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

If you've got an old T-shirt heading for the rag bag, it's worth a second look before it goes. With a bit of cutting, braiding and knotting, that soft cotton can become a sturdy tug toy your dog will love just as much as anything from the shop shelf.

It's a genuinely useful thing to know how to do. Dogs get through toys quickly, especially enthusiastic chewers and tuggers, and homemade fabric toys are free, quick to make, and easy to replace once they wear out. They're also a good way to use up worn clothing rather than throwing it away.

This guide walks through exactly how to turn a T-shirt into a safe, well-made tug toy, what to check before you hand it over, and how to keep your dog safe while they play with it. None of this needs sewing skills or special equipment — just a T-shirt, a pair of scissors, and a few minutes.

Why a T-shirt makes a good dog toy

Cotton jersey (the stretchy fabric most T-shirts are made from) is soft on a dog's mouth and gums, which makes it comfortable for tugging and carrying compared with rope or hard rubber. It also has a natural give when braided, so a tightly plaited T-shirt toy has some stretch and bounce built in, similar to a bungee tug toy.

There's a practical reason too. Charities including the PDSA encourage giving dogs regular access to chew and play toys as part of everyday enrichment, and homemade options are a low-cost way to do that. An old T-shirt already carries your scent, which can make it extra appealing and comforting to your dog — more on that later.

Because you're making the toy yourself, you also have full control over the size, thickness and length, so you can tailor it to your own dog rather than relying on a single "one size fits all" shop-bought design.

What you'll need

• One or two old cotton T-shirts (100% cotton or a cotton-majority blend is best — avoid anything with sequins, appliqué, plastic prints, buttons or zips)
• A pair of fabric scissors
• About 10–15 minutes

That's it. You don't need a sewing machine, glue, or any hardware. The whole toy is held together with fabric knots.

Choosing the right T-shirt

Not every T-shirt is a good candidate. Before you start cutting, check the shirt for:

• Plain, well-worn cotton fabric. Older, softer T-shirts braid more easily and fray less aggressively than stiff, new fabric.
• No plastic or metal decoration. Sequins, plastic transfers, buttons, zips or metal studs can come loose during play and are a choking or swallowing risk. Choose a shirt without any of these, or cut around them and discard those pieces entirely.
• No heavily printed or "puff" ink sections. These can crack and flake as the toy gets wet and chewed.
• A shirt that's genuinely finished with, not one you'll miss. Once it's cut up, it can't go back to being a T-shirt.

If in doubt, a plain, undyed or lightly coloured cotton T-shirt is the safest starting point, since it has fewer additional coatings or decorations to worry about.

Step-by-step: braiding a simple tug toy

This is the classic three-strand braided tug, and it's the sturdiest option for regular play.

1. Cut off the bottom hem. Lay the T-shirt flat and cut off the finished hem at the bottom (about an inch up), so you're left with a fabric tube. 2. Cut the body into strips. From the bottom of the shirt upwards, cut the tube into long strips roughly 2–3 inches (5–7cm) wide, cutting straight across so each strip is a full loop of fabric. You'll get several strips from one shirt. 3. Stretch each strip. Pull each loop gently along its length — cotton jersey curls in on itself when stretched, which makes it stronger and rounder, more like a rope than a flat ribbon. 4. Tie three strips together at one end. Knot the top of three strips firmly together, or loop them through each other and knot, so they can't slip apart. 5. Braid tightly. Plait the three strips as you would hair, keeping the tension even and the braid tight — a loose braid frays and unravels far faster than a tight one. 6. Knot the other end securely. Tie a firm double or triple knot at the finishing end. This is the single most important step: a toy that comes apart at the ends is the one most likely to shed fibres your dog could swallow. 7. Trim any long loose ends close to the knots, but don't cut the knots themselves.

For extra chew resistance, you can use strips from two T-shirts and braid with six strands instead of three (braided in two groups of three, then those two braided together), which gives a thicker, longer-lasting toy.

A no-braid option: the knotted ball toy

If you'd rather not braid, a simple knotted ball is quicker and still gives your dog something satisfying to chew and carry.

• Cut the T-shirt into two or three long strips as above.
• Lay them together and simply tie a series of tight overhand knots along the length, bunching the fabric as you go, finishing with a firm final knot.
• The result is a lumpy, ball-like toy with a "handle" of fabric at each end — good for tugging, fetching, or chewing on its own.

Making it safe: what to check before you hand it over

However you build the toy, run through this check before your dog gets to play with it:

• No loose ends. Every knot should be tight enough that you can't work a strand free by hand.
• No small offcuts left nearby. Clear away any trimmed scraps so your dog can't find and swallow them separately.
• Appropriate size for your dog. A toy that's easily lost inside a large dog's mouth, or one so bulky a small dog can't comfortably hold it, isn't right. As a general guide from the PDSA, a toy should be large enough that your dog can carry it without needing to hold the whole thing in their mouth, and shouldn't have any parts that can be easily bitten off or swallowed.
• A "does this look shop-standard" gut check. If you wouldn't be comfortable buying an equivalent toy this loose or this frayed from a shop, tighten it up before use.

A homemade toy is only as safe as its weakest knot — a few extra minutes tying it tightly is worth far more than a fast finish.

How to play tug of war safely

A braided T-shirt toy is ideal for tug games, but tug play works best with a few ground rules, whatever the toy is made from:

• Play side to side, not up and down. Avoid lifting your dog off the ground or yanking their head sharply, which can strain their neck.
• Teach a reliable "drop" or "leave." Being able to ask your dog to release the toy calmly, rather than wrestling it away, keeps the game fun rather than a battle.
• Keep sessions short. A minute or two of focused tugging is usually plenty; dogs can get overexcited if play runs on too long.
• Let your dog "win" sometimes. Letting go occasionally and praising them helps keep the game a shared activity rather than a contest.
• Stop if your dog gets overly aroused or possessive. If a dog starts guarding the toy, growling, or struggling to calm down afterwards, it's worth easing off tug games or asking a qualified trainer for help with impulse control first.

Keeping the toy in good condition

Homemade toys wear out faster than shop-bought ones built from tougher synthetic rope, so a quick maintenance routine matters:

• Inspect before every session. A quick look and tug on the knots and braid takes seconds and catches fraying early.
• Supervise play, particularly the first few times your dog has the toy, so you can see how they use it — some dogs tug, some carry, and some settle down to methodically chew through fabric, which changes how quickly it wears.
• Retire it once it frays badly. Once threads are visibly coming loose or a knot has worked loose, it's time to either re-knot it tightly or throw it away and make a new one — don't wait until it fails mid-play.
• Wash it occasionally. A cotton toy can go through the washing machine on a normal cycle (no fabric softener, which can leave a residue) if it starts to smell, then air dry fully before use.

Other uses for an old T-shirt

If braiding isn't for you, a T-shirt still has value to a dog without any cutting at all. PDSA guidance on preventing separation anxiety in dogs and puppies suggests leaving an item of clothing with your scent on it in their bed or safe space while you're out, as the familiar smell can be reassuring during your absence. A soft, unwashed (but not filthy) old T-shirt works well for this — just keep an eye on whether your dog chews it up rather than simply settling on it, and swap it for the knotted or braided toy version if they do.

Dogs Trust also notes that chewing itself can be a useful outlet for dogs who feel worried or a bit wound up, alongside proper brushing as the main way to look after their teeth — so a chew-friendly fabric toy can do double duty as both play and a settling activity, without replacing regular dental care.

When to see your vet

Homemade toys are generally very safe when they're well made and supervised, but keep an eye out for signs that something's wrong:

• Repeated vomiting, retching, or gagging
• Reduced appetite, lethargy, or a swollen or painful abdomen
• Straining to go to the toilet, or an obviously smaller amount of stool than usual
• Visible fabric or thread stuck in the mouth or wrapped around the tongue

Any of these, especially after your dog has been playing with or chewing a fabric toy, warrants a call to your vet promptly — fabric can cause an intestinal blockage if swallowed, and this can become an emergency quickly. If you ever see a chunk of the toy missing and can't account for it, it's always worth phoning your vet for advice rather than waiting to see what happens.

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

Sources

• PDSA — dog-friendly toys and safety advice (pdsa.org.uk).
• PDSA — preventing separation anxiety, including leaving a scented item of clothing (pdsa.org.uk).
• RSPCA — DIY pet games and toys (rspca.org.uk).
• Dogs Trust — dog dental hygiene, including the role of chew toys (dogstrust.org.uk).