We love the companionship of your dog always, right? Even when we need to make a long walk, we like to have our dog with us. Dog sling carrier is my favorite and I believe you have the same feeling. It keeps the dog as close to us while walking like no backpack can do.
You can find them a lot in the market to buy, but as a DIY home fun project, you can make it yourself at home. When you make the dog sling carrier yourself, you will feel more close to the dog. A heavenly feeling!
This DIY home project of making the dog sling carrier is for the small dog or puppy only. For a bigger dog, you may consider buying a dog carrier backpack. A sling for a bigger dog will look odd to look at. Instead, it’s a good idea to buy it.
But why you need a dog sling carrier?
You see, small dogs have some trouble to walk a long distance. Let’s say you want to go for a hiking and it’s a long way to make it. A dog sling carrier can be a real help in this regard. It should be able to carry a dog weighing up to 30 pounds. Also, a dog sling carrier lets your hands free, so you can do other things while carrying the dog.
Items Required To Make A Dog Sling
You don’t need a lot of things to make it at home or it will not cost you many as well. Gather the followings to make the slinger:
- Fabric.
- A Sewing Machine.
Steps To Make The Dog Sling At Home
It’s a multi-step process. So, you need to keep your head cool and follow every instruction just like the way I say it. Follow these below-mentioned steps to make a dog sling:
Step 1: Very first, you need to measure the body of you for the sling if you are the one who will carry the dog. You don’t need to worry about the size of the small dog. The size of the sling relatively depends on the size of you. Use a tape measure to measure the distance between your shoulder and your hip, across the body.
Let me give you an example of how to measure the body. Let’s say you want to carry the dog on your left shoulder. Then you should start measuring from your left shoulder to the right side of your hip.
Double the distance you just measured and add another 25 inches to it. The total number of the measurement is the amount of fabric you need to make the sling. As for the fabric, you can use any kind of material. If you live in a cold weather, using Fleece or flannel as the fabric will be a good idea.
Step 2: Then you need to hem the fabric’s 3 sides. Using the sewing machine I mentioned above, hem the edges after you fold the fabric over twice the times. You must leave one of the short sides open. Don’t worry about too much if it sounds too complex to follow. I will add a video tutorial on making the sling at the end of the article.
Step 3: Do you know what is an accordion style? I believe you dos so. After laying the fabric out, make an accordion style fold so that you can gather the open edges. Keep each side of the fold about 4 inches wide. You need to make sure the fold holds together. Only a basting stitch about 1 inch down can make that happen.
Step 4: Again, using the sewing machine, the raw edges of the sling should be sewed. Make sure the fabric is still in accordion style. About ½ inch, fold the raw edges down and sew it. You just completed making the finished edges of the sling. This will prevent unraveling of the fabric as well.
Step 5: After sewing on the rings, make sure to place the folded edge through both of the rings. Fold it down about 5” down. You need to create a casing for the rings, so sew the fabric to do so. Sew several times to reinforce the edge so that while carrying your dog, the sling does not rip off.
Step 6: This is the last step making the sling. So try it. Over the shoulder of yours, drape the edge of the rings to wear it. It should come to the top of your chest if you have done the measurement correctly.
After crossing your back with the fabric, from the front bring it up to the rings. After you wear the sling properly, pull it tightly and place the dog inside it. Around your hip, you loving dog should be rested. You can adjust the sling as necessary.
Summing Up
I understand, some parts of the above steps may seem confusing, especially if you have never done any sewing. That’s why I have included a video tutorial as promised before on how to make a dog sling. Watching the video should clear your confusion. Enjoy!