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ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Anna

Hi everyone...me again. Like I said before I don't have much money. I was wondering if any of you have some good ideas for home made toys. Thanx-Anna

DISCUSSION:

Anna: Puppies love to chew , take an old sock and tie a knot in it . They will not only chew on it but play tug of war. If you have any leftover material you can also try to make soft toys in the shape of bones etc.. Just cut them out stuff them and sew them up. Hope this helps.
-Pam

Hi again Anna. I have the sock for Mika too. If you have an old plastic 2liter coke bottle you can take the label and the cap off and they like that. Mika's all time favorite home made toy is a plastic butter bowl. On a non-carpeted floor and put it upside down and they chase it forever. If you sew a stuffed to make sure to use tuff materials and see if you can buy squekers from a craft store to put in them. Jackie and Mika
-Jackie Florio

Anna, If you decide to make some toys for the baby, don't use any buttons or anything that can be pulled off and swallowed. The same if you decide to use children's stuffed toys--if there are any eyes or things that can be pulled off and swallowed, cut them off. Lucy's favorite thing to play with, by the way, is one of my bras--she will pull it down from anywhere it is hanging (which I do so she can grab it) and then races through the house with it.
-cathy brown

Have you ever considered garage sales? I buy toys all the time for 25cents. Of course check for loose eyes, or any obvious hazards. I get very quality stuffed toys that are like new, wash them, and put them in a bag for my babies. They expect a "new" toy every weekend! As you can imagine, they have a full toybox!
-Donna S.

Donna,Speaking of toy boxes, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has one for their dog! Now if I could just get him to put the toys away when he is done playing with them.....He likes to dump the basket over, and search for just the right one, then change his mind, again, and again, before long they are strewn all over the livingroom floor. He also knows the names of his toys, when we tell him to get ropey chew, or fuzzybone, he gets the right one. Arn't they smart!Patti
-Patti

Dear Anna: A safe, enjoyable toy for your Maltese can be made for about 50 cents: Go to your local hardware store (Home Depot, Scotty's, etc) and purchase two feet of white nylon cording (this can be purchased by the foot from huge rolls). Thickness chosen depends upon the size of the Maltese: young dogs prefer 1/2" approximate diameter, older dogs like 3/4". If the rope is heat-sealed on each end at the time of cutting, it will be more durable. Leaving a space the width of your hand in the middle of the cut piece, place a knot on each end. Adjacent to each of these knots, with a space of approximately 1" in between, place another knot on each end (see "drawing" below). Pull these as tightly as you can to ensure that each knot is secure. Now you have a fabulous play toy which you would have paid $18.00 for in the pet store - and is EXACTLY the same thing! Have fun! Jacquelene :)) P.S. This is FAR BETTER than an old sock or a bra (yikes! I pay $50.00 each for mine which would make for some VERY expensive toys!) as the dog cannot distinguish between your "good" socks/bra and its "play" version! "Drawing" of home-made toy (parentheses represent knots): =()=()=====()=()=
-Jacquelene

My little Missy just loves her sock!!! I have bought countless toys at the pet stores, and her favorite is still that old yellow footie!! She also has a golf ball that she likes to roll around on the kitchen floor, made sure it wasnt small enough to get stuck in her throat though! NO TENNIS BALLS, she ate all the yarn off and got sick,sick,sick! :( As for the plastic coke bottle, I have a friend that has a collie and she loves hers, I also have a friend with a shepard mix that she tried the coke bottle on and she was scared of it!!
-Stephanie

My Sammy loves hand puppets. I went and bought a cheap hand puppet.(take off the eyes and nose) he loves to chew it while your moving it, and the puppet protects your hand from his teeth!! :) I also have used oven mittens.
-Mike

Hi Anna. My husband is pretty good at coming up with 'home made toys' which our 9 week old Snowy loves to play with. For example, only yesterday, my husband tied a string around an unopen can of dog food ( a big can) and Snowy kept dragging it around the house. Of course, after a day we had to open up the can to feed Snowy and that was the end of his toy. Then my husband tied up a soft toy that Snowy likes and hung it slightly out of his reach. Snowy jumped around trying to get it and finally got it. It is actually quite amazing what 'toys' my husband comes out with daily using everyday things. However, we always supervise Snowy's play to ensure that it is safe. I guess what it takes is creativity ... I am one of those who goes to the shop and buy all those pet toys, whatever the cost. Snowy does play with them but I think he much prefers the toys that my husband 'invents' for him.
-Sim