Border Collie Kip the Border Collie had already destroyed three squeaky toys that week, and it was only Wednesday.
His owner, out of patience and out of budget, was digging through a laundry basket when she pulled out a pair of jeans with a blown-out knee. She held them up. Kip’s ears went forward, that laser-focused stare locking on like she’d just produced a sheep.
She cut off one leg. She twisted it, knotted it, and tossed it across the kitchen floor.
Kip lost his mind in the best possible way. Nine months later, that same denim braid is still in the toy bin, frayed but unbroken, and he still drags it to the door every morning like it owes him something.
That’s the whole pitch. Old jeans are tougher than most of what you’ll find in the pet aisle, they cost nothing, and your dog gets a toy that smells like his favorite human. Let’s build one.
Why Denim Works So Well for This Breed
Border Collies are not gentle with toys. They were bred to work long days at high intensity, and that same drive gets redirected into whatever soft object is nearest.
Denim is woven in a twill pattern, which means the threads cross in a diagonal that resists tearing far better than a plain weave. That’s the same reason your jeans survived years of wear while a cotton t-shirt from the same era is already a dust rag.
There’s another layer here, and it matters more than people expect. Border Collies are intensely bonded to their people, and a toy carrying your scent is a toy with emotional weight attached. That’s not sentimental fluff, it’s just how a scent-driven animal experiences the world.
A toy that smells like you isn’t just a toy. It’s a small, chewable piece of home that your dog can carry from room to room.
Denim also frays instead of shredding into swallowable chunks, which is a meaningful safety difference compared to stuffed toys with plastic squeakers inside.
A Quick Word on Safety Before You Start
No homemade toy is indestructible, and no toy should be unsupervised with a determined chewer.
Border Collies are clever enough to work a knot loose given enough time and motivation. Check the toy every week or so. When it gets loose, floppy, or starts shedding long threads, retire it and make another one. You have more jeans.
Also skip anything with metal: zippers, rivets, buttons, and belt loops with hardware all need to go in the trash, not the toy.
What You’ll Need
The supply list is refreshingly short.
- One pair of old jeans (heavier denim is better, stretch denim is fine but wears faster)
- Sharp fabric scissors, or a rotary cutter if you have one
- A ruler or measuring tape
- Optional: a tennis ball, or a small handful of treats
That’s genuinely it. No sewing machine, no needle, no glue.
If your jeans are thin and faded at the knees, that’s actually useful information. Cut around those worn spots and use the thicker fabric from the thighs and outer seams.
Step 1: Prep the Jeans
Wash them first. Not because your dog cares, but because denim holds detergent residue, and you want the fabric soft rather than stiff.
Skip the fabric softener entirely. It coats fibers in a waxy film, which weakens the weave and adds chemicals your dog will absolutely be gnawing on.
Once they’re dry, lay them flat and cut off both legs at the top of the thigh. Set the waistband and pockets aside for now.
Then run your hands along every inch of the fabric. You’re hunting for hardware: rivets at the pocket corners, snaps, anything metal or hard plastic. Cut generously around all of it.
Step 2: Cut Your Strips
Open each pant leg by cutting along the inner seam so it lays flat as a single panel.
Now cut strips lengthwise. For a medium to large Border Collie, aim for strips roughly 2 to 3 inches wide and as long as the leg allows, usually somewhere around 28 to 32 inches.
Thinner strips make a softer, floppier toy. Wider strips make something chunkier and slower to destroy.
You want three strips for a basic braid. Cut six if you’re feeling ambitious, because a six-strand braid is noticeably denser and holds up longer.
Wider is tougher. Longer is more fun to shake. Pick your priority before you cut, because you can trim down but you can’t add fabric back.
Sizing It to Your Dog
A toy that’s too short becomes a choking risk during tug. A toy that’s too long gets stepped on mid-sprint.
The rough guide: the finished braid should be long enough that you can grip one end with both hands while your dog holds the other, with a good six inches of slack between you.
For a puppy or a smaller Collie, drop to 1.5 inch strips and cut the length down by about a third.
Step 3: Knot the Top
Stack your three strips together and line up the ends.
Tie a single overhand knot about two inches from the top, pulling it as tight as you physically can. This knot is doing real structural work, so don’t be gentle with it.
Here’s a trick that helps a lot: wet the knot slightly and then tighten it. Damp denim compresses more, and when it dries the knot sets harder.
If you have a helper, have them hold the knot. If not, close the knotted end in a drawer or under a heavy book and pull the strips taut from there.
Step 4: Braid It
Standard three-strand braid, exactly like braiding hair. Left strip over the middle, right strip over the new middle, repeat.
Keep the tension tight and even. A loose braid looks fine but comes apart in about twenty minutes of enthusiastic tugging.
Every few passes, stop and pull the whole braid firmly from both ends to snug everything down. This is the single biggest difference between a toy that lasts a week and one that lasts a year.
Braid until you have about three inches of loose ends left.
If You’re Doing Six Strands
Split them into three pairs and treat each pair as one strand. Same motion, twice the bulk.
It takes longer and your hands will complain slightly, but the finished toy is dramatically tougher. Worth it for a serious chewer.
Step 5: Finish the Ends
Tie another tight overhand knot at the bottom, matching the one at the top.
Trim the loose ends to about an inch and a half. Leaving a little tail is deliberate, because Border Collies love the fringed texture and it gives them something to work on that isn’t the structural braid itself.
Give the whole thing a hard tug test. Grab both ends and pull like you mean it. If anything slides or loosens, retie it now.
Step 6: Add the Upgrade (Optional but Recommended)
This is where the toy stops being a rope and starts being irresistible.
Take a tennis ball and cut a slit in it, roughly an inch and a half long. Feed the braid through so the ball sits in the middle, then tie a knot on either side to lock it in place.
You now have a tug toy with a bouncing, unpredictable center. For a breed obsessed with movement, that’s close to a cheat code.
Alternatively, tuck two or three treats into a small denim pocket (remember that waistband you saved?), knot it shut, and tie it into one end of the braid. Instant puzzle toy.
The best homemade toys aren’t the prettiest ones. They’re the ones that make your dog think.
Step 7: Introduce It Properly
Don’t just hand it over. Border Collies read enthusiasm, and a toy presented with energy is a toy with instant value.
Wiggle it along the ground. Let it move like something alive, low and erratic, then pull it away just as your dog commits.
Two or three rounds of that and the toy is officially the greatest object in the house.
Play a short, controlled game of tug, five minutes at most for the first session. Build in a clean "drop it" from the very beginning so the toy stays a cooperative game rather than a possession contest.
Then put it away. Toys that disappear stay exciting, and with this breed, novelty is currency.