What is the best shaking dog toy for active pups? Discover top picks that keep them entertained for hours.

Alright, so I decided to make one of those shaking dog toys myself.

My dog just goes nuts for anything that vibrates or makes noise, but the store ones? They fall apart in like, five minutes. Or the batteries cost a fortune. Figured I could probably cobble something together.

Getting Started

First thing, I needed a victim. Found an old plush duck toy that had seen better days. Seams were already weak, perfect.

Then, the shaking part. I remembered I had an old electric toothbrush that died. Thought maybe the motor inside would work. Took some fiddling, popped the case open, and pulled out the tiny motor assembly. Score.

Making it Shake

The motor itself just spins, right? Doesn't shake. So, I needed to make it unbalanced. Found a small metal screw in my junk box.

Used a dab of super glue, stuck that screw onto the little spinning bit of the motor, but off to one side. Let it dry real good.

Next, power. Dug around and found a small battery holder for two AA batteries. Had some wires too.

Didn't get fancy with soldering. Just twisted the wires onto the motor contacts. Used a bit of electrical tape to keep them secure and separated. Connected the other ends to the battery holder.

Popped in the batteries. Bzzzzzz! The little motor started vibrating like crazy with that screw spinning off-center. Perfect!

Putting it all Together

Okay, opened up a seam on the duck toy. Pulled out a good chunk of the stuffing to make room.

Worried about the dog chewing through to the hard bits. So, I wrapped the motor and battery pack together in a few layers of thick felt I had lying around. Taped that up too, just to keep it bundled.

Shoved the felt bundle deep inside the duck. Really packed it in the middle.

Then started stuffing the original fluff back in, packing it tightly around the felt bundle. Wanted it snug so it wouldn't rattle around too much, but still let the vibration come through.

Once it felt right, I got out a needle and some strong thread. Sewed that seam up real tight. Double-stitched it just to be safe. Tugged on it to make sure it wouldn't pop open easily.

The Big Test

Held the duck. Felt the vibration. Not bad! A nice strong buzz.

Called the dog over. Showed him the duck. He gave it a sniff.

I didn't put an external switch, just connected the batteries directly for this test run. The duck started buzzing in my hand.

His ears perked up. Dropped the duck on the floor.

He pounced! Grabbed it, shook his head like mad. The buzzing seemed to make him even crazier. Ran around with it buzzing in his mouth.

Watched him close, of course. Made sure he wasn't trying to rip it open immediately.

Success! It actually worked. Lasted way longer than five minutes too. Pretty pleased with how it turned out, honestly. Simple, used junk I already had, and the dog loves it. Might make another one soon. Maybe add a simple switch next time, tucked under the fabric. We'll see.