Another post got me thinking about DIY dog items. I've found that 90% of the items sold at Petsmart are terribly overpriced and can be either made for much cheaper, or purchased elsewhere (in whole or in part) and cobbled together, again for much cheaper. It's not so much that I'm handy, or really into DIY stuff, but I'm cheap, cheaper than Scrooge, and can't stand to spend money on something that can be made easily for less.
Most recently we've made the following items for Casey:
A leash (we needed a longer one for training) - simply take a piece of nylon rope, and sew on a loop at one end and a small metal hook purchased from Home Depot for $2 at the other.
A fabric treat bag with draw-string top - Used some left over fabric, sewed a 1/2 inch space around the top of a rectangular piece of fabric and then sewed it into a bag (sewed three of the 4 sides together, leaving the draw-string portion the open end) and then inserted some string.
Crate bed - We had some old Ikea curtains that we weren't using anymore, so they were transformed into her crate bed.
Multiple toys made from various household objects/garbage/etc.
Treats - As a vegetarian, I never realized how cheap liver is! Several pounds of liver only cost a few dollars - boiled, cut into small training pieces and then the moisture baked off in the oven. I even keep the water the liver was boiled in (wait until it cools down and then funnel it into an empty pop/juice/milk jug). I sprinkle the water over her dried dog food sometimes when I want to add the delicious flavor of liver without giving her too much of a good thing (and causing bowel problems, lol).
A Doggy Ramp - Our deck was slightly too high for her to safely jump off/on (but not high enough to warrant stairs for people) so we made a wooden ramp out of some left-over wood from our fence. Just a triangular frame with cut up pieces of 4x4, then lay a wider piece of plywood on top, add some smaller cut up pieces for their footing (we also added some sand-paper type tape to ensure secure footing)
What have you built/made/cobbled for your pups? And as a secondary, more specific question: has anyone ever built agility equipment for their dogs?
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