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Tennis Balls : Homemade Dog Toys

Ball types of toys for dogs are really a no-brainer. This is a very simple toy but is often overlooked by dog owners who have their eyes on more expensive things. And nearly everyone has a few tennis balls lying around the house that aren't being used.

There is nothing to make with this toy, simply locate some suitable balls and get your dog out into the yard or his normal play area. Although tennis balls are the favored type of ball toy because of their "just right size", chewing durability, furry texture, and bounce capabilities you can also use other types of balls. I have used rubber racquetballs before which are more bouncy than tennis balls but lack the furry outside. For smaller dogs that have a hard time getting their mouths around a tennis ball, you may want to try a large rubber "super-balls" that they sell as kids toys. Just make sure the ball toy is not small enough so the dog will choke on it.

Most larger dogs seem to enjoy playing fetch with the tennis ball. Remember that not all dogs will know or want to fetch the ball. That's not to say that they can't be taught to fetch the ball. But most will enjoy at least chasing after it. The good thing about tennis balls is that they don't have to be new at all. In fact, many tennis players will throw away older balls because they've lost a lot of their bounce. So you can often find them left behind at tennis courts. Their loss is your dog's gain! If the tennis balls that you find are of questionable cleanliness do not use them. You will probably want to wash them either way, in water and soap.




Smaller dogs will often like a game of bouncing the ball on the wall. I've had great fun bouncing a ball indoors against the wall (use a wall where you don't care about stains though!) while a dog tries to grab for it, barking up a storm! Rolling the ball on the ground seems to work too, providing lots of entertainment for both of you.

Toy balls will most likely make your dog pretty happy and some will take it to their beds and entertain themselves by using it as a chew toy for hours on end.

Warning: Be safe. Do NOT make any dog ball toys out of metal and especially aluminum foil because your dog may cut his mouth on this type of toy ball or even swallow pieces of the foil which can lead to serious medical issues. Also, please be careful if you are playing "catch the ball" with your dog in the street... cars can come up unexpectedly. As always please supervise your dog to make sure nothing goes wrong.