When it comes to our pups, odds are there’s nothing in the world we wouldn’t do to make them smile! If you’re not able to get out to the store to *fetch* (see what we did there?) new dog toys for your pooch or are simply looking to upcycle what you already have lying around the house, a couple pairs of old socks are basically all you need to DIY some bright, fun playthings for Fido.
Read on for some ideas for how to make a dog toy out of a sock.
1. How To: Make Crinkly Dog Toys
If your pup really loves toys that make a crackling sound, they’ll love a toy that repurposes two items you probably already have in your house: an old pair of fun knee high socks and an empty plastic water bottle or two.
- Start by removing the label of the plastic water bottle, and discarding the cap. You want to avoid a potential choking hazard with the tiny piece.
- Grab your sock, and place the water bottle inside of it so that the top of the water bottle and the opening of the sock are facing the same way.
- Make a tight knot to secure the water bottle inside the sock. You can double knot if you’d like.
You can make many different sized versions using different sized water bottles; your pup will love the different types of crinkly sounds each of them makes. You don’t need to trim the socks or anything; a longer piece to pull makes tug-of-war easier!
2. How To: Make a Dog Rope Toy
Speaking of tug-of-war, a classic dog toy is the braided rope. For this one, you don’t need anything more than three long socks. (This is a really great use for a few orphaned socks that never found their match.) They don’t need to be colorful or patterned socks, but that certainly adds to the fun!
- Start by cutting about a half inch of the elastic ankle off of two of the socks. This will be used to hold the braid together.
- Use one of the elastic “bands” to tie the three socks together at the base. Loop it around many times so it’s secure.
- Braid the three socks together as you would a rope or string.
- Once the braid is complete, tie the remaining elastic around the end of the braid to finish it. Again, tie it around as tightly as you can to hold the rope in place.
3. How To: Make a Bouncy Toy
If your pup is a big fan of fetch, a bouncy ball toy is a great option! All you need is one sock and a tennis ball.
- Start with your sock, and insert a tennis ball inside of it.
- Make a knot around the ball to keep it from falling out of the sock.
- You’re done — that’s literally it!
Picking a pair from your collection of bold, patterned socks will help you (and your furry friend) be able to find it more easily.
4. How To: Make a Sock Donut Toy
A sock rolled into a donut shape makes for a nice, squishy chew toy or one you can play catch with. You only need one pair of socks for each donut, but you can make as many as you want!
- Cut the toes off of a pair of socks. Discard the fabric or repurpose for something else.
- Starting at the toes, roll the socks, and roll, and roll, and roll some more until you see the donut shape take form.
- Once you’ve rolled until there is only about an inch of fabric left from the elastic ankle band, take it and fold it over the donut to hold it in place.
- You can secure the fabric in place with a couple of stitches or simply reroll the donut if your doggie needs you to.
5. How To: Make a Squeaky Toy
If your pup really likes to play with squeaker toys, and quite a few prefer them, you can easily DIY one. If you have a rogue squeaker that got released from an old toy, you can absolutely repurpose it; otherwise, there are many places you can order replacement squeakers from online!
- Insert some polyfill, or old fabric (or several pairs of old, holey socks) into one of your old favorite fun knee high socks.
- Once the sock is about three quarters of the way filled, insert the squeaker.
- Finish filling the sock so that there is enough fluff to conceal the squeaker.
- Tie the top of the sock closed so that none of the innards will escape.
You don’t necessarily need to put the squeaker in there. This toy is just as much fun to squish and chew!
6. How To: Make a Knotted Toy
You can make a super easy dog toy by simply tying a couple knots into an old sock!
- Start with one sock.
- Tie a knot in the fabric, and repeat as many times as you’d like.
- You can leave it long, or tie both ends of the sock together to create a knotted ring.
This toy is as much fun to throw and catch as it is to simply chew and run around with.
DIY Fun for Fido
It’s nice to be able to repurpose old socks into something new that you and your pooch will enjoy playing with together. As with any dog toys, it’s always helpful to pay attention when your pup is playing with any of these DIY toys. After all, the most fun is had when everyone is keeping safe!
*Thank you to the Sock Drawer for sharing these fun DIY dog toys!
