Making an Upcycled T-shirt Dog Pull Toy

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Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. Suddenly our drawers are stuffed with more t-shirts than we know what to do with. Some of them don’t fit anymore, some were just promo shirts, and others are stained. No matter what the condition we have a hard time parting with them because it seems like a shame to just throw them away.

Thankfully, there are a lot of things that you can do with old t-shirts such as using them as rags or making a t-shirt blanket with some of the special ones. One of my favorite things to do with old t-shirts, particularly the ones that have stains or are faded is to make them into a dog pull toy.

Play is important to dogs as it not only keeps them physically healthy but it also helps to stimulate their minds. The only problem is that dog toys can be expensive! Why buy them however, when you can make them yourself? Plus, these pull toys are easy to make and you can actually make several of them out of two t-shirts so you will have a stockpile!

Making an Upcycled T-shirt Dog Pull Toy

You will want to begin with two or more old t-shirts. Cut them into strips approximately 20 inches long and one to two inches wide. You will need 12 strips per pull toy.

After cutting the strips, lay them out in alternating colors and tie and knot in the top. Be sure to pull this knot as tight as possible.

Separate the strips into three groups of four strips and begin braiding. Once again you will want to make this braid as tight as possible so your dog can’t easily unravel it.

Once you’ve gotten approximately 10 inches braided, you will want to gather the strips and tie into another knot. Tie the knot as tight as possible.

Now you have a fun pull toy that your dog can use for playing fetch, chewing on, or anything else that dogs do. I do know that it will definitely get their tail wagging though!

Speaking of wagging tails, another thing that your dog is bound to get excited for is Nature’s Recipe dog food. This dog food will help “fuel the wag” by providing high quality ingredients and natural recipes with added vitamins and minerals. It also contains no poultry by-product meal and has no corn or wheat. Additionally, there is a grain free option which contains no soy.

I love that Nature’s Recipe is now sold in mass grocery stores, since previously it was only sold in specialty pet stores. I was able to pick it up in the pet food aisle of my local Martin’s Food Market while I did the rest of my grocery shopping.