Spinner Bottle Treat Toy-Cinder Tested, Cinder Approved!

Our Dimensions: 24”Tall X 22” Wide X 10” Deep

NOTE:  You could probably make it with one bottle, but

           2-3 bottles is more fun for the dog.

Supplies:

·    Wood to build a frame–recommend a pine board: 1” Thick X  10 or 12” Wide  X 8’  Long
·    Screws to screw the frame together
·    1 piece of metal electrical conduit
·    2 metal cotter pins
·    2 large, clear plastic bottles with large mouths and screw-on caps. * We used V8 Fusion bottles because they’re PERFECT in size, shape, mouth size (for filling); the're fairly thick, durable plastic; and they’re easily replaceable.  They also have “panels” with dot impressions that make it handy for measuring the PERFECT spot to drill your holes for the conduit to pass through.

Tools:

·   Drill
·   Drill screwdriver bit or screwdriver
·   One drill bit slightly larger than the electrical conduit
·   One metal drill bit to drill holes in the conduit for cotter pins–drill bit size depends on size cotter pins you use.
·   One drill bit slightly bigger than the food or treats you plan to use-for the hole in the bottle cap for food to fall through.
·   Tape measure
·    Pencil & permanent marker

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Frame:

Based on the sizes of the bottles you use, make a rectangular frame with an elevated bottom “shelf” as the base:  
·       Cut two boards 24” long for the sides; measure 3-4” from the bottom, mark a straight line and that will be the bottom shelf line.
·       Measure and cut the shelf bottom board to a length of 22”; screw the shelf bottom to each side as marked.
·       Measure and cut the top to 24-26”.  Screw it to the top of the upright sides, making sure they are equally spaced on both sides & the sides are square, & equal the width of the bottom.
·    On the outside of each side of the frame, make marks for the holes for the conduit to pass through.  
Based on the size bottles you use, measure from the bottom shelf upward and place a pencil mark in the center of the side boards at the height you want the conduit. That is your drilling point for the hole for the conduit.  * Leave at least 2-4” of space between the bottles on the top and bottom so they’ll spin freely and if you need to replace the bottles, that space should accommodate lots of other bottles.   
·       Sand the frame as needed for safety and/or painting.
·       Paint frame if/as desired.

   NOTE: We used the elevated bottom shelf as the base because it allows for a certain amount of uneven floor or ground without worry of rocking, shifting, or tipping.  We also decided you could use a narrower width board overall, but if your dog is as intent on playing with it as ours, the wider frame provides better stability.

 For the Bottles:

  · Thoroughly clean and dry the bottles & lids with hot water; then remove labels. 
· Using permanent marker, measure from the bottom & place a dot at the approximate center of the bottles. *If using V8 Fusion Light bottles, the side “panels” have dotted impressions with 7 dots across the widest area of the panels-use the center dot of one of the panels and mark another one in EXACTLY same position as the first mark, on the opposite side of the bottle. 
 ·   Using the dots on the bottles, place your drill bit tip & drill cut the holes for the conduit to slide through the bottles.

·   Mark a dot in the center top of the lid to drill a hole for the food/treats to fall out.
·   Using the dog food/treat sized drill bit, drill the hole through the bottle cap.

CONDUIT:

·  Measure the final width of the OUTSIDE of the box frame & cut your conduit two (2) inches LONGER than the box width.

·  About ¾” from each end of the conduit, drill holes for the cotter pins.

  

FINAL ASSEMBLY:

·  Place a cotter pin in one end of the conduit.  Place the conduit through one side of the frame, leaving enough room to put the bottles onto the conduit.
·  Once both bottles are on the conduit, slide the conduit out the opposite side of the frame and place the other cotter pin in the conduit.  The cotter pins keep the conduit from coming out as the bottles spin.

  

 

You should now have a completed Spinner Bottle Treat Toy!

NOTES: Do NOT paint the conduit because it will need to be washed periodically from the oily dog food/treats; paint could flake off into the food/treats & be eaten by your dog.

Please supervise your pet(s) while using this item!  It could be tipped, scooted, or they may chew on parts of it so you’ll need to watch them while using this toy.

Sometimes the food FLIES out and sometimes it merely drops out when the bottles are upturned so you may want to use this toy outside on a patio or on a hard surface floor like your kitchen.  It wouldn’t work well on a deck since food/treats may slip between boards or fly off the deck-with your dog flying after them!

FILLING the bottles: Unscrew the cap, hold the bottle in an upright, angled position and insert food/treats; the reapply the cap.  Weight of the food/treats will keep the bottle upright.  I use a small food scoop to insert the food/treats.  * If you use a small necked bottle with a small opening, you'll have a harder time filling it.  

This is not meant to be a dog feeder! Only fill the bottle with a limited amount of food or treats-enough to be fun for 5-20 minutes. The added food/treats will increase your dog's overall daily intake so you may want to use this toy only a few times a week to keep from adding too many calories to his/her daily diet.

You may have to show your dog/puppy how to get the treats out and help them figure out the “game” a few times.  Cinder learned without help but she’s EXTREMELY food motivated!

Cinder tested, Cinder approved!

Cheers!

Chris