inside: if this is not to his liking, the animal will not have fun.
Cardboard tubes
Use cardboard tubes from toilet paper or kitchen paper to let your furry friend play with them. Place treats inside the tube, place it on the ground and let your dog find out how to get them out.
The animal will try to stick its tongue in, twist it and even break it to get the rewards. Such a simple game can entertain him for a long time.
Increase the difficulty level: Once he has managed to find the prizes, wrap the ends of the tube with a ribbon. The game will be a bit more difficult because the dog will have to completely destroy the object to get the rewards.
Paper ball
Another game is to put prizes inside a ball made of paper. Use newspaper or kitchen paper, as magazine paper may have toxic ink. Start by making a loose ball with lots of prizes inside, then add more layers of paper.
By doing this, you will be teaching your dog to distinguish the card from the rewards. He will stop eating anything he finds on the street, such as handkerchiefs. Next, turn up the level: add more layers of paper and squeeze the ball more so that opening it becomes more difficult.
Frozen broth
This game is very interesting during the summer, or for puppies who are changing their teeth. This involves freezing some broth or appetizing liquid and giving it to the dog to chew and lick until it melts. The animals will like it a lot, as it is fresh and tasty, although you will have to mop the floor afterwards.
Raise the level by creating pieces of various sizes and various flavors: meat broth , vegetables with water, yogurt with fruit, etc. Adapt the size of the frozen cubes to the mouth of your 4-legged friend.
Dispensing bottles
Take an empty, clean plastic bottle and make holes in it. Remember to protect the plastic edges with tape so your dog doesn’t get hurt. Put some treats inside and let the animal find out how to get them. As with the cardboard tube, it will take some time to figure out how to do it, but it will eventually succeed.
Increase the difficulty level: put the cap on the bottle, make other smaller holes and insert fewer prizes inside. Do this only when he has learned to solve the problem easily, as it is difficult to control this object.
These and many other homemade dog toys can be created with recyclable materials – they are cheap, interesting and fun. It is important to emphasize that these objects must be pleasant and must vary, so that the animal does not get bored, they must be suitable for its size and age and, above all, must be safe.
