I recently got a new puppy and have quickly learned that she loves to play and chew up all her toys. I had recently gotten a store bought rope to and it took her all of a week to chew it apart. While chewing up her toys stops her from chewing up everything else in the house, I went about the task of trying to find a cheap way to make a durable toy for our little puppy to play with.

Step 1: Find Some Old Cotton Fabric to Cut Up

I had an old bed sheet that I never use. It was a cotton blend. So I cut it into strips of fabric and rolled it all up. You could also some old t-shirts.

Cut strips of fabric about 1" thick.

Step 2: Lay Out Strips of Fabric

Measure out 21 strips of fabric

Depending on the size of your dog you can choose anywhere between 2' - 4' Remember that when you braid the fabric it will become shorter so remember to measure out your strips at least 1' longer than what you want your final product to be.

Step 3: Tie a Tight Knot at One End

Make sure this knot is as tight as you can get it. The tighter the knot the harder it will be for your puppy to pull apart.

Step 4: Braid

Now divide all your strips evenly and start braiding. You should braid a little over 3/4 of the way down. leave a little space for the knot on the second side. Remember to keep the braid as tight as possible so your puppy has a harder time tearing it apart

Step 5: Tie Off Your Braid

This is actually tougher than it looks since you want to keep the braid as tight as possible. You might need to tie some of the braid into the knot. Just remember to be patient. Once you get the knot make sure to tighten it as much as possible.

Step 6: Give to Your Puppy

Your toy is complete. Now its time to play.

My experience with this homemade toy has been great. It has been two weeks and my little puppy has yet to get through even one knot. It is more durable than the store bought rope toys and a lot cheaper too. Plus I still have some of the fabric left for at least three more toys.