Bedding Chewn Up

[Persian Spitz]

I recently bought my 1 year old Japanese Spitz a bed (one of those cushiony ones from the pet store) and placed it in his house. The morning after, it was pretty much destroyed with the stuffing strewn about. I'm going to get him another. Any tips on getting my dog to not destroy his bed?

Edited June 16, 2010 by Persian Spitz

[poodlefan]

I recently bought my 1 year old Japanese Spitz a bed (one of those cushiony ones from the pet store) and placed it in his house. The morning after, it was pretty much destroyed with the stuffing strewn about. I'm going to get him another. Any tips on getting my dog to not destroy his bed?

Don't get him the same one!

Perhaps a flatter bed and some polar fleece blankets might be the go.

[Kavik]

My guys get towels until they have outgrown the destroying bed phase :D Going to test Kaos with a polar fleece blanket today - hopefully it stays in one piece!

[W Sibs]

My little girl has a fleece blanket and pillow (in the bathroom) or a mink blanket (in the living room)

[persephone]

towels and newspaper until he learns restraint :D

[whiskedaway]

My puppy has completely destroyed her bed, though she's teething so I'm not completely surprised. We stuffed all the foam back in and sewed it up so that we're not needing to buy her another one because we know the same thing will happen. She has a beanbag inside the lounge room though that she hasn't even thought of destroying, so perhaps it's the difference between the beans and the foam.

[persephone]

personally, I hate seeing pups with foam beds etc- I worry about them ingesting pieces :D :D

Problem is - we give puppies foam/soft toys .... then we give them the exact same materials - but in a large flat form, and expect them to completely ignore that it behaves the same as their toys!

When they walk on it/poke it with their nose- it feels the same... it is soft, and if mouthed, it feels good, like their toys.....why not chew it?

[nicolatu]

Give your dog an alternative chewing toy/food? I give my puppy lots of toys to play with and chew. He is teething but only destroyed his toys and some zips so far. I found that if you give it a raw meaty bone, it is tasty when it chew the bone. So it's reinforcing your dog when it chew on the bone. Maybe a kong with things stuff in it will help too.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

My dog has half a blanket box, lined with two old pillows and old sheets and towels and a couple of dead fleecy jumpers or old pjs.

No way would I spend big bickies on a fancy pet bed until I'm sure she won't rip it up. Until then it's second hand bedding and cardboard boxes. I expect she might improve when she's two. But it does depend on the dog.

[MavericksMission]

Op Shop Blankies until they out grow the chewing stage..

I learnt the hard way.. bed after bed destroyed..

They have now been rewarded with a comfy bed each inside which they do not chew

[Guest belgian.blue]

Badger has now been denyed access to a nice soft bed in the backyard as he kills them.

I even tried a towel/blanket and he chewed that but I might try him with another blanket out there as the mornings are coldish.

[Stitch]

My lot are all crated separately every night.

I use newspaper until they prove they can go all night without peeing.

If they shred the newspaper and need some tough love they get nothing in the bottom of their crate until they learn.

Once they don't pee overnight they get a padded towel and a polar fleece.

Other than newspaper (I disinfect the crate if it has been peed on) I only use bedding I can wash & dry easily.

Woollen blankets are not practical as they don't wash or dry well - polar fleece is very good in fact I bought 4 today from Best & Less for $6 each.

[persephone]

us humans mostly buy dog beds because they look nice to us . Provided a dog is off a cold floor- in a draft free spot, and has enough cushioning to allow their hips/feet some leeway...they don't care if they are on your old jumper, or a designer cushion!

Our house dogs sleep on opshop pillows/blankets/polar fleece throws .. and these get thrown out when too grotty.

Edited June 16, 2010 by persephone

[matilda1]

I have put a board around my dogs kennels and fill them with straw.

The dogs love it, they can dig burrows in them and roll around. It has great insulation properties and I just replace it/top it up when needed.

[Lyla]

I have Labs and they will pretty much chew anything. Not only did any type of bedding go, so did an entire wooden kennel!

So basically my dogs have no soft squishy bedding, and our kennels are the thermo plastic type or colourbond. Every so often I have tried blankets, sheets etc, but they just get dragged around and used for tug of war. Tried trampoline beds. They got eaten too. Had a brain wave to try rubber matting for the floor of the kennels. That got dragged out and chewed too. Persisted at putting it back in every day, then gave up after a couple of weeks. Now that its cold I have put the rubber back in and it has stayed in there!!!

I agree with Stitch, tough love might be the way to go. Good luck.

[Niques]

J. had a cardboard box and towels until I was sure he wasn't excessively destructive. When he actually got his big boy bed () it was left upstairs for a day or two so he could be observed using it - if he attempted to shred it, it was going to be put away.

As it is, he chewed off the straps that secure the mattress to the base, but has otherwise left it alone. Which means he graduates to blankets rather than towels Still frequently prefers to just sleep on his picnic rug though.

The threat remains though - if he ever starts to tear his bed up, it will be taken off him, pronto.