Our puppies like to play just as much as we do. However, it has
been my experience that the toys that make our pets happy are a lot
cheaper and easier to come by than the toys that make us happy! A
trip down the toy isle at your local pet store will give you a glimpse
of the thousands of dog toys available for our furry friends.
So, I have decided to start a column called “Tate’s Toys” where I share either a creative idea for a homemade toy, a great new find from the pet store or a new spin on an old idea.
Tate is my one and half year old, energetic, black tri male Australian Shepherd and the inspiration for “Tate’s Toys”. Tate is a great judge of what I like to call the “play merit” of a toy. Play merit meaning how great the toy is. So with him being my judge, I want to share with you one of his favorite toys and also one of our cheapest toys.
My husband and I are a great fan of smoothies for breakfast. If you like, I may be able to get him to share his “world famous” smoothie recipe! Anyway, the protein that we add to our morning smoothies comes in a great plastic container.
This container is made from a somewhat hard plastic that allows it to resist easy demolition, but does not splinter. One of our dogs, Sara, only enjoys getting the lid off then the container is all Tate’s.
He kicks it around the yard like a soccer ball. Picks it up and plays keep away with the other dogs. He will retrieve it when thrown. Or if no one is paying any attention to him, he just carries it all around. When tired, he will often lay down and rest his head on it. He just loves them. What is also great about a plastic container is that it they are unaffected by the weather, making it a great outdoor toy.
Once he has played with the container for awhile and it starts getting beat up, we remove it, recycle it and he anxiously awaits another. While not totally indestructible, it does last a long time. And it didn’t cost us anything! Changing toys keeps the dog stimulated, thinking and happy. Sometimes rotating through the toys you already have can bring on a renewed sense of interest in your dogs.
This container in particular is not big enough for our dogs to stick their heads inside the opening. If giving your dogs a similar container to play with, be certain they cannot stick their heads in the inside and risk getting it stuck. A hole should be drilled in the bottom end of the container for safety.
So, I have decided to start a column called “Tate’s Toys” where I share either a creative idea for a homemade toy, a great new find from the pet store or a new spin on an old idea.
Tate is my one and half year old, energetic, black tri male Australian Shepherd and the inspiration for “Tate’s Toys”. Tate is a great judge of what I like to call the “play merit” of a toy. Play merit meaning how great the toy is. So with him being my judge, I want to share with you one of his favorite toys and also one of our cheapest toys.
My husband and I are a great fan of smoothies for breakfast. If you like, I may be able to get him to share his “world famous” smoothie recipe! Anyway, the protein that we add to our morning smoothies comes in a great plastic container.
This container is made from a somewhat hard plastic that allows it to resist easy demolition, but does not splinter. One of our dogs, Sara, only enjoys getting the lid off then the container is all Tate’s.
He kicks it around the yard like a soccer ball. Picks it up and plays keep away with the other dogs. He will retrieve it when thrown. Or if no one is paying any attention to him, he just carries it all around. When tired, he will often lay down and rest his head on it. He just loves them. What is also great about a plastic container is that it they are unaffected by the weather, making it a great outdoor toy.
Once he has played with the container for awhile and it starts getting beat up, we remove it, recycle it and he anxiously awaits another. While not totally indestructible, it does last a long time. And it didn’t cost us anything! Changing toys keeps the dog stimulated, thinking and happy. Sometimes rotating through the toys you already have can bring on a renewed sense of interest in your dogs.
This container in particular is not big enough for our dogs to stick their heads inside the opening. If giving your dogs a similar container to play with, be certain they cannot stick their heads in the inside and risk getting it stuck. A hole should be drilled in the bottom end of the container for safety.