My sister told me about turning one of our existing dog toys into a toy that satisfies the destuff desire in dogs. The bucky ball looking rubber toy is easy to stuff with strips of fleece or terry cloth fabric.
Rubber dog ball stuffed with knotted strips of fleece fabric
I started with strips of fleece, and knotted two together to give a little resistance to the pull. My older dog thought this was great and liked pulling the strips out of the ball. The young one liked running around with the freed strips.
Griffin pulling out strips, Missy running around with the fleece knots
Then, it turned out, I needed all the fleece for the snuffle mat, so I cut up an old towel into strips and stuffed those into the ball. The terry cloth is a little harder to pull out, but they try!
Ball stuffed with strips of terry cloth
This is another toy that we monitor closely for loose threads and chewed off bits.
Since little miss snuffle-for-snacks likes to, well, snuffle, I decided to make her a snuffle mat. I looked at some online tutorials, consulted my sister who has made one, and purchased two yards of fleece fabric and an anti-fatigue mat.
One of the things I didn’t see in the tutorials I read was that the direction the fleece strips are cut matters. If you cut strips in the direction of the greatest stretch, the strip will curl up when you pull on it. If you cut it perpendicular to the direction of the greatest stretch, the strips will not curl. I chose the no curl method.
Two pieces of fleece, demonstrating what happens if you pull in the direction of the greatest stretch
I used unconventional measurements for the fleece strips; the length of my thumb to the first joint (about 1.25”) for the width, and the width of my outstretched hand (about 7.75”) for the length, mainly because I couldn’t find a ruler (I know I have at least 15 in the house, where do they all go?). I read articles recommending double knotting the strips in the mat, and some saying a single knot is enough. I tend toward the double knotted club, but Missy “helped” me test the single knot on the first strip, and it held just fine.
Missy helping test the strength of a single knotI had to take a break from knotting because the rubber mat was too stimulating
I was able to start knotting the strips while Missy slept, but each time she woke, I had to take a break because she was obsessed with the mat! Since I couldn’t knot, I took the four selvedges I cut off and made a four strand round braid with knotted ends: she likes it.
Pull toy made from fleece scrapAn unexpected delay in production
My cat Izzy also delayed knotting by deciding it was time for a nap on my lap. On the mat.
Missy thought the strip pile was fun
Because I wasn’t sure how much fabric I would need, I cut the long strips, but didn’t cut short strips until I was ready to tie. I figured that if I had left over fabric, I could make more pull toys. Missy thought the fabric strip pile by my chair was exciting too.
After a couple of days tying in fits and starts, I hear my eldest yell “She just peed on the rug!” Yup. On the unfinished hand-tied snuffle mat. I had left it beside my chair, and while potty training is progressing, she is obviously not at 100%. It was time to wash the rug!
Cutting the rug
This actually worked out OK. I realized that if I made it much bigger it wouldn’t fit in the washer. I cut off the rubber mat so that finished (and unfinished) mat would fit in the washer. I washed it in deep water with a vinegar presoak (I put the vinegar in the bleach dispenser) and an extra rinse. I dried it on low, which worked well.
Back side of mat showing hole pattern
After the mat dried, I tied on the remaining strips. I started with four per large hole, but felt it was thin, so added a couple to each small hole. Because my mat has small holes and large holes, I could have done more, but I didn’t have enough fleece! As it was, I used up all two yards on a 16 inch by 16 inch mat. Missy likes it! But it only goes on the floor strictly supervised.
Finished snuffle mat
Yup. I couldn’t get pictures without the puppy. She makes the pictures cuter anyway.
Little miss is now big enough to jump up one stair. Luckily I had purchased a gate earlier that day, so installed it three steps up. We did this with our kids too; let them learn to climb up and down a few steps, then open the staircase when they’ve gained some skills. If the gate is at the bottom of the stairs, they don’t get any practice.
Our puppy has discovered my herb pots. After checking the list of toxic plants (none of the herbs are on there), and noticing she only nibbles a leaf or two, I’m just letting it be. I do have a wire enclosure that I could put around the pots to keep the puppy out, but I decided it was better served around the AC units, at least for the next couple of years, to keep her from gnawing the pipes.
Wire enclosure used to exclude puppy rather than contain
Did you know that puppies have two rounds of intensive chewing? The first is regular teething when their adult teeth come in, around 5 months depending on breed, and the second starts up shortly after, around 7 months, and can last up to two years. This second phase is what usually take people by surprise. My plan for dealing with these phases is lots of access to acceptable chew toys, and to remember that tired puppies are good puppies!
No more mystery! We received the results of Missy’s DNA test. Half cattle dog, quarter miniature poodle, eighth bishon frise, and a eighth yes maybe everything. Looks like her dad was cattle dog, and mom was a small mix. The rescue did say they saw the mom, but were unable to catch her. I am glad she has very little Chihuahua genes in her! It will be interesting to see how big she gets. And what her adult fur looks like.
Results from Missy’s Wisdom panel DNA testMissy at 10 weeks old
Critters and Craft 