Easy Dog Necklace

Hey kids!

Here's an easy dog necklace you can make, either by yourself or with a buddy or a group. (Don't be afraid to ask someone older for help if you need it.)

Let's get started making that Easy Dog Necklace!

MATERIALS:

• Dental floss, string or strong yarn = “the thread”
• Beads or buttons with holes large enough for your thread
• A metal hook and eye, or a round bead, or findings, or 2 paper clips for fastening
• Newspaper or cardboard to use as a work surface
• Masking or other kind of tape

*If you don’t want to spend a lot of money to make the easy dog necklace, ask a friend or relative for their buttons and beads or buy some cheap ones at thrift stores, dollar stores and yard sales.

TOOLS:

• A needle with a large eye or a straight pin with a small head
• Something to write with on your work surface

INSTRUCTIONS – GETTING READY:

1. Put the beads in a container so they don’t roll away and get lost
2. Measure your dog’s neck
3. Write down how many inches or centimeters it is
4. Fasten about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of tape onto your work surface [End A]
5. Hold End A down and flip the rest of the tape over, sticky side up
6. Pull out a strip of tape as long as your dog’s neck
7. Add 1 inch (2.5 cm). This will be End B
8. Cut the tape, flip End B over and tape it down
9. You should now have a long, sticky piece of tape fastened at each end
10. Decide what kind of a pattern you want to make with the beads or buttons
11. Paste the beads or buttons on the tape in the order you want

INSTRUCTIONS – STRINGING THE EASY DOG NECKLACE:

1. Cut a piece of thread 8 inches (20 cm) longer than your dog’s neck
2. Thread the one end [End One] through your needle
3. Or take a pin and push it through End One
4. Pick up the first bead in your pattern
5. Take the needle or pin and send it and the thread through the hole
6. Push the bead down the thread to 4 inches (10 cm) from the other end [End Two]
7. Curl End Two onto the bead and use a piece of tape to hold it there
8. Now go back to End One and start threading the other beads
9. If you like, you can make a big knot between each bead or between every two or three beads but remember this will take more thread
10. Keep going till all the beads are threaded
11. You should have about 4 inches (10 cm) of thread left

INSTRUCTIONS – FINISHING THE EASY DOG NECKLACE:

If you’re using a metal hook and eye:

1. Take End One of your thread through the hole of the eye twice, then pull it through the loop you made to form a knot
2. Pull tight and do Step 1 a bunch of times, then cut your thread
3. Untape End Two from the end bead and thread it on the needle or pin
4. Take End Two through the hole of the hook twice then pull it through the loop you made to form a knot
5. Pull tight and repeat Step 4 until you feel it’s enough
6. Cut your thread

If you’re using paper clips:

1. Take your thread through one end of Paper Clip One twice, then pull it through the loop you made to form a knot
2. Pull tight and do Step 1 a bunch of times, then cut your thread
3. Take the other end of your thread through Paper Clip Two twice and pull it through the loop to make a knot
4. Pull tight and repeat Step 3 a few times, then cut your thread

Now for the fun part - go and try it out on your dog!

VERY VERY IMPORTANT:

• If the dog doesn't like wearing it, take it off
• Make sure that the dog only wears his or her necklace when there are people around to see what happens
• A puppy could chew on it and choke
• Another dog could grab the necklace in its teeth and break it or also choke on the beads
• Do NOT use the necklace as a collar
• If you tie a leash to it, it will most likely break and your dog may run away and get hurt