Ready to make a fun and eco-friendly treat puzzle toy for your dog? We’ll show you how to use a recycled plastic sports drink bottle, an old hand or dish towel, and some dog treats to create a playful challenge for your furry friend. You’ll cut the towel into a long strip and stuff it, along with the treats, into the bottle. Your dog will have a blast figuring out how to pull the strip out to get to the treats. Let’s get started!

Recycled Treat Puzzle Dog Toy

Difficulty: Easy
Time required: 10-20 minutes

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Create a fun and engaging treat puzzle dog toy by stuffing a plastic bottle with a towel strip and dog treats, providing an easy and quick activity to entertain your furry friend.

SUPPLY LIST

• Plastic water or sport drink bottle
• Old hand towel (approx. 16” x 30”), clean and dry
• Alternatively, cut a 16” x 30” rectangle from an old t-shirt, sweatshirt, or fleece blanket
• Scissors
• Dog treats broken into half inch pieces, training treats, or small kibble

INSTRUCTIONS

If the bottle has a wrap or label, remove it.

Remove the plastic ring under the cap to prevent your dog from choking on it or swallowing it:

Thoroughly wash and dry both the bottle and its cap.

Next you’ll cut the hand towel into one long 2 inch strip (or use two finger widths as a measurement). Use the scissors to make the cuts shown as dotted lines:

Start by making a straight cut approx. 2 inches (or two finger widths) in from one of the short edges of the hand towel. Stop cutting when you’re 2 inches from the opposite edge. Rotate the towel and make a second straight cut 2 inches away from the first cut, again stopping when you’re 2 inches from the opposite edge. Continue making 2 inch strips along the length of the towel until it’s one long piece. )

Alternative to the hand or dish towel: Cut several 2 inch strips from old t-shirts, sweatshirts, or fleece blankets in a variety of colors. Tie the strips together until you have a 10-12 ft continuous strip.

PREP THE TOY FOR PLAY

Stuff a few inches of the towel strip into the plastic bottle, followed by a few treat pieces. Repeat until you have 3-4 of inches of towel left sticking out of the bottle. (If the bottle is fully stuffed and the tail of the towel is longer than about 3-4 inches, trim off the excess.) Give the toy to your dog for playtime!

Need to take the toy to go? Easy! Just prepare the toy with the towel strip and treats, and screw the cap back on to keep everything inside until ready to play. Remove the cap for playtime!

ADDITIONAL TIP FOR WIDE MOUTH BOTTLES ONLY

If the task of pulling the strip from the bottle is too easy for your dog, you can increase the difficulty by cutting a hole in the bottle cap and screwing the cap back onto the bottle after you’ve stuffed the towel and treats in. Your dog will have to work a little harder to pull the strip through the smaller opening!

Cover your work surface with a cutting mat or cutting board for protection. Using the craft knife, carefully cut a round hole in the cap approx. 1” in diameter. Screw the cap onto the bottle.

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING

As with all dog toys, always properly supervise your dog when playing with this toy. Throw toys away when they start to fall apart. Do not allow your dog to chew on the plastic bottle, as this can cause injury.

Loose pieces—including plastic or strings —can become a choking hazard or may cause life-threatening obstructions if swallowed.

Make sure you remove any strings or other parts that could be torn off and ingested before allowing your dog to play with this or any other toy.

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