My mom's dog, Molly, loves to play - an activity that for her usually involves rounding up all her toys and ripping them to shreds. In an effort to make some kind of indestructible toy or at least something that she could play with that might last longer than a half hour, I rounded up a few things and gave it a shot.

While she was able to dismantle this awesome rope and dried sweet potato contraption, it at least took her a little longer, and she seemed to really love it. Molly was probably able to obliterate this because she is so tough (doesn't she just look so tough?), but it would be awesome (and probably last a little longer) for dogs who don't shred toys up in record time, as well as for puppies.

Note: Homemade treats or an awesome princess bed are other great options for your fabulous furry friends

Step 1: You'll Need. . .

Hemp or jute rope (I used 9 pieces of a thin-ish diameter braided together to make a larger rope. Approximately 2 1/2 feet works well for medium dogs, less is needed for a toy for a smaller dog and more for a larger dog)¹
Sweet potatoes or yams (2 for a medium-sized dog toy, one for a smaller one and 3 or 4 for a larger-sized toy)²
Sheet pan and parchment or foil
Sharp knife
Round cookie cutter a bit larger than the diameter of your rope
Vegetable peeler (optional)

¹Hemp and jute rope are used here because they're super strong and durable, and also because if Molly managed to eat some of it, it was much less likely to cause any of the issues that ingesting a synthetic rope would
²Sweet potatoes and yams are awesome for dogs as well as people. Dogs seem to love to chew them, and when they eat them they're also getting a big dose of nutrients

Step 2: Potato Prep!

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
Wash your sweet potatoes really well (you can peel them if you want, but I just leave the peel on)
Slice the sweet potato into rounds approximately 1/2" thick
Using the cookie cutter, remove the center of each round¹

¹Give your pup some extra love by boiling these little cutout portions up and mashing them - this is a great and easy way to get your dog to take medicines they might otherwise refuse (or you can add a little maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon and gobble them up yourself!). You can also dry these bits alongside the rings and give them to your canine friend as treats

Step 3: Bake 'Em Up

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 2 1/2 hours
Flip and bake for another 2 1/2 hours
When they're done they should be totally dried out and hard - if there are any squishy bits, bake longer and keep checking every 30 minutes or so
Once they're totally dry, allow to cool fully

Step 4: Lots of Knots

Make a knot in the end of your hemp rope
If using multiple thinner pieces, braid them together to make stringing the pieces on easier
String on two sweet potato rings and make a knot above them
Add two more rings and knot
Repeat until you reach the end of your rope
Give this awesome new toy to your canine companion!

Finalist in the
Pets Challenge

Participated in the
Green Living & Technology Challenge

2 People Made This Project!

Sarah78jm made it!
Willybalsh made it!

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103 Comments

scottjl

10 years ago on Introduction

Made one for my Jack Russell Terror. She LOVES it! I like it because I know it's not full of junk, it was simple, it was cheap, and I got to make it for her. Thanks for sharing.

Baked the slices in the oven but it took 2 days for them to dry out (only had the oven on while I was home). Next time I'll try them in my dehydrator, should be easier. Don't mind the smell around the kitchen either. Kinda tasty!

JillD27

11 days ago on Step 4

I'm wondering if anyone has tried this using squash instead of sweet potato. Delicata would be just about the right size.

jessi123

3 months ago

I have a 98 lb pittie (he's real sweet) and he chews through everything. I used to get soup bones from the Farmer's Market but I've not been there in a while. I finally tried yak bones. They aren't indestructible but it takes him a month or two to chew threw them. I'll have to try the sweet potato and rope to see how long it takes him to go through that one. I'll send a picture once I get them made and he's enjoying them.

Creativeusername_Idk

7 months ago

They said the titanic was "Indestructible" but here we are

pr3227

9 months ago

My 4 St Bernard’s have chewed through everything, including furniture,.....EXCEPT,....large raw cow bones which I buy from a local abattoir/farm. These ARE indistructable and although they gnaw off the meaty bits, they spend all week happily chewing away at them, oblivious to everything else, until I renew them each Friday, which is the day the farm processes the next batch. They have their own tiled, heated extension otherwise I couldn’t use these, as the bones are quite bloody. Also give them out on the drive in decent weather. They also have massive amounts of raw meat from farm. I do live in rural area though.
As an alternative, you can buy smaller processed bones from pet stores, pound shops, or Pets at Home in the U.K. which are non bloody, but a bit greasy. I found are the only alternative for constant chewers. Do not cook them as cooked ones splinter ! The bones have to be larger than the dogs head/mouth. Supervise small dogs ! Toys are useless, and a minor distraction. Check out my Facebook page...Rexamian Siamese. They are seen chewing smaller store bought bones, before I switched.

Tatiana litnipskaia

1 year ago

Is there another type of item to use to hold them together? I would like to make these for my shelter nchs dogs and the county shelter dogs

Tamiesa

6 years ago

If your dog is a tenacious chewer like my boy Bentley who is a doberman, I spent lots of time picking up the pieces of every toy he every had...,...... Until I came across "KONG-extreme I have him the black king extreme bone thinking it would be like most other toys in pieces within minutes, but to my amazement he couldn't chew it up, one year on we still have it it's fab, so we invested in more kong-extreme toys. Normal kongs aren't strong enough but the kong extreme is what u need to look for!

lipstic

5 years ago

I'm sorry to say there is no "indestructible" toy or chew for dogs. I have seen dogs tear apart car bumpers, chew on rocks etc.

My Giant Schnauzer tends to be an extremely strong power chewer. She can no longer have beef knuckle bones the size of her head because in 20 min there is next to nothing left (that means she actually shredded and ate the bone. I mention that to give you an understanding on the dog who I use to test chew toys on. I have not found a home-made toy yet that stands up to her, however, Jolly Pets and Jump seem to be 2 brands that are not expensive and last for her.

The toy you have made here is actually a wonderful and consumable puzzle treat Just watch if your dog likes to eat rope.