In our shop, bench dogs disappear almost as quickly as donuts. Our solution was to make a large batch of inexpensive dogs using dowels tipped with vinyl tubing cut with a utility knife (or a table saw or bandsaw after fitted onto the dowel). The soft vinyl-capped dowels will not damage plane blades, scrapers, or sandpaper and are more grippy than metal or wooden dogs. If a dog is slightly taller than the stock, simply touch the end against a belt sander or give it a few swats with a block plane. When working with super-thin stock on your benchtop, trim a narrower ring from the tubing and replace your standard-sized tip.
Find the dowels that fit your dog holes before you buy the vinyl. A foot of tubing (purchased at home centers) will make 6-8 dogs and provide extra material for replacement tips.
