No dog toy is truly indestructible. Some of them withstand the test of dog’s teeth better than others but if your pup is determined enough to destroy it, she/he will do it eventually. That’s why it is so important to keep an eye on them while they are playing with their toys and not to leave your dog unsupervised with their toys.

What Do I Do When My Dog Destroys a Toy?

First, take the toy away and inspect it. If it’s a rubber toy, make sure that your dog doesn’t swallow pieces of rubber. If they already did, don’t panic. Usually it will come out ‘the other side’ in a day or two. You might want to inspect your dog’s poop a bit closer during those days to make sure it did. But sometimes swallowing pieces of rubber can lead to constipation or even inflammation in your dog’s digestive system. To make sure that your dog gets help if it’s needed, consult your veterinarian.

Vets obviously have seen a lot and they can guide you through all necessary steps that need to be taken if your dog needs help after swallowing pieces of the toy.

If the toy your dog destroyed is made out of fabric/yarn with stuffing, steps you need to take are similar. Take the toy away from your dog and inspect it. Make sure that there’s no pieces of stuffing laying around.

Unlike rubber dog toys, fabric dog toys or crochet dog toys are easy to fix after the accident. If the tear is not significant, you can easily fix the dog toy, if you choose to do so.

How Do I Fix My Dog’s Toy?

To fix your dog’s toy you will need either a sewing needle and sewing thread or yarn and tapestry needle (for crochet toys). It depends on what you have on hand. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get supplies that you don’t use regularly.

You can simply sew the fabric shut with either sewing supplies or piece of yarn.

This blog post was inspired by Boris – my dachshund product tester – who ripped a hole in his favorite crochet dog bone. I chose to sew it shut with piece of yarn and tapestry needle, because I have these supplies at hand. I photographed the process below.

You don’t need to stress about fixing your dog’s toys perfectly. You don’t need a matching thread or sewing skills to do it. You have to make sure that the hole is closed securely but the looks of the toy are not that important 😉

I simply sew the hole shut in less than 2 minutes, so the toy is ready for Boris to play with. I made sure that there was no loose thread sticking out by pushing the ends into the toy with the needle. It doesn’t look anywhere close to perfect now but there’s no loose stuffing flying around.

You might also try it push the edges of the hole inside and sewing it this way. It will make the hole less visible than just simply sewing it shut. Remember to pull on the thread as you go, to close the hole down. This is the result of fixing the dog bone this way:

As you can see, fixing your dog’s toy is not complicated, if it’s made out of fabric or yarn. It is quick and easy but you have to remember to react on time when your dog begins to destroy the toy, for your dog’s safety. That’s why I always advise you to keep an eye on what’s going on while your pet is playing.