Cola Bottle Toys for Dogs and Cats

Sometimes dogs are satisfied with the simplest of toys, grabbing a piece of trash to play with rather than their plush new small animal costume or toy. If your dog has simple tastes, you can indulge her--and save money--by making toys out of empty plastic cola bottles.

Choose a plastic cola bottle that suits your dog's size and play habits. A 2-liter bottle is good for dogs who like a bulky da bird gocat toy, while smaller ones are good for dogs who like to carry around small toys.

Clean the plastic cola bottle, removing the label and the plastic cap ring, if it's still attached. Dry the plastic cola bottle.

Crunch the bottle to get your dog's attention. If your dog's like most dogs, he'll come running. Throw the bottle and he'll take it from there.

Increase the sound effects by putting dried beans in the bottle. Cap it and shake it for your dog. If she likes noisy toys, she'll love this version of the plastic bottle toy.

Place some kibble or broken treats in the bottle and cap it if you want to create a noisy toy and give your dog something to do. Cut a hole in the bottle just big enough to let the treats out one at a time. This version of the bottle toy can keep a food-oriented dog happily occupied for a long time.

Create a longer-lasting chew toy by putting the bottle inside a sock before you give it to him. Tie the sock at the top so your dog won't just pull the bottle out and chew on it.

Make a floating da bird rod toy for a retriever by placing a capped bottle in a large sock and tying it off so there's enough sock left over to use as a handle. You may want to add a little ballast to the bottle for a hefty toy that you can throw further.