Okay, let’s talk about making a tug-of-war rope for my dogs. You know how the ones from the pet store just fall apart? Yeah, mine too. Especially with Buster, he’s a chewer. Got tired of spending money on toys that lasted maybe a week. So, I decided to try making one myself. Seemed simple enough.
Gathering the Stuff
First thing, I needed material. Didn’t want to buy anything new, defeats the purpose, right? So I went hunting around the house.
- Found some old fleece blankets. The really soft kind, but they were getting thin in spots. Perfect.
- Also grabbed a couple of old t-shirts. You know, the ones you keep for painting or messy jobs.
- A good pair of scissors. Fabric scissors are best, but any sharp ones work if you’re careful.
I washed the old blankets and shirts first, just to make sure they were clean before the dogs started mouthing them.
Making the Rope Thing
Alright, the actual making part. I laid out the fleece blanket flat. Decided fleece would be the main body because it’s soft but pretty strong when braided. I cut it into long strips. Didn’t measure perfectly, maybe about 3-4 inches wide? Just eyeballed it. Made sure they were nice and long, like maybe 4 or 5 feet long. I needed three strips for a simple braid.
Then I took the three fleece strips, lined up the ends, and tied a really big, tight knot at one end. Left a bit of fringe hanging out of the knot. This knot is important, it holds everything together.
Next came the braiding. Just a standard three-strand braid, like braiding hair. I pulled each section super tight as I went. This was key. If the braid is loose, it just gets destroyed faster. Took a bit of effort to keep the tension strong all the way down. My hands got a little tired, not gonna lie.
When I got near the other end, leaving enough room, I tied another big, tight knot just like the first one. Again, pulled it as hard as I could. Then I trimmed the ends sticking out of the knots so they were roughly even, leaving a little tassel for the dogs to grab onto.
I actually made a second one using the t-shirt strips too, just to see the difference. T-shirt material is stretchier, so the braid wasn’t quite as stiff. Still worked though.
The Dog Test
This was the fun part. Called Buster and Daisy over. Showed them the new fleece rope. Buster grabbed it immediately! Daisy jumped in too. They started pulling back and forth like crazy. The knots held strong, and the braid took the pulling really well. They played with it for a good long while.
The t-shirt one was okay too, but I could see it stretching more. I think the fleece version will definitely last longer. It felt sturdier.
Was it Worth It?
Totally. Took maybe half an hour? And it cost basically nothing since I used old stuff. Plus, the dogs absolutely love it. It feels good making something useful for them instead of just buying more plastic junk. It’s held up for a few weeks now, which is way better than the store ones. Might make a few more, maybe try different kinds of knots or braids next time.
