How to Make a Large Non Slip Dog Mat
This large non slip dog mat is a labour of love for our large senior great pyrenees. If you have a large dog or a senior dog I think you will find this dog mat sewing project worthwhile making. I created this post for my giant Great Pyrenees and thought I’d share it in case you have the same issue with you fur baby.
Typically its very hard to find a non slip mat large enough for a giant breed, or the mat looks like its meant for the bathroom or kitchen.
This DIY dog mat can be used anywhere you like. We use ours as a front door mat with a dual purpose. Not only is it decorative for the front door, it acts as a front door mat, it protects our wood floor from dog scratches (we already have more than enough of those). And its a dog mat for our big loveable lug as he spends 50% of his waking hours gazing out the front window waiting to alert us at every suspicious bicyclist, dog walker and his arch nemesis the UPS guy.
If your dog is like ours they have the super annoying habit of laying beside a carpet instead of on the carpet. We believe he find it too warm, or maybe he’s just being contrary and “self determning, ” Either way a large heavy carpet does not work for him.
My first attempt was to tie two large IKEA mats together for him, so I could tear them apart and place in the washer and dryer. It worked for a while, but it didn’t stay in place when he stood up quickly. The non slip mats underneath just didn’t hold up to his excited leaps into action.
The last few months arthritic hips become a big concern so fish oil, anti inflamatories and supplements from the vet have become necessary. But Pup hurts himself leaping up. I figured a large slip surface big enough for him, thin enough to be cool, and not get stuck under the door (Hubs must have). After a month of checking out Home Sense I found nadda that fit the all our needs. We ended up buying a Tiphede cotton rug from IKEA and adding a non slip surface to it.
The cheapest non slip mats I could find are from the dollar store. I bought six of them for the back and then got busy sewing the mats to the carpet. As a labour of love I spent three hours sewing them by hand with a round upholstery needle and regular thread. Its easy to do and worth it, but will take some time.
Working from the back, stitch the edges of the non slip mats to the edges of the carpet. Overlap the adjoining edges of the mats together and then tack in place. The next picture shows all the places I sewed my mat.
I sawed along all the outer edges. For the inside edges I sewed in spots of about six stitches to hold them in place. You don’t have to sew the entire edges if you don’t want to.
Finally whereever I could overlap the edges I did and then sewed two edges together at the same time. he outer edges. Here is the edges I tacked to the carpet.
Alternative Ideas for Attaching the Non Slip Backing
If your making a mat specifically for you dog, you could do it with a sewing machine using a zig zag stitch. Unfortunately I felt the stitches would show through. I also considered using hot glue and skipping sewng all together but wasn’t confident they would wash well, and this front door rug will need to be wasjed regularly.
If you do choose to try hot glue, I would love to hear from you about how well it washes.
Since making this rug I have washed it already and it washed really well. And it does not slip at all, its the perfect solution for our big boy. Well worth the three hours of stitching it took to make it.
Its no secret Hubs and I love making things and hanging out with our big boy. He’s so loved he even has routines with neighbours handing him two treats, once a day, every day. As our darling boy age his needs increase and we have made him a few pet accessories. I hope you find them handy.
Hubs and I both believe this is our dog’s home first and foremost. We had him prior to buying this house, and getting a better yard for him was one of the reasons we moved from our last home. Replacing the hardwood would be very pricey, but it sure does take lots try and protect it. These waterproof DIY floor mat for pets works really well. It started as a piece of thrifted lineoleum.
DIY Waterproof Floor Cloth for Pets
Thank you for dropping by. It is appreciated. Leanna