MATERIALSChew toys are a great way to keep your dog entertained. Use these bones at the park or around the house. Making toys for your pup out of old clothing can be really easy, as well as a great way to get a second use out of old jeans or sweatshirts. When the bone is dirty, simply throw it in the washing machine on the cold setting and dry with high heat.
These bones are great if you have a teething puppy. Soak the bone in water, then place it in the freezer until frozen. Give the frozen bone to the puppy and they will gnaw on it and the cold cloth will soothe their aching gums. It is recommended that you do this outside, as the melting of the bone can create quite a puddle.
MATERIALS
• Old 100% cotton T-shirts
• Scissors
• An extra pair of hands
01. Cut the sleeves and the collar out of the T-shirts (leave shoulder seams intact).
02. Cut 2-inch-wide strips from the rest of the T-shirt, so you have at least 12 strips. (It is important to cut from the shoulder seams to the bottom seams in order to end up with as long of strips as possible. The strips that have the shoulder seam on them will be twice as long as the others. These longer strips are better for larger bones.)
03. Once you have all of your strips cut, arrange them in any combination you like, so that you have three sets of strips, containing at least four strips in each set.
04. Holding all three sets together, tie one end in a knot and pull tight. (This is where the extra pair of hands comes in!)
05. Make sure the knot is as tight as possible. Separate the strips again into their sets so that the three sets can be braided together.
06. Braid the strip sets together, leaving about 8 inches at the end in order to tie another knot.
07. As before, tie a knot in the finishing end, and pull really tight (with your extra pair of hands). Pretend you are playing tug-o-war!
08. Trim the ends a bit smaller to make them tidier.
