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Dogs loved stuffed dog toys, but they destroy them so fast. This easy tutorial will show you how to make a DIY Dog that your dog can safely unstuff over and over. It’s so easy, it takes less than 10 minutes and, if your dog is anything like mine, they’ll love it.

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This weekend, I was wasting time on the Facebook (like I often do because I am a lazy time waster) and I came across a post from Dawn at Pet Product Review:

Isn’t that always the way? Dogs love stuffed toys, but they destroy them within minutes of you bringing it home and all that is left of your hard earned money is a ridiculously large mess and a ton of fluffing.

Not anymore. 

This easy, DIY dog toy will let you rescue destuffed toys and convert them to one your dog can unstuff over and over.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 stuffed toy of your choosing
• Thread & Needle
• Felt Sheets
• Optional: Squeaky Eggs <–affiliate link

1. Choose your toy – For Felix, I choose a larger 13″ toy because Felix says “size matters”. He likes big toys and he can not lie. Make sure you buy enough felt to fully stuff the inside of the toy you choose.

2. Cut a 1 1/2″ – 4″ slit in the toy. The larger your dog is, the larger this opening should be. It needs to be big enough that your dog can get in there and pull out the stuffing.

3. Destuff the toy. Just yank it all out and toss it. You don’t need it and it’s actually super dangerous for your dog to eat it. (I used the guts of a thousand murdered dog toys to stuff my DIY Deck Pillows.)

4. Sew one tight stitch at the top and one at the bottom of the opening. The stitch will hold the toy together and prevent the fabric from ripping further.

5. Cut felt into wide strips. You want them to be thin enough to pull out of the opening, but not thin enough to choke on (like yarn). I cut mine about 1 1/2″ wide.

6. Stuff felt and squeakers (if desired) into the toy. Continue until the toy is well stuffed. Felix all but ignored the toy when it was limp and half full, but once I had stuff it to the gills, he went to town ripping it’s guts out.

7. Repeat step 6 as often as your dog requires.

Just like with any stuffed toy, this should be for supervised use only.  Dogs who destroy their toys can also get carried away and chow down on their toys. A bowel obstruction is nothing to tangle with. That being said, I worry less that Felix will swallow a 12″ strip of felt less than I ever worried he would accidentally inhale some fluffing.

The funniest part is watching Felix play with it.

He’s determined to kill it and it unstuffs it with great vigor. The long on his face when I put it back together and toss it to him is priceless. “I thought I killed that thing?! Who does he think he is, Emil Blonsky!?”

Does your dog like to destuff toys?

Do you ever try to mend them or save them or do they hit the trash once they’re unstuffed?