How To Make a No Sew Fleece Tug Toy or Dog Rope Bone

Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read 

How To Make a No Sew Fleece Tug Toy or Dog Rope Bone

Many years ago, I met a lady that was one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever met. She was a substitute teacher at a school I worked at and subbed for many teachers for many years. She was a favorite of mine because she loved art. She loved it so much in fact that she created in her spare time. One day she brought a bunch of fleece tug toys with her to school and gave them out to school faculty and staff.

Our Miniature American Eskimo dogs love these tug toys

She gifted one to me when she learned I had a couple of dogs and explained how easy they were to make. She encouraged me to make some too. During our conversations, she led me to being able to purchase a kiln from her church (no one was using it) for the school where I taught. I got to do so many amazing clay projects with the kids because of that kiln! It’s funny how the people we meet can lead us to so many amazing things.

Our dogs sometimes chew these diy tug toys

While I am sure many people have shared this project over the years, I thought it was a great thing to keep passing along as my dogs LOVE these toys. Some people think tug toys bring out aggression in dogs (one person told me it encouraged their dog to “tug” on other in appropriate things like their kids!), and while this may be true for some, mine have never mistaken a child or anything else for this toy.

Johnny Cash loves playing with many types of toys

Healthy play, including tug toy play, is great for dogs’ brains and their bodies. But I felt the need to pass along this information if you have a territorial or aggressive type of dog. If you want to learn more about healthy play in dogs and what it looks like, check out this article by the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. If you have an aggressive chewer type of dog, you can make your strips of fabric thicker before your braid them or bypass this toy and try a toy specifically made for tough chewers.

I created a long form YouTube video many years ago which describes the project very well. You can watch the video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

If you are in the mood to create fleece tug toys, this is a great craft that you and your dogs will enjoy. You can make extra and donate them to shelters too. Make some in many sizes for different size dogs. These dog rope bones are also easily washed but should be thrown away as soon as they start to shred.

Read on to learn how to make a no sew fleece tug toy or dog rope bone.

 If you’d like to see a short video format of this project (one minute long), watch the video below (Coming soon!)

My tug toy started at 36 inches in length

What you’ll need for a medium sized tug toy:  

Fabric marking pencils make fabric cutting easier

Directions:

1. Lay out your fabric onto a flat surface

2. Measure out three even sections on your fabric (I measured three sections that were about 5.5 inches wide) using a yardstick or ruler and mark them with a fabric marking pencil

3. Cut along the marks until you have three strips of fabric

You can make your strips thinner for a smaller toy

4. Lay the strips of fabric on top of each other

One single knot holds the fabric strips together

5. Gather the strips in your hand and tie a knot at the top using all three strips

A small clamp or something heavy will hold the fabric still while you braid

6. Clamp the top of the fabric grouping to a table

7. Braid the fabric tightly (braid as you would braid hair starting with three strands…try this article from Southern Living that shows how to braid if you do not know how)

The finished braided dog toy

8. Tie a knot at the end when you finish braiding

9. Use scissors to trim the ends if necessary

As I said earlier, you can adjust the overall size of your bone for different sized dogs. Larger dogs may need a larger tug toy and smaller dogs may need a smaller tug toy.

If you make this project, let me know in the comments below!

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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.