How to make a DIY dog toy from an old T-shirt

There's a good chance you've got exactly what you need for your dog's next favourite toy hanging in the back of your wardrobe right now. An old, softened cotton T-shirt that's too worn or stained to wear again makes a genuinely excellent dog toy: it's free, it's already broken in and soft on the gums, and turning it into something your dog loves is a nice way to get a bit more use out of it before it's recycled or thrown away.

This guide walks through exactly how to braid a T-shirt into a sturdy tug toy, which T-shirts (and which dogs) suit this kind of toy best, and how to play with it safely once it's made. Homemade toys are a lovely bit of low-cost enrichment, but they still need the same care and common sense as anything you'd buy from a shop, so we've built the safety guidance from Dogs Trust, the PDSA, the RSPCA, ASPCA and the AKC into every section below.

If you've got a fidgety, food-motivated pup rather than a tugger, our Pet Ownership Quiz can help you work out what kind of enrichment actually suits your dog's personality before you spend time (or fabric) on the wrong toy.

What you'll need

This is a genuinely simple project with almost no cost:

• One or two old cotton T-shirts (adult-size shirts give you longer strips, which make a better toy)
• A pair of sharp fabric scissors
• A few minutes and a flat surface to work on

That's it. No sewing, no glue, no special tools. If you want a slightly more durable, thicker toy, use two T-shirts of different colours braided together, which also makes it easier for you to see wear and fraying later on.

Choosing the right T-shirt

Not every old T-shirt is a good candidate. Look for:

• 100% cotton or a cotton-majority blend. Cotton is soft, absorbent, and doesn't shred into sharp plastic-like fibres the way some synthetic blends can. It also washes and dries easily between play sessions.
• No buttons, zips, sequins, or plastic transfers. Anything hard, glittery or glued-on can be chewed off and swallowed. If a shirt has a printed logo, that's fine as long as the print is flat and firmly bonded, but avoid anything with raised or peeling vinyl.
• A shirt that's already been washed a few times. A well-worn shirt is softer and less likely to have loose dye or finishing chemicals on it than something brand new.

Give the shirt one more wash on a hot cycle (no fabric softener, which can make the fibres slippery and reduce grip) before you start cutting, just to make sure it's clean and free of any residue.

Step-by-step: how to braid a T-shirt tug toy

1. Lay the T-shirt flat and cut off the sleeves, collar and hem, so you're left with a rectangular tube of fabric. 2. Cut the body into long strips, roughly 5-7cm (2-3 inches) wide, running from the bottom hem up towards the shoulders. Three strips is the classic braid; you can use more for a chunkier toy. 3. Gather the strips together at one end and tie a firm double knot. This anchor knot needs to be tight, since it's the part that will take the most strain during tug games. 4. Braid the three strips tightly, keeping even tension the whole way down. A loose braid will come apart faster and fray sooner. 5. Tie a second firm double knot at the far end once you run out of length, and trim any straggly loose ends close to the knot. 6. Give it a firm tug test yourself before handing it to your dog, pulling hard on both ends to check the knots hold and the braid doesn't slip.

If you want a rounder, ball-like toy for a smaller dog or a puppy, you can braid a shorter length and then tie it into a tight overhand knot in the middle instead of leaving it as a straight tug shape, which gives a knuckle-shaped chew toy rather than a long tug rope.

Is a T-shirt toy right for your dog?

A braided T-shirt makes a great toy for a lot of dogs, but it isn't right for every dog or every stage of a dog's life.

Puppies and teething dogs

A soft cotton braid is gentle on developing gums and can be a genuinely soothing chew during the teething period. Keep sessions short and always supervise, since puppies are more likely to chew a toy into small pieces than to play with it as intended.

Light to moderate chewers

Most adult dogs that enjoy a gentle tug or a chew session do very well with a fabric toy like this. It's soft enough not to damage teeth, washable, and easy to replace when it wears out.

Power chewers

Dogs that destroy toys quickly, or that tend to swallow rather than just chew, need closer supervision with any fabric toy. Dogs Trust notes that when choosing any enrichment item it's important to consider the individual dog, including their health and abilities, and to make sure anything you give them is appropriately sized with no risk of it becoming a foreign body hazard to the mouth, throat or gastrointestinal tract. For a determined power chewer, a T-shirt braid may need to be swapped out sooner, used only under direct supervision, or skipped altogether in favour of a tougher rubber toy.

Playing tug safely with your homemade toy

Tug is a brilliant bonding game, and the RSPCA lists it among the interactive games that are great ways to spend quality time with your dog, but it works best with a few ground rules in place.

• Only tug side to side. The AKC's expert advice is clear that vigorous up-and-down tugging, or lifting a dog off the ground by the toy, can injure the neck and spine, so keep movements low and horizontal.
• You start and you finish the game. Keep the toy put away between sessions and bring it out yourself, rather than letting your dog treat it as a toy that's always available to demand play with.
• Teach a reliable "drop" or "give" cue before you get stuck into regular tug sessions, and practise trading the toy for a treat so your dog learns that giving something up is always worth their while.
• Stop immediately if teeth touch skin or clothing, even by accident. This is the universal rule across tug guidance: the moment it happens, the game ends calmly, with no scolding, just a pause.
• Keep sessions short, especially with puppies, seniors, or any dog with a known neck, back or joint issue, where even gentle tugging is best avoided or kept very light.

If in doubt, let your dog do most of the pulling and simply hold the toy steady. A calm, controlled game is just as much fun as a rough one, and far safer for both of you.

Keeping the toy safe over time

A homemade toy needs the same ongoing checks as any shop-bought one. The PDSA's advice on toy and ball safety points out that owners should check toys regularly during and after play, since broken pieces can easily be swallowed in the excitement of a game. Dogs Trust makes the same point about soft toys specifically: dogs may naturally rip and shred them, so supervision matters, and any torn-off section should be swapped straight away for a treat rather than left lying around.

For a braided T-shirt toy in particular:

• Check the knots at both ends every few sessions, since these take the most wear.
• Look along the braid itself for thinning, fraying strands or loose threads.
• Retire the toy as soon as it starts coming apart, rather than waiting until it fails completely.
• Wash it regularly in a hot cycle to keep it hygienic, especially if more than one pet in the household shares it.
• Never leave a fraying fabric toy with your dog unsupervised. Dogs Trust and the ASPCA both stress that active supervision is the single most important safety measure with any DIY enrichment item, and the ASPCA recommends removing anything from your dog's mouth immediately if they attempt to ingest it.

A good rule of thumb is to treat a T-shirt toy as disposable rather than a permanent fixture in the toy box. It costs nothing to replace, so there's no reason to keep a worn one going past the point where it's safe.

Other T-shirt toy ideas

Once you've got the basic braiding technique down, a few variations are worth trying:

• Knotted treat ball: braid a shorter length, then tie it into a dense central knot to make a rounder chew shape that's easier for small dogs and puppies to hold.
• Snuffle-style scatter toy: braid several strips into a flat mat shape and tuck a few pieces of kibble into the weave for a gentle sniffing and foraging game (always supervised, and only ever with food-safe treats your dog can have).
• Double-braid tug: use two full T-shirts for a longer, thicker toy that suits bigger dogs or households with more than one dog playing tug at once.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a shirt with buttons, zips or decorative trims. These are the parts most likely to come loose and be swallowed.
• Braiding too loosely. A loose braid frays and unravels far faster than a tight one.
• Leaving the toy out permanently. Bringing it out for supervised sessions, rather than leaving it in a toy basket around the clock, both extends its life and keeps play safer.
• Ignoring early signs of resource guarding. If your dog becomes tense, growls, or won't let the toy go during a swap, that's worth working on with reward-based training (or a qualified trainer) rather than pushing through it.
• Assuming "homemade" means "risk-free." A DIY toy still needs the same sizing, material and supervision checks as anything bought from a shop.

When to see your vet

Contact your vet promptly if your dog swallows any part of a toy, fabric strip, or knot, even if they seem fine afterwards. Watch for vomiting, reduced appetite, lethargy, straining or an inability to pass stool, or visible discomfort, all of which can be signs of a gastrointestinal blockage and need urgent attention. If you ever see or suspect your dog has swallowed a piece of fabric, it's always safer to call your vet for advice rather than wait and see.

*This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from your vet, who can assess your individual pet.*

Sources

• PDSA — advice on ball games, toy sizing and choking risks (pdsa.org.uk).
• RSPCA — DIY pet games and enrichment ideas (rspca.org.uk).
• Dogs Trust — enrichment activities, toy safety and supervision advice (dogstrust.org.uk).
• American Kennel Club (AKC) — expert advice on playing tug of war safely (akc.org).
• ASPCA — canine DIY enrichment guidance and supervision advice (aspca.org).