Custom Heavy Duty Squeaky Toys

[Reegesc]

Custom made leather football squeaky toys, featuring handmade heavy duty squeakers, for my Labrador Receiver, Luci Lu and for a few friends.

Edited September 14, 2016 by cseeger

[leatherwytch]

Let me know how long it lasts. I may make one for my mother Shepherd.

Where did you get the squeakers?

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2016 by leatherwytch

[Reegesc]

Not to get all technical on you with Squeak Theory , but there are two parts to a squeaker:  The bladder and the reed.  You can buy ready-made squeakers all day long on ebay, but they are those little dinky things that come in those cheap squeaker toys that you'll be replacing.   I tried just stuffing a bunch of those in the football along with Poly fill, but it doesn't work because they just slide away from the force of the bite.   The squeaker needs to be stationary inside the toy and in place where Fido can get a good grip and crunch down on it repeatedly.

So...I decided to make my own.  I'm still experimenting but right now I'm using an 8 oz squeeze bottle as it's the right size and shape to fit in the center of the football which I then surround with poly fill.  I drill hoes and glue the  replacement reeds (30mm) on either end.   One on each end is plenty loud, but I'm doing two on each end and it's really loud, which is kinda the whole point.  Both the squeeze bottles and replacement reeds are sold on ebay -- a little over a buck per bottle and like 5 cents per reed (pack of 50 for $2.50).  Search ebay "8oz Tattoo Squeeze Bottle 250ml" and "Replacement Squeaker Reeds 30mm" ...lots of listings for both.

I've got a couple weeks experience with these and they're holding up fine, but then she's not a chewer and we only use these at the daily dog park visit.  She's a flirt and takes them with us to the dog park so the other dogs will chase her and she can chase them.  Chase and be chased seems to be the game. None of the squeakers have been killed yet and I doubt they will be because they can't get close enough to it to puncture it (punctures are easy to repair btw with duct tape).    

Here's the three templates I've been working with.   "Too big", "too small", and "just right" are what my dog likes.   For throwing, I like the too big.   So now I'm giving these to friends as gifts for them and not their dog.  They're just fun to throw and if you happen to have a dog that will bring them back to you, well that's a bonus.

 

EDIT:  So that would be for four panels to make the football.

Edited September 14, 2016 by cseeger

[Rohn]

Those are really cool.  Thanks for all the great information. We have 3 German Shepherds and I think I might try making some of these too.

[TinkerTailor]

My dog would not look at it. It has to be a stuffed chicken or nothing. She has a chicken that had a squeeker in each paw, one in the head and butt and one in the middle. 6 of them. She ever so carefully surgically opened the stitching at the butt, and managed to extract all the squeekers and leave the stuffing intact...This is her 4th chicken, she has got better at the surgery every time......She hides the squeekers from us because she hates squeeks and we know it and torment her.....She finds it really difficult to pinpoint which direction, or which one of us has the squeeker...(hint: we both do..)    She also knows if she hides the whole chicken, she will forget where when she wants to cuddle it.

Ironically her mom was a rescue that had been abused for killing around 200 chickens in an hour when she got out on a farm. Came close to bankrupting the farmers.

[MADMAX22]

Look nice but they would last about 5 minutes with my dog and he is only 60lbs. Ofcourse he would probably enjoy all 5 minutes lol.

[Windrider30]

what thickness of leather are you use?

[Reegesc]

5-7oz but it doesn't matter much.  Whatever you have in your scrap bin will work just fine.

[TinkerTailor]

Guy could make one dog toy out of the whole scrap bin, layer upon layer,  kinda like those Ukrainian nesting dolls. Great stitching practice. Nothing but frustration for the dog, peeling layer after layer off of the leather onion.

[leatherwytch]

This is terrific, thanks so much for pointing me to eBay, seeger.

 

[BillyBuck]

Looks like you used two strands of thread? Was that to give it a lower profile. What type of thread? Come on just one picture of a ball with tooling, after a weeks use. Please...

[Reegesc]

Yeah, I doubled the thread  (Chinese Poly 1mm) to make it more pronounced.   It makes it more "hefty" looking.    Here's two pics and two balls, front and back.   Both are a little over a month old, and they get used fairly regularly at the dog park, but that's just retrieving.   My dog isn't interested in them outside of the dog park.  She's not a chewer, unless it's a bone.    But a friend whose dog is a toy destroyer  reported that she had to restitch a section of her ball after about a week.   I haven't checked back but her horse of a dog  (Mastiff) has probably eaten it by now.  Mileage will vary...

Edited October 22, 2016 by cseeger

[Reegesc]

On September 15, 2016 at 10:07 AM, TinkerTailor said:

Guy could make one dog toy out of the whole scrap bin, layer upon layer,  kinda like those Ukrainian nesting dolls. Great stitching practice. Nothing but frustration for the dog, peeling layer after layer off of the leather onion.

Hahaha...you're a mean one Mr. Grinch.

[Tugadude]

I have to say (with no disrespect to anyone else) that you come up with some of the coolest ideas!  Loved your sandals and boots and now these, just really neat.  Keep it up, it's inspiring.

[Reegesc]

 Well thank you very much.  You're too kind.  Everything I do stems from being  envious of Monica Jacobsen's talented work.