Y’all, I’m not even exaggerating when I say that my dogs would rather play with one of their daddy’s old t-shirts than with the finest dog toy on the planet.
Once I finally accepted this fact and stopped wasting so much money on fancy dog toys, I began to look for fun, creative ways to make pulls and tugs for my girls using old t-shirts. I mean, let’s be honest: no one wants a bunch of soggy old t-shirts just scattered around the house, so being able to turn them into cute toys was an absolute must.
There are many things a crafty dog mom (or dad) can do to make an old t-shirt fun, and today I want to share just one of them with you. It’s this cool upcycled t-shirt dog toy, and trust me, if I can make these, so can you.
This project calls for only 3 supplies: 2 old t-shirts, a pair of scissors, and a pair of hands. Honestly, it can’t get much simpler than that, right?
If your house is anything like mine, I’m sure you’ve got lots of old t-shirts just lying around. I like to donate old clothing to worthwhile organizations, but I always keep a few old t-shirts just for my dogs. The fun thing about making these toys is that you can come up with so many cool color combinations. Not that my dogs care what color their toys are, but it does make the project a bit more fun for me. Get the directions below!
- Scissors
- 1.5 yard of fleece fabric: 3/4 yard for the top and 3/4 yard for the bottom
- Stuffing – this can be an old bed pillow, or you can even use old shirts and towels
- Lay your fleece on top of each other on the floor, and then place your pillow (or other stuffing) on the fleece
- Make sure you have about 5 inches around each edge of your pillow and cut out a large rectangle
- Cut out four, 4 inch by 4 inch squares, from each corner
- Cut 4 inch strips every 1 1/2 inches (will look like fringe), do this around each edge
- Tie the strips in a double knot, along three of the four sides
- Once you get to the last side, insert your pillow (or other stuffing)
- Finish tying your double knots along the last edge and your bed is ready to go!
See what I mean? Minimal supplies, and just 6 easy peasy steps, and your dog has a brand new toy that doesn’t cost a cent. Win-win, am I right?
These toys can easily be machine washed and dried at home, and believe me, you’re probably going to want to do that from time to time because they get super soggy and a little smelly. And when they get really bad? Toss them in the garbage (when your mutt isn’t looking) and make a new one.
Because this is such a quick, simple, and inexpensive project, it’s one of my favorites to do for my dogs. Have you ever made an upcycled t-shirt dog toy for your mutt? If you try this one, I’d love for you to share a photo on The Lazy Pit Bull Facebook page, or feel free to tweet us!
This is great! Titan loves to play with old shirts, sweatshirts and socks. The socks I always knot together so he doesn’t try to actually eat them.
I’ve printed this out and am sharing because it’s just that great, girl!
Thanks!
OH wow! I like! My little tiny dude would not use this but I have so many friends with bigger dogs that I could totally make these for! this is so easy to make and I think a thoughtful gift!
My dogs love these! We made a bunch years ago and they are still a favorite. My Maltese prefers to chew and throw around a piece that comes loose after Theo has been chewing on it a while.
It’s a fun DIY! We did similar toys with fleece.
I have one of these that TW got at a Pet Expo. Sprinkle a little nip and they become a cat kickeroo. TW has a pile of t-shirts targeted for charity but she’s not that talented to make something even this easy.
Great idea!
This is a craft project even I can manage (I am a fairly creative and artistic person, it’s just hard to find the time to dedicate to more elaborate DIYs). Your example toy is one of my favorite color combinations, yellow & grey. Ruby and I play tug every night so we can never have too many tug toys. I want to try this soon!
I love this! My babes are obsessed with toys, but this is a great idea. I donate clothes a lot but seem to always have extra t-shirts. I could make these to donate to the shelter!!!
Hmmm… That toy looks kinda spiffy. I like it! I like the look of it, a lot. But I’m a cat. Wonder what it would be liked dipped in the nip. Purrs, Seville.
What a neat (EASY-PEASY) project! I’m not crafty in the least, but this looks like something I can handle. We go through a lot of tugs with our pit bull puppy, and this looks like a great idea to keep her interested with “new” tugs! Thanks for sharing!