DIY Dog Toys: How to Make a Rope Tug Toy #Paw2014

Today's post is inspired by Tractor Supply and its PAW in-store event, which is going on NOW through September 20!

PAW stands for Pet Appreciation Week and we love that Tractor Supply is dedicating this week to special in-store events that all culminate with a Main Event on September 20, featuring pet adoptions, giveaways, special deals on pet supplies and more!

What's REALLY cool, is that all year round the folks at Tractor Supply are involved in the well-being of all the animals in their neighborhoods.

And since you can always pick up the supplies you need at a great price, we went on a hunt at Tractor Supply to find the perfect supplies for a fun and inexpensive DIY dog toy project… one that we can use at home AND that we can share with local shelter pets to help enrich their lives.

How To Make a Simple Rope Tug Toy

Supplies you'll need

• Nylon braided rope (we found ours in the bargain bin at Tractor Supply for even more cost savings)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Optional: x-small tennis balls (we used Kong x-small squeaky balls from Tractor Supply)

Step 1 -- prepare your rope

Cut your rope to a 10-foot length. Tape the ends of the rope so that is doesn't fray while you're working with it.

Step 2 -- make a Monkey's Fist knot

Starting in the middle of the rope, start forming a Monkey's Fist knot.  This is the most difficult part of the project, but I can vouch that it's super easy to learn. I had NO previous knot-typing experience and now that I've learned how to make one, I can make this entire toy in about five minutes!

Start by wrapping three turns around your fingers.

Place the end through the middle, and make three more turns around the first ones.

At this point, you can insert the x-small tennis ball. This will help form the knot but it's not essential.

Make three more turns, passing the rope around the outside of the second set of turns and inside the first set of turns. This will help secure the knot.

Tighten up the knot by pulling the pieces of rope taut throughout the Monkey's Fist.

Here are a couple of links I found quite useful while learning how to tie a Monkey's Fist.
Instructions for tying a Monkey's Fist knot
Video for tying and tightening a Monkey's Fist knot

Step 3 -- braid the ends

Finish the toy by braiding the ends so that both you and your pup will have something to grab onto!

Take the extra rope on one end and loop it up so that there are three pieces to work with.

Start braiding from the top and finish it by looping the rope through the final braid. Repeat on the other end.

Voila! You're done and you have a fun rope toy, perfect for doggie play time.

NOTE: Play time with toys such as this rope toy should always be supervised. It's intended as an interactive toy that you can use to play WITH your dog -- whether it's your dog at home or a toy you provide for the play and enrichment of animal shelters dogs. This toy may not be suitable for dogs who like to eat rope, as ingesting rope can be harmful to your pet.

Take a look at Rocco, enjoying a good game of tug with me!

At Tractor Supply, it's always like a fun scavenger hunt for me, looking for the best items I can use in their bargain bins. The rope I used in this toy was a super find, so I was able to make each of these toys (without the tennis balls) for only 60 cents each! Add the tennis balls and you're still only looking at a price of about $1.90 per toy.

By shopping the dollar deals, we could buy plenty of supplies to make lots of toys
and get a little something extra  for Rocco!

Rocco says he's keeping this one!

In addition to the great assortment of products and great deals, I love shopping at Tractor Supply because Rocco gets to go with me, and the nice folks there give him yummy treats at the checkout counter!

Don't forget to head to your local Tractor Supply this Saturday for the special PAW Main Event! Each store is hosting its own activities so you might want to check the schedule at your local store before you head out.

Happy shopping!

This post is sponsored by Tractor Supply Company and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Tractor Supply Company, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Tractor Supply Company is not responsible for the content of this article.

DIY Dog Toys for Backyard Fun and Games!

We can't believe it's already the final week of K9 Kamp.  Next week we'll all join around the Kampfire and share the backyard fun and fitness games we've been playing the last few weeks.

We can't wait to see what you've been up too! In the meantime, here are a few games we dreamed up this week.

We've got two DIY dog toy games to share with you, perfect for some backyard fun!

First, we took the toy we made from a carriage whip we bought at Tractor Supply and a flat, fuzzy toy.

I simply tied the end of the whip to the toy, and voila! We had a new toy for loads of chasing fun!

Here's a close-up of the toy we assembled.

And what it looks like in almost its entirety.

The whip is pretty long -- about eight feet in all --  so it provides plenty of length to throw the toy out for your pup to chase. We originally made this toy to help create toy drive for our agility training.

Here's a look at the toy and Rocco in action!



Next, we took a retractable leash and attached a dog toy to it with a carabiner. We used a dog toy that includes a treat pouch, making it extra irresistible for Rocco!

I placed Rocco's kibble inside the treat pouch, but you can use any type of treat.  This toy took a little longer for me to get the hang of, but once I did, Rocco went crazy for it! I think it might have had something to do with the treat pouch.

Take a look!



Remember, next week is the week to link up your own backyard fun and fitness games as part of our FitDog Friday and K9 Kamp Blog Hop.

We also have a winner to announce for the colossal K9 Kamp Giveaway Prize Pack.  Huge congrats to Janet Keefe from Wag 'N Woof Pets for winning the giveaway.  Thanks to all for playing and special thanks to all our prize pack contributors: Petco, PetSafe, DogTread, For Love of a Dog, Jones Natural Chews and Smart Cookee.  

The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With Love, SlimDoggy and The Writer's Dog (formerly known as Peggy's Pet Place) to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

Get Ready to Celebrate at #TractorSupply

If you've never been to a Tractor Supply store, don't let the name fool you! They're about much more than tractors, even though you'll likely find some shiny red tractors out in front of the store.

Tractor Supply carries an extensive line of pet food and supplies for all the animals in your life. And whether you live in a rural community or are just traveling through one, you're bound to see the eye-catching red and black sign from the road!

This weekend is a great time to stop by a Tractor Supply. The weekend of July 12, each store will host a special community event -- a majority of which will be animal adoptions and care clinics. It's a perfect time to come in, check out the selection and chat with the staff of experts.

At a store I stopped at this weekend, they're hosting a low cost pet vaccine clinic this weekend. Check out this store locator to find a store near you.

You'll find brands like Hill's Science Diet, BLUE, Diamond, Eukanuba, Purina, Taste of the Wild and more at Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply also has a proprietary brand of pet food called 4health. The brand has fresh meat in every formula and less filler than some other brands. You can read some of the reviews here.

You can also find all sorts of crates, fencing, flea and tick control, treats, beds, toys and more at Tractor Supply.

Looking for some ideas for a DIY pet toy? Check out this creation we made with supplies from Tractor Supply. We bought a flat plush toy and a carriage whip and simply tied the toy on the end of the whip. Voila! A toy that creates as much excitement as a squirrel racing across the backyard!

Rocco loves to chase the "squirrel" on the end of the line. It sure makes for a fun game of chase!

Where's the squirrel, Rocco?!

Don't forget about the community events at Tractor Supply this weekend! Community is really important to the folks at Tractor Supply and that's why they support local groups like 4-H Clubs and FFA (formerly known as Future Farmers of America).

If you want to know more about the July 12-13 community events, join the #BlogPawsChat on Twitter on July 8 at 8 - 10 p.m. ET. We'll see you there!

Join us and celebrate "life out here" with #TractorSupply at #Blogpawschat Twitter party July 8, 8 pm ET. Fun and prizes!
— Diane Silver (@ToDogWithLove) July 8, 2014

This post is sponsored by Tractor Supply Company and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Tractor Supply and their Purina Days Campaign, but To Dog With Love only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Tractor Supply Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.