Dog shredding and eating bedding !

[kingkong]

Hi gang just a quick one.

My pooch isnt crated and has his own room (the wash room)which is totally puppy proof . In his room we have tried a puppy bed (eaten up and destroyed) strong blankets x 2(same thing) and finally extra large strong towels(same thing happening to them as well).

The thing his floor in his room is ceramic tiles and at night he gets a wee bit chilly on his tummy and whines if he hasnt got a bit of bedding to sleep on.

So i am at odds as what material to use that aint gonna get shredded.

During the day his bed material what ever we are currently using is put away as it isnt needed then.

[python73]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but I recommend hand-me-down furniture. Get him a small sofa or love seat that is crappy and free or cheap. Classified adds should get you these all the time. We used a couch for Buddy's room. Which he ate. But only some of it, it lasted for 3 years.

Or... you could get a crate. :)

S !

[Judi W]

Humm, maybe he is whinning because he doesn't have anything to tear up rather than because he is cold. My dogs like to sleep on the ceramic tiles and I know that when the floor is cold, and I walk across the place where they were lying, it is toasty warm. Their bodies warm up the floor quite nicely.

He is getting a bit old to continue that type of destruction so I am sure you are a bit frustrated. So, maybe the first step is to teach him to keep non-food items out of his mouth. I'd consider giving him something when I am up and around and giving him a good verbal caution when I see him with it in his mouth. No bedding when you cannot keep peeking at him and tell him to knock it off. He won't die without a bed to sleep on for a while but he sure could die eating a wad of bedding. So, my suggestion would be no bedding at all until he learns not to destroy things. Remember, he is long past teething age.

[Burnsway]

I would go fo a cheap baby matress, twin would be to big for most laundry rooms. You can find them at yard sales all the time. Then I would leave him with a "Large" stuffed frozen kong. By the time he gets through that he won't have much energy left to shred anything.........

Worked for my dog anyhow.......

or as JudiW said.........A ceramic floor won't kill them.......

[Judi W]

If he continues to have things he can shred, it reinforces the habit of behaving like a baby. Removing the opportunity, just like any other bad habit, helps extinguish that habit. Not all habit are simply outgrown especially if they are fun. If you ever want to be able to have him lose in the home, he needs to get rid of that propensity.

[Denise L.]

Even though Cyrus was 2 years old when I adopted him he would shred any kind of bedding in his crate. So I stopped putting it in. Simple!

Some dogs prefer not to have it. Cyrus now very politely picks up the bathroom rug and moves it when he lays down in there and he will roll up an end of my living room rug too. No shredding at all.

[kingkong]

Thanks for the tips. Gonna work on the non food items in his mouth (chew toys excepted of course). To be honest when i have heard him shredding in his room sometimes i have just sighed and let him get on with it.

Gonna be a zero tolerance from now on. :)

We dont live in the Alaska i am sure he can make do with his room and a few chew toys less a bed.

Thx again.

[python73]

Let us know how it goes. Buddy gave up chewing things like a switch was turned off in his mid twos. Never happened again.

Luck beats skill every time. But the next rottie will be crate trained and have obedience to boot.

S !

[SonnyRott]

Ahhhh....thanks for being honest.

Therein lies the problem. Sometimes he can...and now he can't. Expect some confusion at first since in his mind he won't understand NOT to do it.

Looks like you'll have to clear the room and only allow him things that are acceptable to chew.

If you want him to get used to lying on something soft (especially as he ages) do so while you are watching television. Allow him to lay on the floor on his bedding where you can monitor him. Put the bedding away when you leave. In time he may be able to lay on it without destroying it.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Humm, maybe he is whinning because he doesn't have anything to tear up rather than because he is cold.

That's what I was thinking as well. Julius pitched a bit of a fit a year or so ago, when we took his blankets out of his crate. He was ripping them to shreds & so we took them out. He threw a fit & I think it was because he didn't have a "fun game" in the crate anymore.

The blankets were out for about 6 months, & now he doesn't bother them anymore.


Brooke

[barbh]

Hey, I DO live in Alaska and have had similar problems.

However, problem sounds more like boredom to me.

Some wise soul on this board suggested the Kongs. They are fabulous for big chewers! And it sounds like pup is actually looking for a cool spot to lay on..opposite of my issues. Mine gravitate to the Toyo and the woodstove. I think I've seen such beds (meant to be cool vs hot) advertised in dog catalogs...I think, only because it isn't something I'd be interested in, but your dog would!

Barb

p.s. What's it like where you live? Hubby and I are contemplating actually taking a vacation *together* for a change because our last in the nest is old enough to care for the critters. They have such been a priority for so long we consider them our kids,too.

[babybluetx23]

I had the same problem. I would put bedding in the crate with Harley and he would shread it out of bordem. When it was bed time, he would push it out of the way and sleep on the Plastic floor pan of his crate. So we removed the bedding and he has nothing in his crate when we arent home. It works out well. The only bedding he and the GSD and cat have is out in the living room. It is basically a blanket we dont use anymore, folded several times to make a bed. He and the cat and the GSD take turns laying on that.
Problem Solved.

[sophie's-mom]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Not all habit are simply outgrown especially if they are fun.

Ian can not be trusted NOT to chew blankets, toys, balls, clothes, shoes............ANYTHING! So, we don't give him these things without supervision.

Ian likes to CHEW! I lost a headliner and a leather like jacket believing I could trust him!!!

[Luvs]

Keil has always been really bad about chewing up his bedding. About six months ago he started staying in the laundry room instead of his crate at night. I gave him an old quilt to lay on, so he didn't have to lay on the hard cold tiles. He pulled all the stuffing out of the quilt and proceded to shred it. Needless to say he no longer gets anything to sleep on. Several weeks ago we started leaving him loose when we are gone and at night. He has done great and doesn't chew on anything. Of course there are no blankets laying around for him to shred Usually I wake up to find him laying on the carpet in the hallway outside my bedroom door.

Keil will probably be one that never gets to have blankets and bedding to lay on. Akasha on the other hand, being the princess she thinks she is, loves to have something soft to sleep on an leaves her bedding alone.

[SABELLESMOM]

In my opinion, "any dog that shreds, doesn't need a bed." Wait and try again when he's a bit older.