I thought that it might be a good idea to let you know about the tugs I use to open doors and how they differ. I have various tugs that accommodate all of the different situations my mom and I encounter. In some ways the tugs are similar but each has its own unique purpose.
In a few of my previous posts, I have told you some of the ways I can open doors. And the different drawers that I tug open for my mom. There are also other types of doors that I have to open when we go places. The handles for all of these vary greatly. There isn’t one attachment or type of tug that will work for all of them.
For the end part that I hold onto my mom experimented with a variety of different rope type attachments. She tried soft rope, fleece, webbing, and paracord. And you know what? She paid attention and listened to what I found the most comfortable to use for each situation!
I have the soft rope tugs on the fridge door, cupboard doors, and drawers in the kitchen. You have seen them in my A new refrigerator and learning new ways! post. And also in my Kitchen tasks! post. My mom made these by tying a special knot on the end for me to grab a hold of and a sliding loop that adjusts and attaches to the knobs or handles.
These are the narrower and thicker tug ropes I use.
For the cupboard doors, she used narrower rope and made smaller ones Since the doors are light and easy to open I don’t need the larger tug ropes. For the heavier drawers and the fridge doors, she used a thicker rope. And made larger tugs because that was what worked best for me.
When we are out and about we encounter both the big regular type doors that go inside/outside of a building. And the doors that go into rooms within the building. For both of these types of doors, my mom uses a special hook that goes onto the lever handle. On this hook there is a tug attached. But this is different than my kitchen rope tugs.
The hook and terry cloth tug that I use for the bigger doors.
My mom made a braided terry cloth tug to go on the hook that is soft and easy for me to grab and hold. She tried the rope tug, a fleece tug, and a web strap with a knot. But the soft terry cloth was my favorite! Some of these doors are very heavy so I need to have a good grip on that tug. I need to pull really hard to get some of them open.
Then there are bathroom stalls. When my mom goes in the stall the door is too far away for her to get it closed and locked. Many of these types of doors are metal. My mom has a magnetic hook with a carabiner that has a piece of cord attached. On the end is a mini tennis ball. As she is entering the stall she attaches the magnetic hook to the door. Once we are inside I grab the ball and pull the door closed so she can lock it.
The magnetic hook with the ball for bathroom stalls.
Occasionally we encounter stall doors that are not metal. For these doors, my mom has a suction cup hook with a rope tug attached. We use this the same way as the magnetic one it just attaches to the door differently.
There is another type of attachment that my mom carries with her. This one is just in case we encounter a lever handle that the hook doesn’t fit. It is a nylon sleeve with velcro that slips over the handle and has a ring for attaching the tug rope. This one is harder for my mom to get attached so we have only used it a couple times.
There was even one time where none of the attachments would work on the lever handle! My mom had an appointment with a new doctor and as we left the exam room the doctor wanted to see me open the door. I was excited and ready to show her my skills!
My mom got out my door tug and when she tried to attach the hook it didn’t fit. And the nylon sleeve didn’t fit either. Her doctor took photos of the lever handle so we could look to find something that might work. My mom and I experimented with a few different things. We finally came up with a special way to attach one of the tug ropes like I use in the kitchen. The next time my mom saw her doctor she brought the extra tug rope and it worked perfectly!
My mom discovered a special way to attach my tug rope to a lever handle.
On the handle of my mom’s wheelchair, she has a small backpack. This is to carry my different tugs and their corresponding attachments. That way we are ready for any door that we encounter!
I have an upcoming post planned for showing you how I help with the bathroom stalls. And also how I help my mom open those big heavy doors. So keep following along on my blog so you don’t miss any posts!
I love this post on your different tugs as I have never seen a dog open a door before. I am a volunteer with CCI and am so happy to be part of this organization. Your videos of Buffy are very educational.
Thanks, Diane!
I am so happy to hear that you are finding my posts insightful and educational.
Thank you for the volunteer work you are doing for CCI. It is greatly appreciated!
Hugs and wags,
Brenda and Buffy
Where you get white hook from? What do the other prongs used for on hook? My service dog wants to help me open door but I take too long to loop her rope through door and back off, the hook looks cleaner. I don’t want to use a S hook because too heavy if it comes at her, she is a 64 pound lab . She is an ADI dog, not a fake.
Hi Verdi,
The hook came from Paws With A Cause It is made of hard plastic and is very lightweight. I use a carabiner in the eye hook to attach the tug rope.
The rounded hook part on the end is used for the pull handle that is on some commercial doors. I have also used it on some of the refrigerator/freezer doors in a grocery store.
The two straight pieces with the openings between are used for the lever type handles. The width of these two areas is different so it can accommodate handles of various widths.
Wishing you and your service dog the very best.
Brenda and Buffy
Hi! I’m from mexico and have an assistance dog from Fundación Owen. I’m looking for door tugs and that white piece but can’t find it anywhere please help!
I bought the white plastic hook from Paws With a Cause, a service dog organization here in the states. On their website, there is an option at the top to contact them. Try sending a note to ask if you could purchase one and have it sent to you.
As far as the tugs, some are made from rope that I made by tying different types of knots. And others that I’ve made are braided terry cloth. I use different types, depending on the weight or type of door my dog is opening.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Wishing you the very best.
Hugs and wags,
Brenda, Clint, and Buffy ❤️ 🐾 🐾
Thank you so so much! I just hung up with them they were super nice. They’re shipping the hooks to Mexico and everything!
Best,
Isabela and Anton 🐾
Hi Isabela and Anton!
That is awesome news!
I am so very happy to hear that they are sending you some hooks. Once you get them please let me know if you have any questions or need further help.
Brenda and Clint ❤️ 🐾
Your blog is very helpful to me! I have a service dog and I was just wondering, How do you make a sliding loop on rope so as to be able to adjust it? All this information is so helpful thank you so much.
Hi Margaret,
I’m so happy to hear that the blog is helpful to you. Thanks for letting me know!
I make the tug ropes but I’m not sure what that knot is called. I will do some searching and see if I can find the name and a tutorial. It may take me some time but when I get the info I will post it in a reply here for you.
Hugs and wags,
Brenda, Clint, and Buffy ❤️ 🐾 🐾
Hi! I had the same question about the knot. I’ve been doing research myself but your knots don’t seem to have a tail at the ends?
The bottom one on the rope I think is a heaving knot. It’s the only one I’ve managed to match the closest.
The top of where the adjustable loop is … is it a Uni Knot?
Hi Olivia,
I didn’t know the names of either knot but again did some searching. I guess I put the right words in this time for searching because I found the sliding knot that is at the top! It is called a Barrel Knot. I watched a few different tutorials and this one seemed the easiest to follow – https://youtu.be/C6fn66yC9I8 He does it slightly different than the way I’ve been doing it but it seems easier so I may try his way when I make some more of the tug ropes.
I agree that the bottom one does look like a heaving knot. I usually do three or four wraps of the rope as this seems to make for a good size knot for the dog to grab. To get the end without having a tail I just adjust the length of the rope as I’m making the knot so that it finishes without a tail. But if that became too challenging you could always cut the tail off and re-burn the end.
I usually use 3/8” or 1/2” rope. But I have also made some with narrower rope for the lightweight cupboard doors. I like the solid braid or diamond braid because the weave is tighter and doesn’t snag as easilily. I’ve also found that the polypropylene works the best.
I have also discovered that they are washable! And most all of the knts stayed tied while in the washer and dryer.
Thanks for posting your comment and reminding me to go looking for the names of the knots!
Hugs and wags,
Brenda, Clint, and Buffy ❤️ 🐾 🐾