Boston Terrier Shredded paper everywhere. A look of pure, unhinged joy on that little tuxedo face. And the culprit? A toilet paper roll you forgot to throw away. Sound familiar?
That’s the thing about Boston Terriers. They don’t care how much you spent. They care how interesting something is, how it smells, how it crinkles, how it bounces off the wall at a weird angle. A $40 toy from the pet store gets a five-minute sniff and a suspicious side-eye. A plastic water bottle with a few treats rattling inside? Absolute gold.
DIY toys aren’t just budget-friendly. They’re often better for your Boston because you can customize them to your dog’s specific obsessions, size, and play style. Whether your pup is a shredder, a chewer, a fetch fanatic, or a puzzle-solver, there’s something on this list that will have them losing their mind in the best way possible.
Let’s get into it.
The Toys That’ll Actually Keep Them Busy
1. The Classic Snuffle Mat
Grab a rubber sink mat (the kind with holes in it) and cut fleece fabric into strips.
Tie those strips through every hole until the mat is dense and fluffy. Then hide kibble or small treats down in the layers.
Your Boston will work for every single piece. Snuffle mats tap into their natural foraging instincts and burn serious mental energy. A ten-minute snuffle session can tire them out as much as a walk.
"Mental stimulation isn’t a bonus for high-energy dogs. It’s a necessity."
2. The Crinkle Bottle Sock
Stuff an empty plastic water bottle (lid removed) into an old sock and tie the end off.
That’s it. Genuinely.
The crinkle sound drives most Boston Terriers absolutely wild. The sock adds texture and something to grip. Swap out the bottle once it gets too crinkled or cracked, and reuse the sock endlessly.
3. The Frozen Kong Stuffing (But Make It Interesting)
Most people know about Kongs. Fewer people get creative with them.
Layer peanut butter (xylitol-free), mashed banana, plain Greek yogurt, and a few pieces of kibble. Freeze it overnight. The layers create different textures as your Boston digs deeper, and the frozen element adds an extra challenge.
On a hot Central Valley day, this doubles as a cooling treat.
4. The Muffin Tin Puzzle
Dig out a standard muffin tin and some tennis balls.
Drop a treat into a few of the cups (not all of them), then cover every cup with a tennis ball. Your dog has to figure out which balls are hiding the goods and how to remove them.
It sounds simple. It isn’t, not for the first few rounds anyway. Once they crack the code, you can level it up by hiding treats under only one ball or switching to a mini muffin tin.
Toys That Feed the Chew Drive
5. The Braided Fleece Tug
Cut three long strips of fleece, each about an inch wide and two feet long.
Knot them together at one end, braid tightly, knot the other end. Done.
Boston Terriers love tug. It’s interactive, it satisfies their drive to use their mouth, and braided fleece is soft enough to be gentle on their flat little faces. Make several in different thicknesses and let them pick a favorite.
6. The Rope Ball Knot Toy
Take a length of thick cotton rope (about three feet) and tie several overhand knots along its length, finishing with a large knot at each end.
The knots create natural chewing points. The fibers floss their teeth as they chew. And cotton rope is generally safe for dogs as long as you’re supervising and swapping it out before it gets too frayed.
"The best toy is one that works with your dog’s natural instincts, not against them."
7. The Toilet Paper Roll Crinkle Toy
Flatten four or five empty toilet paper rolls and stuff them inside each other, accordion style. Tuck the ends in to create a lumpy, irregular shape.
You can leave it as-is or stuff a treat inside before folding it closed.
The unpredictable shape makes it fun to bat around. The cardboard satisfies that need to destroy something. And when it’s fully annihilated, you just make another one.
8. The Tennis Ball Treat Dispenser
Make a small slit in a tennis ball using a sharp knife (adult task, obviously). Cut just enough to squeeze a treat in and out.
Your Boston will roll it, nose it, paw at it, and eventually figure out the right angle to get the treat to drop. It requires patience from them, which is honestly hilarious to watch because patience is not exactly a Boston Terrier strength.
Interactive and Fetch-Style Toys
9. The Sock Puppet Fetch Toy
Take an old tube sock and stuff it with other old socks until it’s plump and firm.
Tie the open end into a knot. Toss it, drag it along the ground, let your dog grab the other end for a quick game of tug. The irregular, floppy movement when thrown mimics prey behavior, and Boston Terriers will lose their minds chasing it.
10. The Cardboard Box Shredding Station
Okay, this one requires almost zero effort on your part.
Find a cardboard box (shoe box, cereal box, shipping box) and stuff it with crumpled newspaper, a few treats scattered throughout, and maybe a squeaky toy buried at the bottom. Close the flaps loosely.
Let your Boston rip into it.
Shredding is deeply satisfying for a lot of dogs, and giving them a designated thing to destroy means they’re less interested in your throw pillows. Supervised only, and keep an eye that they’re not eating large pieces of cardboard.
11. The DIY Flirt Pole
A flirt pole is basically a giant cat toy for dogs. A stick, a rope, and something tied at the end.
Use a wooden dowel or even a sturdy stick from the yard. Attach a couple of feet of paracord, then tie on a strip of fleece or an old toy at the end. Swing it around low to the ground and watch your Boston go absolutely feral trying to catch it.
This is one of the best ways to exercise a Boston Terrier in a small space. Five minutes of flirt pole can equal twenty minutes of regular play in terms of energy burned.
"A tired Boston Terrier is a well-behaved Boston Terrier. The math is pretty simple."
12. The Ice Cube Treat Tray
Fill an ice cube tray with low-sodium chicken broth, tuck a small treat or piece of kibble into each compartment, and freeze.
Pop out a few cubes and put them in your dog’s bowl or on a towel outside. They’ll lick, crunch, and chase the cubes as they slide around.
It’s messy. Gloriously, hilariously messy. But your Boston will be completely occupied for a solid stretch of time, and cleanup is just a quick wipe-down.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start Building
Not every dog plays the same way. Some Bostons are obsessive chewers; others prefer puzzle-style toys that reward their (surprisingly sharp) problem-solving brains. Start with two or three of these and watch what lights your dog up the most.
Always supervise with any DIY toy, especially ones involving cardboard, rope, or fabric. Boston Terriers can be enthusiastic to the point of accidentally ingesting materials that aren’t meant to be eaten.
Rotate toys regularly. Novelty is everything to this breed. A toy that’s been sitting out for a week becomes invisible. The same toy reintroduced after a two-week break? Suddenly the most exciting object in the known universe.
The best part about making toys yourself is that you can replace them instantly when they wear out, customize them based on what your specific dog loves, and feel genuinely good about not spending $25 on something that gets destroyed in eleven minutes.
Your Boston doesn’t need expensive. They need interesting.