Denim Dog Toy

Partners

Eduardo Conceicao
Lisa and Loren Petersen- Hounds Around Town

Made concurrently with the electrical engineering feat of Enroot, I partnered with a mechanical engineer and a local pet supply store to create a durable dog toy. I had enrolled in a mechanical engineering class called Product Realization and found myself becoming a seamstress and talking about Newtons. Lisa and Loren gave us the task of creating a very durable dog toy made from recycled denim that they would collect at their pet store, Hounds Around Town, in Whitefish Bay.

This class was one of my favorites I had taken throughout college as it allowed me to think in a way that was not limited to design. A theme in my work is expanding the horizons of what can be considered design and I know it does not always have to be specifically graphic. Discovering how users interact with products and make purchasing decisions was extremely useful in designing this product. In addition, engineering standards and tests were conducted to gather data on the strength of the toy. I will apply what I learned in this course into all of my design work going forward and continue to incorporate design thinking when creating for users.

I have so much gratitude for my wonderful teammate Eduardo that was able to attend the UWM Innovators show where this product won the Voter’s Choice award. Being one of few designers and one of two women in this class, I am thankful for my professors and Eduardo for guiding me through the engineering process which I began with little knowledge. Most importantly, I extend my gratitude to Hounds Around Town owners Lisa and Loren for being supportive sponsors of this project.

Research and Process

This project concentrated on design thinking and prototyping. To begin, we conducted interviews with dog owners and researched various materials. Once we had gathered enough information, we presented to Lisa and Loren our findings and worked together to decide which materials to move forward with. I made lots of iterations, each testing something slightly different whether that be where the final seam is or the stuffing placed inside. Besides accomplishing the goal of making the toy nearly indestructible, the most difficult part was deciding what to stuff the toy with.

The initial prototype was stuffed with small pieces of scrap denim. It felt very dense and needed improvement, so we cut the pieces smaller. We added a squeaker and cut the scraps into smaller sizes, but the squeaker could not be heard well enough. My professor had the idea to blend the scrap denim and see if we could create our own version of recycled cotton fill- which is extremely hard to find. To my surprise, my blender did not burst into flames and it worked. Lastly, a layer or phonic filler was sewn between the two layers of denim on each side of the toy to add another aspect of noise for the dog to enjoy.