Fleece Dog Toy Tutorial

Can you keep a secret?

Abby was quite suspicious this afternoon when she saw me taking one of her toys. 

The orange/green/yellow toy is the old stinky one.  It needs to be washed.  The one on the right is her new Christmas toy.  I studied the old one and decided "I can do this."  Abby has enjoyed her old toy for quite some time and I can tell you it is very durable.  I like this toy because it keeps my hand far away from her mouth when she's pulling and adjusting her "grip."  And the loop allows me to hold on for dear life when she starts shaking her head like a wild beast.  Abby also really enjoys chewing on the knots too.  She's a chewer.

All you need is 3 strips of fleece measuring 2 1/2" wide by width of fabric which is about 60".  The fleece I used is anti-pill.  Not sure it really makes a difference.

Find the center of the strips.  Mr. Creations didn't seem to mind that I interrupted his tv time.  Plus he has very photogenic hands. 

Another set of hands makes this so much easier.  Braid evenly in the center of the strips for about 12".  You'll want to braid as tight as you can through the entire process.

Fold in half then have your helper hold all of the fleece strips as shown in the photo.

Matching up your green to green, red to red, and dot to dot you'll now braid with your two strands of each color set as "one", about 6" in length.

Knot and have your strong handy helper pull very tight.  Pulling each strip helps with the tightening.

After the knot you'll now braid in two sets--a set of each color group (one red, one green, one dot), about 6" in length.

The last step is to knot each end and pull tight.  I hope this makes sense.  I'm a visual learner so I wanted to share plenty of step by step photos.

You certainly wouldn't want to forget your 4-legged friends this holiday season!  This toy will provide endless hours of cheap thrills.

~Piecefully, Stephanie