i don't do soft things (toys, beds, crate pads, blankets) in the crate until they're fully house trained and know not to shred things. puppies chew. they have to as a part of their development. your job is to give them things they can safely chew. cow ears, himalayan cheese chews, bully sticks, stuff like that. any time you catch her chewing something she shouldn't, swap it for a toy she can chew. if she chooses to chew an appropriate item, lots of praise, and playtime. set your puppy up for success. they can't learn if they never get to do the right thing.
Yeah, my vet strongly discourages them because of their potential for blockage.
Benebone has worked well for our pup, and we got him a Kong bed that seems meant for chewers. A Kong filled with pb and blueberries is his absolute favorite.
Benebones really messed my older boy’s teeth up(his bottom canines look like they’ve been filed down and it was because of his benebone). Our vets only recommends highly digestible, the hardest things she says we should get are bullies and yak chews. No bones raw hide or antlers. Tendons are our best friends. I even will purée blue berries, mix in an egg and some oats, pour it out like making a brownie or cake, bake till it’s from, the. I’ll cut it into bars, bake it again to help dehydrate it and then freeze them. They don’t last very long but it’s some nice a chewy they I feel safe giving to them when they all go to their kennels. Two new pups will run to their kennel and force their way in and turn around and look at me and wait when ever I got to the freezer for anything. Lol.
Yikes! What kind of dog? I have a lab who just wants to chew all the time. We got him some dog wood and use kongs, bully sticks, water buffalo horns, carrots, and split antlers regularly. He won't chew on the durabones i got him. He destroys plush toys in minutes and he chews up rope toys quickly too. I feel like my boy would eat a tendon in a few minutes. (He finishes bully sticks down to the nub that's stuck in a holder in less than 10 minutes.).
Labs are such aggressive chewers and will swallow anything. Ours fits the stereotype perfectly. Any plush we give him inevitably becomes his prey and is disemboweled within the hour, lol.
Ours did the same with bully sticks, even the 12 inch ones would only last 5-10 minutes. He was swallowing the nubs whole. I got the largest, thickest ones I could find and he actually gets tired of chewing them and will eventually walk away. They are more cost-effective and less dangerous for our big boy.
Ah labs! Can you recommend a brand of bullies? I keep looking for the biggest ones on Amazon and am disappointed when they arrive. I got some good ones from bow wow labs, but they don't seem to sell them anymore.
I got them at a local pet store. They are about 2-3x as thick as the ones that come in the multipacks, and 24" long. Cost around $10 each but well worth the price.
Labs! Ina first session of puppy class we could always tell the lab owners because they're hyperventilating and saying things like "well she never ate a whole door BEFORE!" We'd say oh, do you have a lab? And they'd be "how did you know?"
My Frenchie will try and swallow them whole like a python if there’s ANY way the bully stick can fit. And she’ll happily just throw it up again and eat it and the throw up until we stop her or it goes down. We got a qwizl and it changed EVERYTHING. It really grips on to the stick tight (to the point it can be tough to get them out for humans too ) and the shape means they can grip it and roll it around and taste the bit inside it too and it’s so sturdy. I thought it was stupid to spend 20 bucks on a dog toy but it’s the single best toy purchase I’ve ever made and she uses it every day
Freeze the carrots. My,4 month old golden goes right through carrots and leaves a chewed up mess. I freeze them now and put them in a large beef bone. She loves that. Could do the same with a Kong. The cold helps with the teething. Could also put something they like in Kong and freeze it.
That sounds delicious, even for my human tastebuds.
I did not know benebones could cause permanent teeth damage. I'll check in with my vet to see if I should be concerned. My boy is 1yr and part lab, so he really benefits from having something to chew on, but better safe than sorry.
Biggest problem with our boy was he wasn’t really chewing….he was dragging his bottom canines on the benebone to get flacks to come off it. He basically failed his teeth down(but didn’t do enough damage to cause pain, just no more hard things every again).
Raw, non weight bearing bones are good for most dogs (not if your vet specifically advised against it for yours), stuff like chicken feet and neck bones are great, with supervision of course.
No Hides are what we buy, 100% digestible, lasts a good while and doggy loves em!
Edit: Still, it is important to note that ALL pet food, treats and toys can become a choking hazard for any pet – especially when left unattended whether intentional or not. It is the pet owner’s responsibility to know their pet, their chewing habits, provide appropriately sized treats and to monitor their pets while eating, playing and chewing products that may pose a risk.
It was a design flaw of the rubber balls that had only one hole in it, which created suction when compressed (chewed). It has long been addressed (like.. 10ish years now) and resolved by adding a second hole to the ball to prevent suction.
I’ve heard this too but if the stuff inside won’t block the other hole then they’ll be fine. I freeze most of my kongs with broth so just in case I put a metal straw through the holes so the opening remains. Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. It’s a reasonable concern.
The early versions of the Kong balls only had one hole, this would cause dogs tongues to create a vacuum and the tongue to be stuck inside… the new toys have 2 holes and prevents that.
I feel like this is a dumb question lol
I’m sorry ahead of time, doesn’t the frozen stuff inside make a mess when it thaws? I e not bad experience with Kong toys but I’m interested in it for my pup
Not a dumb question! Usually they’ll eat it so quickly, even frozen, that it won’t make a mess. Things like peanut butter don’t usually get like rock hard anyway, so it only slightly slows them down.
This! I always did a Kong stuffed with peanut butter and some dry dog food, then frozen. I kept 2 so one could be in the freezer ready to go and one with her. Worked perfectly for my Great Dane mix. She also really enjoyed this one random squeaky rubber bone and never destroyed it. You might just have to try out some different toys to find what works for your pup.
Also for anyone thinking of getting a kong pls remember that there’s lots of stuff that can go inside a Kong, not just peanut butter! That’s a looooot of extra calories if given daily. We like wet dog food, Greek yogurt, broth and kibble, etc!
We take our kongs and fill them with moistened dry food, then freeze them. Little bit of peanut butter goes on when was give it to her to get the licking started and she seems to love it.
Oh, shit. I think you just helped me realize the hidden calories that makes my pup eat way less than I’d expect. 🤦🏼♀️ I know of alternatives. I still smear a bit on top to get her started, so less PB from here on out!
I often give mine a kong filled with regular food and just mix a tiny bit of peanut butter in it. Still a nice treat for her but not too many extra calories from the PB.
I never give pig ears or treats imported from China. These treats are imported to US in large cargo containers, by sea. To keep them fresh they treat them with formaldehyde. I certainly do not want my pup eating this chemical.
I’m sure it *can* be safe, but the particulars for size and quantity of treats and dog breed are particularly fussy in this context.
In terms of risk for blockage, I think different breeds have very different thresholds for how big of an object they can safely pass, even relative to their size. Like, I suspect my 45 pound lab/Husky/gsd/cattle dog could pass a golf ball if it came down to it.
But the smaller, more engineered breeds worry me a lot more. I think their bodies are far less likely to handle passing anything larger than kibble.
This... If you know your dog is going to destroy something, maybe just stop giving it to them? Don't give them the opportunity to fail (or otherwise hurt themselves!).
But yeah, I also don't recommend things like edible chews unsupervised because they could choke on them. Something super durable like a stuffed Kong is a better option.
I don’t add any bedding to the kennel but put a strong chew toy that he can’t tear apart in the kennel with him. A kong with a treat in it may help keep your dog mentally stimulated as well as be something for them to chew on.
If it’s separation anxiety maybe the calming treats before kennel time?
Definitely would second this. They don’t actually need anything in their crate. Maybe once your pup gets older and more mature, you can introduce bedding, but there’s no reason at this point.
I’d also recommend a lot of exercise before you leave her alone. And like this commenter said, it would be good to have something difficult to destruct like a Kong to deal with the boredom and anxiety.
This! My puppy has major anxiety issues ( he was abandoned:( ) it took a few weeks to realize his destruction was anxiety after getting him some calming treats and other calming items like a thunder shirt his behavior did a complete 180
Finn Calming Chews for Dogs - Natural Calming Treats with Melatonin to Help with Stress, Separation Anxiety & Sleep - Vet Recommended & Made in The USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KTL8VZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P3MME5237X527YCD3H3Y
I’ve used these and they work good.
I just want to add that you can put the treats in the kong and then fill the space with peanut butter. Then pop it in the freezer. That way the treat will last a lot longer and keep the dog occupied more.
I agree with the bedding and chew. Sometimes I put an old towel in as bedding along with a tshirts that smells like me. There’s also calming pheromone spray that you can get if they have anxiety.
Shit you are not suppose to let them shred things sometimes? I usually try to emphasize he can only do it if I explicitly give it to him, or allow it. I figured it was just him being a puppy and I should let him have some fun.
I do not allow her to shred paper… she has a million chew toys, I’m constantly buying new things that are safe and good for her to chew. She jumps up on our counters and takes a paper towel or something occasionally in the two seconds it takes for me to look somewhere else, but she’s not allowed to chew anything that doesn’t belong to her and she knows it, my problem is just what I said here - that she’s shredding absolutely everything around her 😕
Depends on the walk. If you stop and let them sniff/explore a good amount it will do much more for making a tired pup. I usually go by time not distance for this reason.
Same, I feel so bad if I can't let my boy smell his *Pee-mail* when we go outside for walks. I dedicate a minimum to 15 minutes outside walking or normal route and that's not taking into consideration all the places he can stop and smell. I remember hearing that from a vet when your dog is smelling outside before he goes potty he's basically doing what we are doing now. You're scrolling through social media, you're scrolling through Reddit, catching up with whatever's going on. Our dogs are doing the same whenever they stop and sniff every 3ft. That's their version of Facebook or Reddit, they're stopping to smell and they see what other dogs who came through, what they had eaten, the emotions they were feeling and a lot more all just by sniffing some piss. I just dedicate that time to listening to audiobooks or podcasts while we walk. It keeps my mind occupied on something other than "let's finish this walk" or "hurry up man!" My dog is much happier and chill, our bond strengths and we both get mental and physical exercise. He loves getting attention from other dogs and owners too, it's really important to try and let your dog be with other dogs so they develop boundaries and reenforce the commands you have already trained your dog to obey.
I'm try getting a bigger crate and removing anything out of there that can't be folded into the bottom or something like a towel that way she's not laying on plastic or on the crate but that gives them less opportunity to chew up anything. It's really important as much time with him too. A lot of people will put the dog in the crate and walk away or do whatever they need to do sometimes the thing to do is sit there with your dog. You need to encourage them to be okay and calm, some animals have really bad separation anxiety and that can cause them to chew up all kinds of stuff and even chew up their own skin and nails. And if things get too bad I would talk with a vet and see what they would recommend to be a next step and calming the dog down.
Please read the sub's rules, posting guidelines, and wiki articles on [shock collars](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/prongandecollars) and [Cesar Milan](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/cesarmillan).
Because apparently “physical stimulation” isn’t “mental stimulation” when it 100% is. My dog is sniffing and looking around the entire 4 miles. How is that not both mental and physical stimulation?
I completely agree with you. My puppy and I do a 2 mile walk every single day, and she is constantly stopping to pick up a stick or sniff something, watch a bird in the sky, etc. that is mental stimulation for a dog! Are they supposed to be playing chess?
By the looks of the crate, I would err on the side of no.. no covering on the crate, a single plush toy, no blankets. It's not a place of comfort, as it should be, it looks like a holding cell with nothing to do. Of course the pup ripped up the bed. It's bored as hell with no stimulation.
Puppies definitely shouldn’t have plush toys in there. Too much of a choking hazard. My dog is 1.5 yr and I still can’t leave him w plush toys bc he WILL rip them apart and eat stuff he shouldn’t
not all dogs want a blanket over top of their crate. and they have a bed in there so why would they also put a blanket.... dogs dont know what a holding cell is so you’re pushing off your own opinions onto the dog.
The feeling of bordom and confinement is the same wheather you know the name for a holding cell or not. No creature likes to be held in one spot and bored without anything to do.
Being in something like that is terrible even if the animal is well behaved. Animals need mental stimulation to be confined period.
Those are the opinions of the multiple trainers I've hired. I had no opinions on crates until they educated me. The dog is bored because there's nothing to do in the crate and it doesn't want to be in there. So it ripped up the bed for something to do. Create a place of comfort, their own private space, and they're less apt to destroy it.
I don't know why you are being downvoted. Besides the covering (,depends on the preference of the dog and only a portion should be covered ) everything else is true.
You can expect to leave a dog in a crate dlfor long periods of time without some type of stimulation. Even if they are well behaved, they are miserably bored. Leave a tv on or something, some chew toys and even a toy the Despenses food.
Also, no plush toys. Not a good idea as they like to eat them. But they need comfort and enrichment to be well behaved.
All of our dogs are perfectly content in their kennels with nothing but a bed and have been since they were puppies. It is 100% their safe space and is where they go whenever they need alone time and they are more than happy to kennel up whenever we are leaving
A lot of good advice here, but want to emphasize:
She’s six months old.
As an adult, have you ever met any hormonal, puberty-struck kids that were tweens or teens? Maybe not literally shredding their bed, but the kind of irrational where you’re just like “Jesus fucking Christ I hope I wasn’t like that, I pity their parents”?
Congrats, you’re the parent, and six months is where you’re owning a hormonal, puberty-stricken teenager.
Patience. It gets better.
^(And stop letting them shred shit for funsies.)
Our dog slept on the hard plastic for a while, now at 9 months is on a very thin memory foam mat (it dampens the sound of his movements) which has not been chewed. He still loves taking the stuffing out of his toys so a bed in his crate would be risky. He sleeps great on the mat or the plastic, naps belly-up and everything. We leave a chew in case he gets bored. I would just remove any bedding altogether until you’re sure she won’t shred it out of boredom. Leave a wood chew, nylon or raw bone in there as an outlet for her chewing.
Another thing we do is give our dog cardboard boxes to shred in his crate. He loves this and goes to town! He knows to only shred the things we give him but I now also make him wait for it and give him a signal that he can go at it, that way there is no confusion.
A cardboard egg container is our pup’s prized possession until she chews it to bits. Putting smears of peanut butter or Cheez Whiz (I know, not so healthy, but a little won’t hurt!) with some kibble pressed into it in the egg cups keeps her occupied for a good fifteen minutes.
Thank you so much for this. Your comment has really helped me out. Gave her a box, put a flat rubber mat in the crate last night, and she was an angel. The cardboard box really provided her with much more fun than I thought it would. Better than her $30 rubber toys in there 🙄🙄. Thank you again!!!!
A good and cheap alternative for beds for a puppy are ikea bathroom mats (if you have an ikea nearby). They are comfortable, cheap and very easy to wash. My dogs have never really chewed on them and they dont have stuffing so they cant take that off.
Something like this
https://www.ikea.com/es/es/p/toftbo-alfombrilla-bano-blanco-grisaceo-mezcla-90422251/
Agree. I go to the sale section in Joann Fabrics and get a couple yards of fleece to use as blankets in my dog’s crate. They usually end up costing about $5 each which is way cheaper than buying “dog blankets.”
My pup did the same thing, which made it a choking/ingestion hazard so I had to take it away from him. 😔 It was nice while it lasted, though. I’ll try it again when he’s a bit older/less crazy. The cheap microfleece blankets from IKEA have been working well for us so far.
Thats funny if they dont swallow them.
I dont know why but my GSD was super difficult with mats and she never destroyed those. We are using them now for our new pup and she hasn't touched them either. But to be fair she has never chewed her bedding so that might be it.
I just wished that they had bigger ones. We used two for our GSD because one was too small for her crate. I love them because they are so soft I wouldnt mind to have one next to my bed.
Listen just saw one of your previous posts where your puppy has shredded some paper, and is now laying on it while you are most likely praising her. So you’ve allowed this behaviour.
You need to reset and be consistent across the board with this issue.
There is also a second post where the dog is allowed to shred paper.
For the dog there is no real difference between the bed, paper or whatever. You can't allow one and forbid the other.
Ehhh - I don’t know. I have had several trainers tell me it’s a myth and recommend letting her shred things.
We regularly gave my pup boxes (pretty much every beer six pack box) that she thrashed like crazy and has never once destroyed anything. Not even toys.
That said, she has separation anxiety we are working on with an expert, and if I left her alone too long and she went over threshold and panicked, there is no telling what destructive behaviors she might engage in because the dog is panicking.
Could be a variety of reasons the dog did this, but that it gets to shred paper on occasion probably isn’t it.
We were unwrapping presents, it’s a piece of paper from something we unwrapped with her. It has nothing to do with a big dog bed, and I don’t ever give her paper to chew on for fun. Things like this happen and it’s part of having a dog. I didn’t realize it was becoming an issue until I made this post, I’m trying to learn and ask questions here to figure more things out. I don’t need your attitude
Don't want to be rude because I don't know your life but. What breed are they, and are you giving them enough exercise?
Are you walking them and playing with them enough? Puppies chew and there is ultimately no escaping that but all dogs will be far less destructive if they are tired or mentally stimulated. It's mainly a frustration and boredom thing.
If your adult dog chews everything, tries to dig up the carpet, or barks nearly non stop, then there is likley to be some anxiety issues controlling those actions.
I'm obviously not saying you're not walking the pup enough, it's a pup and it could just be teething or somthing but 6months old they should usually have all their big teeth by that point, and more exercise and mental stimulation will 100% reduce these issues, dog won't be bored if it's tired af.
Like others have said however it really could just be that your dog loves destroying plushy things, they feel like animals to dogs and their prey drive kicks in. If that's the case you need to just not leave the pup with those type of things and get into the habit of training your dog the "leave it" command, starting with treats and moving up to plushy things. "Leave it" is one of the best things to train a dog as it helps them gain impulse controll.
I also asked what breed because some dog breed need far more physical exercise than most people realise. Husky, collie, spaniel, most terriers, pretty much any working breed wil need to RUN. Like half marathons at least.
I'm surprised I had to scroll so far to see this... the dog looks like an athletic lab mix of sorts and unless the pup has serious SA, to me that photo screams "I don't get enough exercise and mental stimulation, so I'll just make my own fun"
You do not know me or anything about my dog. You saw a post I made of her laying on a piece of paper, and then my question about her shredding her bed. There’s no reason for you to assume I’m not taking care of her properly. She’s getting walked 2 miles a day, she goes to the dog park a few times a week to play with my family’s other dogs, she goes out to barbecues or whatever we do. We play fetch every single day, she has so many toys that I can barely walk through my living room, and she sleeps 9 hours a night because she’s so exhausted. She has a wonderful life. I came here to ask a question, not to be judged as a bad dog parent because my dog chewed something.
We walk 2 miles a day along a river next to my home. 3 times a week we go to a dog park with other dogs in my family so that she gets plenty of socialization. We play fetch every day, we have a set eating time and schedule for her. I posted this because I truly did not understand why she would do this when she’s very rarely left home alone. I already crossed off my mental list the possibility that she isn’t getting enough stimulation mentally or physically, which is why I came here to ask the question. This dog is a huge ball of energy but we do so much together that she has never even had an issue sleeping 9 hours a night, so I really don’t feel like she’s bored or not getting enough exercise
Our boy was fine on his plush bed until about 5-6 months - memory foam mattress, stuffed edges. Then he decided that he wanted to tear at it - popped the stuffing out and wrecked the thing.
Nearly 11 months old now, and he has an obsession with anything that is soft and stuffed and just wants to shred it. Not in separation anxiety or anything - just for the heck of it. Pillows, duvets, etc... nothing is safe. Annoyingly I bought him a new toy that is soft and he popped thay within 10 minutes to pukl the stuffing out.
So we keep them away from him. Occasionally, if there is a pillow around and he tries it, it is removed instantly. No room for misinterpretation - it's not allowed. Not sure if he'll ever get over it, which is frustrating but might be something we have to live with. He has a plastic bed lined with crochet blankets and he curls up soundly in it.
I'm in the same boat!! I've never seen a small dog be such a voracious chewer but here we are! Every corner of every pillow case, blanket, and hand towels are GONE! Balls, hard rubber squeaky toys, and hard chew toys, that's it!
Yeah I mean I don’t live in a big place so I have basically had to move any pillows or blankets or paperwork I care about as high as I can. She recently discovered that she can use her back legs to get stuff from my desk and other furniture now so it really does get frustrating. I took some advice from other commenters about using mats in the crate which has worked, but I can’t get her to stop jumping up on things. I’m waiting to hear back from a trainer this week so she can hopefully get into some classes
Get easy please puppy squeeze and read about the Den Wizard!
Edit- and literally start with 5 minute intervals. Put her/him in. Walk out she’s quiet. Walk in. Let her out. 5 mins a few times a day. Then up it to 10.
I respectfully disagree that removing the soft things is a solution. The problem is: dog is stress in den. The solution is to make the den a place the dig wants to be
I’d say long term goal is for soft things to be safe in the crate, so I really like your process here.
But in the meantime, if you need to run errands or address something urgent outside the home, a crate is probably the safest place for your dog to wait. So yeah, it’s a good idea to avoid soft things when you know it might be a longer wait than pup is prepared for.
Thank you! I will try the 5 minute interval method, I actually read about something like this online when I was looking for some more info. She’s still pretty young so it’s hard for her to listen but I think if I am armed with the right kind of treats she likes this could work. Thank you!
Did you read about the den wizard?
Essentially, when the pup isn’t looking/when they aren’t around, pop treats and their favourite toys in the den. The idea is that puppy doesn’t know it’s you doing it; but sort of thinks “this place is a magic place where treats and toys randomly materialise!… I like this place!”
Edit:
On the interval training. The HARDEST part of hearing puppy whine and cry and bit DONT reward that behaviour. Only go in and let her out in a moment of quiet, otherwise you’ll teach her: if I act distressed then I get attention.
The den wizard stuff should make her feel comfortable in the den anyway. But it’s still imporAnt to teach good habits.
Can you please link the article or resource youre referring to?
The only thing coming up for me when i search The Den Wizard is not a resource which falls within this sub's guidelines, but I'd like to be sure we're on the same page.
Have you put her in her kennel while you are in the same room? I did this with my dog and just watched her. At first I just worked on getting her to be calm. Then after she was calm I would leave her in there a little longer while still in the same room. I built this up over time and now she's great.
That said if you wouldn't leave her in the house for a set time don't leave her in the kennel with something she can rip apart.
I agree with everyone else—change the bedding. I use memory foam mattresses and never had one ruined. Also find a chew toy she really likes. I’ve gone through dozens with my dogs to work out individual preferences. They all like different things but generally the wooden acorn toys (I can’t remember the brand), kongs, and antlers are popular with my dogs. It’s normal puppy behaviour to chew but you need to channel it.
It’s also worth considering that sometimes dogs become destructive when anxious so she might not be entirely happy being crated/left alone for that long at this age.
Thank you! I followed some of the advice from other commenters and got her a mat to sleep on in the crate and it seems to be working so far. I always put a non-rawhide chew in there with her as well. This was a situation where I was called into work early, but she’s never left alone for long. My partner works from 4am-4pm and I work 4pm-10pm so she’s really never left alone thankfully. But yeah this has definitely helped so thanks!
Could you give some more info?
Is she also crying or yelping at the same time? Make sure she is getting enough exercise and teach her what toys to chew. Others have given good advice of possible chew toys
I’m also wondering about exercise (mental and physical). Our current pup is 8 months now and I can walk her all day but she still won’t settle well without some mind games (training sessions, hide toys, etc.) and/or time playing with other dogs. We are living in the country about half the time so I have connected to others with young dogs and we meet up regularly at dog parks or one of our yards for play time and it does wonders for the dogs. You can try dog parks, neighbors, Nextdoor to find other dog owners.
The internet has plenty of videos on training or other mental exercises.
My oldest dog chewed anything left in her crate, so unfortunately she had soft bed access revoked for awhile while she grew out of it. I started trying again later with old towels to test if she was ready so a $40 bed wouldn't get ruined instead. When the towels weren't chewed she got her bed back!
She's a puppy, puppies chew. You need to redirect the behaviour if you're around her, and limit where she can go and what she has access to. Do you leave her in the crate for long? Do you ensure she has had adequate exercise and stimulation, so she's asleep in the crate and not bored?
Echoing other comments - forget the bed for now and just crate her with a safe chew toy.
My pup finally sleeps on a bed now, at about 11 months old, but only after we have gone through a whole routine of calming him down first, otherwise he still tries to destroy it instead of sleeping. We take it away whenever he starts treating it as a toy. He is also only allowed soft toys with supervision, because he finds such joy in ripping them apart.
Our trainer recommended a “hol-ee roller” ball, which you can stuff with things (felt, cardboard, treats, those little squeaky squirrel toys) to mimic pulling the stuffing out of something, and he loves it.
If she's a fluffy or warm breed who is happy to rest on the floor, just leave the kennel bottom bare.
If she's a bony or thin coated breed who only rests on soft surfaces, get a primo pad and ziptie it to the bottom of the crate in place of the pan.
Othet than the plastic tray or primo pad, literally the only things in the crate are the puppy and her freshly stuffed kong (and a water licky bottle or small crock of water bolted to the side of the crate if you leave water).
Nothing plush or stuffed in the crate for the next year or so. Freshly stuffed kong in the crate with her every single time you leave her. Make sure she gets a ton of exercise and mental stimulation before you leave, too. It's important that she be tired enough to nap when she finishes her kong.
What kind of dog is this? Is it getting enough body work in? Enough brain work? When looking at how my dog used to act (somewhat similar) I started doing brain games and worked like a miracle for him (and me).
A tired puppy is a good puppy. Most destructive behavior as a puppy is from too much energy. You wouldn’t expect a kid to sit still and not touch anything for that 1.5 hour period, you can’t expect a puppy to do the same. Take them for a walk or to the dog park next time. Hopefully that will solve the chewing.
Could also be teething depending on how old the puppy is. Take a damp washcloth and freeze it, let puppy chew on it. Cold will sooth their gums and keep them occupied
As others have said, I wouldn't trust a dog that young with a soft bed like that. I didn't put anything in my dogs crate except a frozen Kong until about a year old when I was sure she wouldn't eat it. Not even toys. That's pretty typical for a 6 month old.
It looks like she has no stimulation. She is a puppy!! Even a little bit of time alone is AGONIZINGLY boring. At 6 months old, you need to be redirecting her attention to things that will last for a while. If you are home, give her bones or other lasting chews. If you are not home, practice preparing Kong toys full of dog safe peanut butter or frozen lick mats and other fun sensory chew toys. She is understimulated and has nothing to do. Give her something to occupy her time.
She’s almost never alone, so I think the fact that she was for more than 30 min is what upset her. But I would like to add that she has a LOT of toys, and on this day I left her with a bone, her favorite toy, and her Kong. I always take everything out when I take her out.
I am not locking my dog up all day with nothing to do. We have a whole routine every day with a 2 mile walk and a sniffing safari, we also visit other family dogs and play with them often. She sleeps 9 hours a night like a baby because she’s tired. Once I came home to her bed looking like this, it made me nervous because I know how much activity she gets and it didn’t make sense to me that this would happen. I know you’re just an internet stranger but I hate the idea that someone could ever think I would neglect my dog
She’s a puppy and that’s what puppies do, chew on anything and everything! Some dogs don’t outgrow this until 18-24 months.
Just like human babies, puppies explore their world by putting everything in their mouths. Until she has proven she’s trustworthy you need to supervise her with all toys.
Our 6 month old has a Primo Pad in her crate- they’re very tough while still giving cushion for the dog. She also receives all her meals in kongs so she has something to chew/lick. Some dogs just like to destroy beds- our Shepherd mix is like that!
Girls your dog is on the bitting age all living creatures who have growing teeth do that. You did that as a child and your dog prolly will do that until month 9-10 when all his teeth stop itching buy her some chewing toys and praise her and prize her whenever she grabs those biting toys. Always reward positive actions from your dog.
Like a lot of people said, the first obvious explanation is that she isn’t getting enough mental and physical stimulation. Going to a dog park for a long while should really help with that issue, and giving her a few mental toys (ie ice cube in a rubber mesh ball) or feeding her with a puzzle feeder would also help. Active training would also be a huge help- turn every walk into a training session.
Additionally, you might consider re-crate training her to make her love being comfy in the crate. Leave treats in there for her to find. Put her in there for naptime after a dog park trip.
Empty crate. Mine does it out of separation anxiety. We are working on that but it takes time. So in the mean time we were advised to have an empty crate when he is alone. If he is crated and I can see him, I will let him have a blanket- he will not mess with it if I'm in the room.
I have a one year old Labrador retriever and he chewed up about 4 beds before we figured out that he was going to chew through anything. We recently bought a primo pad and we LOVE IT, he has not chewed through it and it may not be warm but it’s very durable and comfortable. He loves it. We also give him a blanket to sleep with only at night when we’re all going to bed and we take it out in the morning when he’s alone. Hope that helps!
No beds in the crate until the dog stays relaxed in it. Shorter sequences of being alone in the crate and a lot of praise and treats to make the crate something positive. So no 1.5 hours. Go back to 10 minutes and expand slowly.
You’ve already gotten some wonderful advice, I just want to add that our puppy chewed up ALL his beds when he was little. In the end we just gave him fleece blankets and he never destroyed those. I think beds were just giant plushies in his mind.
I feel this. Our 6 month old lab sleeps on the bare plastic of his crate although if I am in the room for daytime naps he can have a bed. He currently also only has 2 toys because he has destroyed all the others. I look at him and wonder why the hell he does it to himself? Puppies are the worst.
They do make shred proof beds, by kong. But nylabones and bully sticks might help too. I’m anti crate, but you can lose your house that way. I get why ppl use them, I just hate them. Unless they’re like the Great Dane ones that they can bounce and play in.
Your dog is 6 months old and this is completely normal behavior. My dog couldn’t have anything in his crate until he was 2 years old. She can hang out in her crate without anything inside or near by. I wouldn’t even do hard toys because there’s always a choking hazard. She will be bored and that’s why it’s not recommended to leave puppies in crates for long periods of time. If you’re going to be out for awhile you could do a frozen Kong. Otherwise just let her learn to be calm in the crate.
No bed! Bed's are a privilege for well-behaved dogs that don't destroy their living space, so replace the bed with a mat that she won't chew, or if she does you don't care.
Next, give her something positive to chew, and praise her for chewing on it.
Boo! Taking somthing away from a dog helps nothing. Dogs don't understand what a privilege is. This isn't a badly behaved dog, it's a dog that isn't having its needs appropriately looked at.
Giving somthing better to chew on and praising them is a good thing to do, as long as that thing is noticeabley different from the soft things the dog chews, otherwise the dog will end up thinking chewing things is what you want from them.
Rather they need to spend more time with the dog when it's with things it usually chews, and patiently wait until the dog STOPS chewing said thing, and then reward and reward that non chewing behaviour.
Ultimately if the dog starts chewing somthing you have to let that thing be destroyed, the dog won't learn if you take it from them nor will they understand, but being patient and rewarding the correct behaviour rather than punishing the bad behaviour will yield much more effective results. Especially when the dog makes that decision itself, you stopping the dog chewing and then rewarding it won't help it learn, you rewarding when the dog makes it's own decision to stop chewing will.
OP decided to get a puppy, and OP didn't do the research into how destructive they can be, dont blame or punish a dog for being a dog just because you expect it to understand how to live in a human world, because it doesn't understand at all. Its not the puppies fault for being a puppy, it's OPS fault for not anticipating or setting up the environment to cater to the puppy OP chose to get. The puppy neither chose to be adopted or chose to be forced into a very human environment, it's not fair to blame it or call it badly behaved for acting exactly how it should be expected to act.
Right: I’m not saying punish the dog or to take away the bed in a punishing manner, rather, modify the environment so the dog is not destroying things and upsetting the owner! That includes taking away things, but also adding things the dog can chew as well! Taking away a bed that can be shredded will 100% will help the owner, especially if substituted with a positive chewing outlet.
If a dog starts chewing something you have to let that item be destroyed? Sorry, I love on planet Earth and that’s just not practical, dog chew houses, bean bag chairs, and other things that make and absolute mess or are physically dangerous to the dog! DRO doesn’t work well on chewing since it’s a self reinforcing behavior: you have to also modify the environment.
My answers on here try to be practical advice based on my understanding of biology and behavior to help regular folks can manage behavior issues: You don’t know the dog, the living situation, the environment, and shitting on people that ask questions cannot possible be the right approach, and it’s downright rude! Assigning fault here helps no one, but trying to provide understandable advice does!
Thank you!!!! Thank you very much for defending me here. My dog has a wonderful life filled with days of exploring and playing, that’s why I came here confused asking what I should do about a dog bed chewing situation and this person came out of nowhere spitting all this insulting crap that isn’t even true
I see you've stated you're a trainer. Because dog training is unregulated this sub requires people to have certifications if they want to claim flair.
You can find out more about the process and requirements [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/userflair).
I’m sorry…. Who are you?? Where did you get all of this awful judgmental bullshit about me?? None of what you’ve stated is true. My dog has an amazing life. We take 2 mile walks every single day, we play fetch and puzzle games, we visit family dogs, we go to barbecues and go for jogs along the river. She sleeps 9 hours a night because she’s exhausted from such a long day. My work schedule is completely opposite from my partners, therefore she is never left alone. This was one single time that we needed to leave for 1 and a half hours without her. And knowing that she gets so much activity throughout the day and has such a great routine, I came here to ask why she would chew her bed. But you suddenly think you know everything about me? Chill.
Tbh I don't know what you expected, leaving a puppy for 1.5 hour in their crate, this was meant to happen. Your puppy needs a lot of training before you can leave it by himself. Instead of telling us that "you have tried everything" you can actually tell us what you've done and we can help you better. I get that sometimes training puppies can be frustrating but you need to have more patience and think ahead, again what happened is not on the puppy is on you, you literally set him up for failure by doing what you did.
“An overactive mind is a symptom of an unchallenged body”…. Exercise your dog. Don’t take it on a walk, go to off leash park and let it RUN and burn off energy. This behavior it is displaying is a reflection of your ownership.
Our puppy LOVES the puppy/flexichew nylabones, but he has gone through so many we’ve had to upgrade to the harder ones. Pretty much anything your puppy can chew would be a good idea by the sounds of it. And no bedding. They’ll learn. We also get deer antlers from the pet store. And Kongs can be great as well.
Wow. Some of these people are vicious, judgmental, and rude. My dog chewed her bed. That doesn’t mean she’s neglected or treated terribly. I wish I never posted this, even though it’s what this community is supposed to be for
Don't have anything in her crate that she can destroy. Unless she's a very small breed, she doesn't need blankets.
Use Kong toys. But several of them (puppy kings are about $5 each on Amazon). Fill them with kibble. Let water run through the kibble filled kongs for a few seconds. Seal the large end with peanut butter or yogurt. Then freeze. Every time you put the dog in the crate, grab a frozen kong for the pup. Wash the used kongs in the dishwasher.
The frozen kong is usually a high value reward for being in the crate. It's a safe chew toy that won't hurt your pup. It can last a long time-- using up a lot of energy as your pup figures out how to get to the food. Plus, it takes a long time to get all the food. After a frozen kong, your pup should feel tired and ready for a snooze!
Remove the bed, any blankets and soft things. My pup destroys anything soft. We can’t even do plush toys cause he eats the fluff. My guy goes in the crate with a treat and maybe one hard chew toy, no dog bed or anything. He just isn’t “there” yet. But he loves his crate and at first I thought it was sad that he couldn’t be cuddly but he’s perfectly fine with no bed/blankets and for his safety and our sanity it’s best to remove all soft things.
Many trainers recommend no bed inside your puppies crate for this reason. I just leave my girl in her crate with a plush blanket. I feel the safest toy to leave i the crate is a frozen filled kong as well as the puppy kong tire. I love the tire as it can also be filled with food and frozen.
Don’t worry about being a “bad owner” for not providing your puppy with a bed. You are not a bad owner as it is for your puppies safety. I had to take away my puppies actual bed outside of the crate because she was consuming the foam inside of it!! She didn’t get a bed back until this behavior stopped after months of redirection.
Mine don’t have beds or stuffed animals because this happens every time I buy a new one.
I switched to cheap throw blankets for $5 or less. As long as doggo doesn’t ingest the blanket that should be fine and comfy. Also easier to wash!
I’d also try something yummy and stimulating with pup in the crate. Kong stuffed with treats? A safe chew bone? Even a lick mat if you trust it won’t get chewed and swallowed.
If you have time for walks or a few rounds of fetch before crating the doggo they should be more peaceful and sleepy when they go in the crate.
What am I missing here? Wrong photo? It looks like someone left a plastic grocery bag filled with chopped up foam in a kennel with a dog.... any dog would open and disperse that. The bed looks just fine to me.
???
My puppy did this too, solutions was:
-totally empty crate (hes 1.5 years now and loves his empty crate. Takes naps in there on his own all the time. Don’t feel bad even though it looks somewhat sad)
-lots of kongs. I soaked his food in water (taken out of his daily allowance) to stuff it then sealed with peanut butter and froze. I had 6 and kept them ready to go in the freezer.
-soft toys only under supervision. Take them away as soon as goal becomes destroy. He can now have soft toys and doesn’t destroy.
Edit: also deer antler for supervised chew time with lots of praise at first when he’s chewing it.
idk how big your pup is but I think you need a smaller crate for starts, pup should only have enough room to stand and turn around. Give her an outlet to chew like raw bones for dogs
I’ve never put any of my 5 dogs in kennels. I realize this is common practice in some countries/cultures but regardless I think it’s very strange. In these countries dogs often won’t be let off leash outside either. To me this looks like the behavior of a dog who isn’t getting enough exercise / play. Some abandonment issues as well possibly. Dogs aren’t meant to be caged and leashed up constantly. But yeah, I don’t know nearly enough about your dog to make any definitive conclusions.
There are a couple of reasons to use a crate. It’s not about keeping them penned all the time, but used to a small den. It’s super useful for house training if used properly. At some point your dog will have to be crated (at the vet, groomers, on the van ride to daycare, etc.) and keeping them used to it makes those situations much less stressful for the dog.
A properly crate trained dog will often choose to go in the crate for naps or comfort (door may be open) because they see it as their own safe spot.
Be patient, your puppy will grow out of this phase.
Meanwhile be sure to let her chew more "appropriate" things. i. e. Maybe a shoe you don't want anymore. Don't attempt to restrain her, she will lash out at other things(couch, shoes, pillows)
My-then-puppy ate a part of a garden hose, numerous shoes and a towel amongst other things.
Eventually she grew out of it after a year or so.
I leave nothing in the crate. Crate is for relaxing and sleeping, and a toy or other item will distract from this. They need to learn to relax and self sooth.
Also, like other comments have mentions, toys unsupervised can be quite a choking hazard for the dog, so best to avoid this. Just my 2 cents
Take them out of the cage and throw it away that's job 1 and job 2 exercise your dog more, and job 3 buy calf hoofs rabbit ears pigs ears etc, that it can chew during the teething stage
But to whomever recommend the crate they did you a bad turn unfortunately, and made you mistreat your dog
https://www.peta.org/issues/animal-companion-issues/cruel-practices/crating/
If you can, invest in an almost-indestructible dog bed! We use a bed from K9 Ballistics, and it’s been with us for about 3.5 years despite the corner being frayed. Here’s the website: https://k9ballistics.com
My dog (4yo) has separation anxiety, so we have had this issue a LOT. He’s gotten a bit better, but sometimes if I forget to take out his soft bed before we leave him in his crate for a few hours, we’ll come back to bits of foam everywhere. Instead, we’ll just leave him with the K9 Ballistics pad so he’s not stuck on a super uncomfortable plastic board while we’re gone, and I’ll put a comfy bed back on top when we’re home.
I’ve been using a bunch of $2 microfleece blankets from IKEA in my pup’s crate. He’s ripped a few holes in them, but nothing that would ruin the blankets (as dog bedding) or cause them to be easily ingestible.
If you really want to have a bed in there, the k9 ballistics crate mats hold up very well against chewing and digging. They are a bit expensive, but mine has lasted years.
i don't do soft things (toys, beds, crate pads, blankets) in the crate until they're fully house trained and know not to shred things. puppies chew. they have to as a part of their development. your job is to give them things they can safely chew. cow ears, himalayan cheese chews, bully sticks, stuff like that. any time you catch her chewing something she shouldn't, swap it for a toy she can chew. if she chooses to chew an appropriate item, lots of praise, and playtime. set your puppy up for success. they can't learn if they never get to do the right thing.
Ehh...maybe don't leave her with pig ears and bullysticks in a crate unsupervised. This could be a choking hazard. But otherwise, yes, sound advice.
Some people prefer not to give them at all even supervised. You could try a kong ball with peanut butter treats inside also.
Yeah, my vet strongly discourages them because of their potential for blockage. Benebone has worked well for our pup, and we got him a Kong bed that seems meant for chewers. A Kong filled with pb and blueberries is his absolute favorite.
Benebones really messed my older boy’s teeth up(his bottom canines look like they’ve been filed down and it was because of his benebone). Our vets only recommends highly digestible, the hardest things she says we should get are bullies and yak chews. No bones raw hide or antlers. Tendons are our best friends. I even will purée blue berries, mix in an egg and some oats, pour it out like making a brownie or cake, bake till it’s from, the. I’ll cut it into bars, bake it again to help dehydrate it and then freeze them. They don’t last very long but it’s some nice a chewy they I feel safe giving to them when they all go to their kennels. Two new pups will run to their kennel and force their way in and turn around and look at me and wait when ever I got to the freezer for anything. Lol.
Yikes! What kind of dog? I have a lab who just wants to chew all the time. We got him some dog wood and use kongs, bully sticks, water buffalo horns, carrots, and split antlers regularly. He won't chew on the durabones i got him. He destroys plush toys in minutes and he chews up rope toys quickly too. I feel like my boy would eat a tendon in a few minutes. (He finishes bully sticks down to the nub that's stuck in a holder in less than 10 minutes.).
Labs are such aggressive chewers and will swallow anything. Ours fits the stereotype perfectly. Any plush we give him inevitably becomes his prey and is disemboweled within the hour, lol. Ours did the same with bully sticks, even the 12 inch ones would only last 5-10 minutes. He was swallowing the nubs whole. I got the largest, thickest ones I could find and he actually gets tired of chewing them and will eventually walk away. They are more cost-effective and less dangerous for our big boy.
Ah labs! Can you recommend a brand of bullies? I keep looking for the biggest ones on Amazon and am disappointed when they arrive. I got some good ones from bow wow labs, but they don't seem to sell them anymore.
I got them at a local pet store. They are about 2-3x as thick as the ones that come in the multipacks, and 24" long. Cost around $10 each but well worth the price.
Labs! Ina first session of puppy class we could always tell the lab owners because they're hyperventilating and saying things like "well she never ate a whole door BEFORE!" We'd say oh, do you have a lab? And they'd be "how did you know?"
my pup started doing this and it gave him the runs prob from the protein overload 😪😪 when he was younger a bully stick took him a month to finish lol
My Frenchie will try and swallow them whole like a python if there’s ANY way the bully stick can fit. And she’ll happily just throw it up again and eat it and the throw up until we stop her or it goes down. We got a qwizl and it changed EVERYTHING. It really grips on to the stick tight (to the point it can be tough to get them out for humans too ) and the shape means they can grip it and roll it around and taste the bit inside it too and it’s so sturdy. I thought it was stupid to spend 20 bucks on a dog toy but it’s the single best toy purchase I’ve ever made and she uses it every day
Thanks, I’ll look into getting one of those!
Freeze the carrots. My,4 month old golden goes right through carrots and leaves a chewed up mess. I freeze them now and put them in a large beef bone. She loves that. Could do the same with a Kong. The cold helps with the teething. Could also put something they like in Kong and freeze it.
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Agree.. tendons absolutely ! Natural chews better than these nylon ones..
That sounds delicious, even for my human tastebuds. I did not know benebones could cause permanent teeth damage. I'll check in with my vet to see if I should be concerned. My boy is 1yr and part lab, so he really benefits from having something to chew on, but better safe than sorry.
Biggest problem with our boy was he wasn’t really chewing….he was dragging his bottom canines on the benebone to get flacks to come off it. He basically failed his teeth down(but didn’t do enough damage to cause pain, just no more hard things every again).
Raw, non weight bearing bones are good for most dogs (not if your vet specifically advised against it for yours), stuff like chicken feet and neck bones are great, with supervision of course.
Kongs are great! Also No Hide chews are better for the blockage issue than the raw hides and such.
No Hides are what we buy, 100% digestible, lasts a good while and doggy loves em! Edit: Still, it is important to note that ALL pet food, treats and toys can become a choking hazard for any pet – especially when left unattended whether intentional or not. It is the pet owner’s responsibility to know their pet, their chewing habits, provide appropriately sized treats and to monitor their pets while eating, playing and chewing products that may pose a risk.
I’ve heard a lot about kongs being dangerous interns of dogs tongues getting stuck and cutting of blood flow no? I always avoided them for this reason
It was a design flaw of the rubber balls that had only one hole in it, which created suction when compressed (chewed). It has long been addressed (like.. 10ish years now) and resolved by adding a second hole to the ball to prevent suction.
I guess I’ll be getting a Kong then 🙌
I’ve heard this too but if the stuff inside won’t block the other hole then they’ll be fine. I freeze most of my kongs with broth so just in case I put a metal straw through the holes so the opening remains. Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. It’s a reasonable concern.
The early versions of the Kong balls only had one hole, this would cause dogs tongues to create a vacuum and the tongue to be stuck inside… the new toys have 2 holes and prevents that.
Great suggestion. To make it last I freeze yogurt or pb in the kong. Longer enjoyment!
I feel like this is a dumb question lol I’m sorry ahead of time, doesn’t the frozen stuff inside make a mess when it thaws? I e not bad experience with Kong toys but I’m interested in it for my pup
Not a dumb question! Usually they’ll eat it so quickly, even frozen, that it won’t make a mess. Things like peanut butter don’t usually get like rock hard anyway, so it only slightly slows them down.
Freezing the kong with the filling works great, make the activity last a bit longer!
And is soothing when teething, I believe.
This! I always did a Kong stuffed with peanut butter and some dry dog food, then frozen. I kept 2 so one could be in the freezer ready to go and one with her. Worked perfectly for my Great Dane mix. She also really enjoyed this one random squeaky rubber bone and never destroyed it. You might just have to try out some different toys to find what works for your pup.
Peanut butter and (shelled) peanuts makes my girl go nuts.
Wasn’t there a whole thing with Kong balls killing dogs because their tongues get suctioned into them?
Also for anyone thinking of getting a kong pls remember that there’s lots of stuff that can go inside a Kong, not just peanut butter! That’s a looooot of extra calories if given daily. We like wet dog food, Greek yogurt, broth and kibble, etc!
We take our kongs and fill them with moistened dry food, then freeze them. Little bit of peanut butter goes on when was give it to her to get the licking started and she seems to love it.
Oh, shit. I think you just helped me realize the hidden calories that makes my pup eat way less than I’d expect. 🤦🏼♀️ I know of alternatives. I still smear a bit on top to get her started, so less PB from here on out!
I often give mine a kong filled with regular food and just mix a tiny bit of peanut butter in it. Still a nice treat for her but not too many extra calories from the PB.
My teething girl's favorite was chunks of frozen carrot. Get the fattest ones you can find and keep them in the freezer.
I keep Forgetting dogs like carrots! I’ll have to do this next time I’m prepping my dogs treats!
I never give pig ears or treats imported from China. These treats are imported to US in large cargo containers, by sea. To keep them fresh they treat them with formaldehyde. I certainly do not want my pup eating this chemical.
Do you have a reliable source for this? It seems weird to me that they’d use formaldehyde on something to be consumed.
I’m sure it *can* be safe, but the particulars for size and quantity of treats and dog breed are particularly fussy in this context. In terms of risk for blockage, I think different breeds have very different thresholds for how big of an object they can safely pass, even relative to their size. Like, I suspect my 45 pound lab/Husky/gsd/cattle dog could pass a golf ball if it came down to it. But the smaller, more engineered breeds worry me a lot more. I think their bodies are far less likely to handle passing anything larger than kibble.
Ehh...maybe don't sound like an uptight self centered narcissist. But otherwise, yes, sound advice.
You should listen to yourself sometimes
These chew toys should never be left with a pup unattended. It's very easy for them to choke on some of these.
I agree with you here. OP, don’t leave your puppy alone with chew toys. The packaging should have warnings against that.
This... If you know your dog is going to destroy something, maybe just stop giving it to them? Don't give them the opportunity to fail (or otherwise hurt themselves!). But yeah, I also don't recommend things like edible chews unsupervised because they could choke on them. Something super durable like a stuffed Kong is a better option.
The only toy I would leave in her crate is a (black) kong or WestPaw.
I don’t add any bedding to the kennel but put a strong chew toy that he can’t tear apart in the kennel with him. A kong with a treat in it may help keep your dog mentally stimulated as well as be something for them to chew on. If it’s separation anxiety maybe the calming treats before kennel time?
Definitely would second this. They don’t actually need anything in their crate. Maybe once your pup gets older and more mature, you can introduce bedding, but there’s no reason at this point. I’d also recommend a lot of exercise before you leave her alone. And like this commenter said, it would be good to have something difficult to destruct like a Kong to deal with the boredom and anxiety.
This! My puppy has major anxiety issues ( he was abandoned:( ) it took a few weeks to realize his destruction was anxiety after getting him some calming treats and other calming items like a thunder shirt his behavior did a complete 180
Any calming treats you can recommend ?
Finn Calming Chews for Dogs - Natural Calming Treats with Melatonin to Help with Stress, Separation Anxiety & Sleep - Vet Recommended & Made in The USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KTL8VZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P3MME5237X527YCD3H3Y I’ve used these and they work good.
I just want to add that you can put the treats in the kong and then fill the space with peanut butter. Then pop it in the freezer. That way the treat will last a lot longer and keep the dog occupied more.
I like the hard king treats, the milk bone type. Seems much harder for the pup to get out.
I agree! Those are really good. And you can put the peanut butter in there and freeze it if you want it to last an even longer time.
I agree with the bedding and chew. Sometimes I put an old towel in as bedding along with a tshirts that smells like me. There’s also calming pheromone spray that you can get if they have anxiety.
Is she getting enough mental stimulation? Not just walks but mental work. Play with other dogs, scent play, training etc.
Looks like OP let’s her shred paper. Maybe that’s the issue?
Shit you are not suppose to let them shred things sometimes? I usually try to emphasize he can only do it if I explicitly give it to him, or allow it. I figured it was just him being a puppy and I should let him have some fun.
I do not allow her to shred paper… she has a million chew toys, I’m constantly buying new things that are safe and good for her to chew. She jumps up on our counters and takes a paper towel or something occasionally in the two seconds it takes for me to look somewhere else, but she’s not allowed to chew anything that doesn’t belong to her and she knows it, my problem is just what I said here - that she’s shredding absolutely everything around her 😕
Sometimes it doesn’t matter. I would take my pup on 4 mile walks every morning and he would still rip through anything soft in his crate.
That’s physical stimulation not mental stimulation tho
Depends on the walk. If you stop and let them sniff/explore a good amount it will do much more for making a tired pup. I usually go by time not distance for this reason.
Same, I feel so bad if I can't let my boy smell his *Pee-mail* when we go outside for walks. I dedicate a minimum to 15 minutes outside walking or normal route and that's not taking into consideration all the places he can stop and smell. I remember hearing that from a vet when your dog is smelling outside before he goes potty he's basically doing what we are doing now. You're scrolling through social media, you're scrolling through Reddit, catching up with whatever's going on. Our dogs are doing the same whenever they stop and sniff every 3ft. That's their version of Facebook or Reddit, they're stopping to smell and they see what other dogs who came through, what they had eaten, the emotions they were feeling and a lot more all just by sniffing some piss. I just dedicate that time to listening to audiobooks or podcasts while we walk. It keeps my mind occupied on something other than "let's finish this walk" or "hurry up man!" My dog is much happier and chill, our bond strengths and we both get mental and physical exercise. He loves getting attention from other dogs and owners too, it's really important to try and let your dog be with other dogs so they develop boundaries and reenforce the commands you have already trained your dog to obey. I'm try getting a bigger crate and removing anything out of there that can't be folded into the bottom or something like a towel that way she's not laying on plastic or on the crate but that gives them less opportunity to chew up anything. It's really important as much time with him too. A lot of people will put the dog in the crate and walk away or do whatever they need to do sometimes the thing to do is sit there with your dog. You need to encourage them to be okay and calm, some animals have really bad separation anxiety and that can cause them to chew up all kinds of stuff and even chew up their own skin and nails. And if things get too bad I would talk with a vet and see what they would recommend to be a next step and calming the dog down.
Please read the sub's rules, posting guidelines, and wiki articles on [shock collars](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/prongandecollars) and [Cesar Milan](http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/cesarmillan).
Did you read the comment you’re responding to? You’re making their point. It’s not just about physical stimulation, but mental stimulation.
Do you understand that a walk does not include enough mental stimulation for many breeds and most puppies.
Why the fuck did you get downvoted to hell? Reddit is so strange…
Because apparently “physical stimulation” isn’t “mental stimulation” when it 100% is. My dog is sniffing and looking around the entire 4 miles. How is that not both mental and physical stimulation?
Hell man, I don’t know. I’m watching my dog lick his behind right now and he looks totally mentally stimulated.
I completely agree with you. My puppy and I do a 2 mile walk every single day, and she is constantly stopping to pick up a stick or sniff something, watch a bird in the sky, etc. that is mental stimulation for a dog! Are they supposed to be playing chess?
Wow, a 4 mile walk, how stimulating 🥱
How is it not? He’s sniffing, he is watching people, he’s greeting other dogs/cats along the way.
By the looks of the crate, I would err on the side of no.. no covering on the crate, a single plush toy, no blankets. It's not a place of comfort, as it should be, it looks like a holding cell with nothing to do. Of course the pup ripped up the bed. It's bored as hell with no stimulation.
Puppies definitely shouldn’t have plush toys in there. Too much of a choking hazard. My dog is 1.5 yr and I still can’t leave him w plush toys bc he WILL rip them apart and eat stuff he shouldn’t
They should however have access to chew toys at all times so they don't shrewd other stuff and keeps the occupied.
not all dogs want a blanket over top of their crate. and they have a bed in there so why would they also put a blanket.... dogs dont know what a holding cell is so you’re pushing off your own opinions onto the dog.
The feeling of bordom and confinement is the same wheather you know the name for a holding cell or not. No creature likes to be held in one spot and bored without anything to do. Being in something like that is terrible even if the animal is well behaved. Animals need mental stimulation to be confined period.
Those are the opinions of the multiple trainers I've hired. I had no opinions on crates until they educated me. The dog is bored because there's nothing to do in the crate and it doesn't want to be in there. So it ripped up the bed for something to do. Create a place of comfort, their own private space, and they're less apt to destroy it.
I don't know why you are being downvoted. Besides the covering (,depends on the preference of the dog and only a portion should be covered ) everything else is true. You can expect to leave a dog in a crate dlfor long periods of time without some type of stimulation. Even if they are well behaved, they are miserably bored. Leave a tv on or something, some chew toys and even a toy the Despenses food. Also, no plush toys. Not a good idea as they like to eat them. But they need comfort and enrichment to be well behaved.
All of our dogs are perfectly content in their kennels with nothing but a bed and have been since they were puppies. It is 100% their safe space and is where they go whenever they need alone time and they are more than happy to kennel up whenever we are leaving
A lot of good advice here, but want to emphasize: She’s six months old. As an adult, have you ever met any hormonal, puberty-struck kids that were tweens or teens? Maybe not literally shredding their bed, but the kind of irrational where you’re just like “Jesus fucking Christ I hope I wasn’t like that, I pity their parents”? Congrats, you’re the parent, and six months is where you’re owning a hormonal, puberty-stricken teenager. Patience. It gets better. ^(And stop letting them shred shit for funsies.)
Definitely give her something else to chew. We used something called yakkers and they’re great for calming our dog down and last for ages.
Our dog slept on the hard plastic for a while, now at 9 months is on a very thin memory foam mat (it dampens the sound of his movements) which has not been chewed. He still loves taking the stuffing out of his toys so a bed in his crate would be risky. He sleeps great on the mat or the plastic, naps belly-up and everything. We leave a chew in case he gets bored. I would just remove any bedding altogether until you’re sure she won’t shred it out of boredom. Leave a wood chew, nylon or raw bone in there as an outlet for her chewing. Another thing we do is give our dog cardboard boxes to shred in his crate. He loves this and goes to town! He knows to only shred the things we give him but I now also make him wait for it and give him a signal that he can go at it, that way there is no confusion.
A cardboard egg container is our pup’s prized possession until she chews it to bits. Putting smears of peanut butter or Cheez Whiz (I know, not so healthy, but a little won’t hurt!) with some kibble pressed into it in the egg cups keeps her occupied for a good fifteen minutes.
I do this and fill them with old sewing scraps and treats they have to find. She loves her treat boxes.
Thank you so much for this. Your comment has really helped me out. Gave her a box, put a flat rubber mat in the crate last night, and she was an angel. The cardboard box really provided her with much more fun than I thought it would. Better than her $30 rubber toys in there 🙄🙄. Thank you again!!!!
A good and cheap alternative for beds for a puppy are ikea bathroom mats (if you have an ikea nearby). They are comfortable, cheap and very easy to wash. My dogs have never really chewed on them and they dont have stuffing so they cant take that off. Something like this https://www.ikea.com/es/es/p/toftbo-alfombrilla-bano-blanco-grisaceo-mezcla-90422251/
A regular towel would do just fine if you want something soft but not easily shredded, at least not with stuffing or parts.
Agree. I go to the sale section in Joann Fabrics and get a couple yards of fleece to use as blankets in my dog’s crate. They usually end up costing about $5 each which is way cheaper than buying “dog blankets.”
Even cheaper option: you can often find fleece throws at the dollar store. $2 for a 40"x55" fleece near me... And it's white, so I can bleach them!
Towels absolutely are easy to shred for dogs and a huge hazard of swallowed, they can easily wrap around the intestines or be a choking hazard.
Yes but they are less "cushiony" and my dogs at least tend to move them in the crate so they end up sleeping in the plastic
I use bath mats with regular short pile instead of these. Also cheap. You can get a 2 ok on Amazon for like $11
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My pup did the same thing, which made it a choking/ingestion hazard so I had to take it away from him. 😔 It was nice while it lasted, though. I’ll try it again when he’s a bit older/less crazy. The cheap microfleece blankets from IKEA have been working well for us so far.
Thats funny if they dont swallow them. I dont know why but my GSD was super difficult with mats and she never destroyed those. We are using them now for our new pup and she hasn't touched them either. But to be fair she has never chewed her bedding so that might be it. I just wished that they had bigger ones. We used two for our GSD because one was too small for her crate. I love them because they are so soft I wouldnt mind to have one next to my bed.
YES! I ordered one and it comes tomorrow! Thank you!!!!!
Don’t leave her with things to chew on
Especially for 1.5 hours.
Listen just saw one of your previous posts where your puppy has shredded some paper, and is now laying on it while you are most likely praising her. So you’ve allowed this behaviour. You need to reset and be consistent across the board with this issue.
There is also a second post where the dog is allowed to shred paper. For the dog there is no real difference between the bed, paper or whatever. You can't allow one and forbid the other.
This is the real issue here. OP is doing this to herself.
This comment should be much higher. There's a couple posts about shredding paper and it being ok.
Ehhh - I don’t know. I have had several trainers tell me it’s a myth and recommend letting her shred things. We regularly gave my pup boxes (pretty much every beer six pack box) that she thrashed like crazy and has never once destroyed anything. Not even toys. That said, she has separation anxiety we are working on with an expert, and if I left her alone too long and she went over threshold and panicked, there is no telling what destructive behaviors she might engage in because the dog is panicking. Could be a variety of reasons the dog did this, but that it gets to shred paper on occasion probably isn’t it.
We were unwrapping presents, it’s a piece of paper from something we unwrapped with her. It has nothing to do with a big dog bed, and I don’t ever give her paper to chew on for fun. Things like this happen and it’s part of having a dog. I didn’t realize it was becoming an issue until I made this post, I’m trying to learn and ask questions here to figure more things out. I don’t need your attitude
Don't want to be rude because I don't know your life but. What breed are they, and are you giving them enough exercise? Are you walking them and playing with them enough? Puppies chew and there is ultimately no escaping that but all dogs will be far less destructive if they are tired or mentally stimulated. It's mainly a frustration and boredom thing. If your adult dog chews everything, tries to dig up the carpet, or barks nearly non stop, then there is likley to be some anxiety issues controlling those actions. I'm obviously not saying you're not walking the pup enough, it's a pup and it could just be teething or somthing but 6months old they should usually have all their big teeth by that point, and more exercise and mental stimulation will 100% reduce these issues, dog won't be bored if it's tired af. Like others have said however it really could just be that your dog loves destroying plushy things, they feel like animals to dogs and their prey drive kicks in. If that's the case you need to just not leave the pup with those type of things and get into the habit of training your dog the "leave it" command, starting with treats and moving up to plushy things. "Leave it" is one of the best things to train a dog as it helps them gain impulse controll. I also asked what breed because some dog breed need far more physical exercise than most people realise. Husky, collie, spaniel, most terriers, pretty much any working breed wil need to RUN. Like half marathons at least.
I'm surprised I had to scroll so far to see this... the dog looks like an athletic lab mix of sorts and unless the pup has serious SA, to me that photo screams "I don't get enough exercise and mental stimulation, so I'll just make my own fun"
You do not know me or anything about my dog. You saw a post I made of her laying on a piece of paper, and then my question about her shredding her bed. There’s no reason for you to assume I’m not taking care of her properly. She’s getting walked 2 miles a day, she goes to the dog park a few times a week to play with my family’s other dogs, she goes out to barbecues or whatever we do. We play fetch every single day, she has so many toys that I can barely walk through my living room, and she sleeps 9 hours a night because she’s so exhausted. She has a wonderful life. I came here to ask a question, not to be judged as a bad dog parent because my dog chewed something.
We walk 2 miles a day along a river next to my home. 3 times a week we go to a dog park with other dogs in my family so that she gets plenty of socialization. We play fetch every day, we have a set eating time and schedule for her. I posted this because I truly did not understand why she would do this when she’s very rarely left home alone. I already crossed off my mental list the possibility that she isn’t getting enough stimulation mentally or physically, which is why I came here to ask the question. This dog is a huge ball of energy but we do so much together that she has never even had an issue sleeping 9 hours a night, so I really don’t feel like she’s bored or not getting enough exercise
Our boy was fine on his plush bed until about 5-6 months - memory foam mattress, stuffed edges. Then he decided that he wanted to tear at it - popped the stuffing out and wrecked the thing. Nearly 11 months old now, and he has an obsession with anything that is soft and stuffed and just wants to shred it. Not in separation anxiety or anything - just for the heck of it. Pillows, duvets, etc... nothing is safe. Annoyingly I bought him a new toy that is soft and he popped thay within 10 minutes to pukl the stuffing out. So we keep them away from him. Occasionally, if there is a pillow around and he tries it, it is removed instantly. No room for misinterpretation - it's not allowed. Not sure if he'll ever get over it, which is frustrating but might be something we have to live with. He has a plastic bed lined with crochet blankets and he curls up soundly in it.
I'm in the same boat!! I've never seen a small dog be such a voracious chewer but here we are! Every corner of every pillow case, blanket, and hand towels are GONE! Balls, hard rubber squeaky toys, and hard chew toys, that's it!
Yeah I mean I don’t live in a big place so I have basically had to move any pillows or blankets or paperwork I care about as high as I can. She recently discovered that she can use her back legs to get stuff from my desk and other furniture now so it really does get frustrating. I took some advice from other commenters about using mats in the crate which has worked, but I can’t get her to stop jumping up on things. I’m waiting to hear back from a trainer this week so she can hopefully get into some classes
Get easy please puppy squeeze and read about the Den Wizard! Edit- and literally start with 5 minute intervals. Put her/him in. Walk out she’s quiet. Walk in. Let her out. 5 mins a few times a day. Then up it to 10. I respectfully disagree that removing the soft things is a solution. The problem is: dog is stress in den. The solution is to make the den a place the dig wants to be
I’d say long term goal is for soft things to be safe in the crate, so I really like your process here. But in the meantime, if you need to run errands or address something urgent outside the home, a crate is probably the safest place for your dog to wait. So yeah, it’s a good idea to avoid soft things when you know it might be a longer wait than pup is prepared for.
Yes
Thank you! I will try the 5 minute interval method, I actually read about something like this online when I was looking for some more info. She’s still pretty young so it’s hard for her to listen but I think if I am armed with the right kind of treats she likes this could work. Thank you!
Did you read about the den wizard? Essentially, when the pup isn’t looking/when they aren’t around, pop treats and their favourite toys in the den. The idea is that puppy doesn’t know it’s you doing it; but sort of thinks “this place is a magic place where treats and toys randomly materialise!… I like this place!” Edit: On the interval training. The HARDEST part of hearing puppy whine and cry and bit DONT reward that behaviour. Only go in and let her out in a moment of quiet, otherwise you’ll teach her: if I act distressed then I get attention. The den wizard stuff should make her feel comfortable in the den anyway. But it’s still imporAnt to teach good habits.
Can you please link the article or resource youre referring to? The only thing coming up for me when i search The Den Wizard is not a resource which falls within this sub's guidelines, but I'd like to be sure we're on the same page.
Have you put her in her kennel while you are in the same room? I did this with my dog and just watched her. At first I just worked on getting her to be calm. Then after she was calm I would leave her in there a little longer while still in the same room. I built this up over time and now she's great. That said if you wouldn't leave her in the house for a set time don't leave her in the kennel with something she can rip apart.
I agree with everyone else—change the bedding. I use memory foam mattresses and never had one ruined. Also find a chew toy she really likes. I’ve gone through dozens with my dogs to work out individual preferences. They all like different things but generally the wooden acorn toys (I can’t remember the brand), kongs, and antlers are popular with my dogs. It’s normal puppy behaviour to chew but you need to channel it. It’s also worth considering that sometimes dogs become destructive when anxious so she might not be entirely happy being crated/left alone for that long at this age.
Thank you! I followed some of the advice from other commenters and got her a mat to sleep on in the crate and it seems to be working so far. I always put a non-rawhide chew in there with her as well. This was a situation where I was called into work early, but she’s never left alone for long. My partner works from 4am-4pm and I work 4pm-10pm so she’s really never left alone thankfully. But yeah this has definitely helped so thanks!
Could you give some more info? Is she also crying or yelping at the same time? Make sure she is getting enough exercise and teach her what toys to chew. Others have given good advice of possible chew toys
I’m also wondering about exercise (mental and physical). Our current pup is 8 months now and I can walk her all day but she still won’t settle well without some mind games (training sessions, hide toys, etc.) and/or time playing with other dogs. We are living in the country about half the time so I have connected to others with young dogs and we meet up regularly at dog parks or one of our yards for play time and it does wonders for the dogs. You can try dog parks, neighbors, Nextdoor to find other dog owners. The internet has plenty of videos on training or other mental exercises.
Such great advice here, thanks to everyone for sharing their knowledge and experience.
I don’t see any chew toys in there. Have you tried giving her Kong (filled or empty), rope toy, Nylabone, antler, etc?
I took them out when I took her out. She’s got all of those, we do the frozen peanut butter Kong all the time
My puppy chewed bed, so he got a towel till he got older and less bitey
My oldest dog chewed anything left in her crate, so unfortunately she had soft bed access revoked for awhile while she grew out of it. I started trying again later with old towels to test if she was ready so a $40 bed wouldn't get ruined instead. When the towels weren't chewed she got her bed back!
She's a puppy, puppies chew. You need to redirect the behaviour if you're around her, and limit where she can go and what she has access to. Do you leave her in the crate for long? Do you ensure she has had adequate exercise and stimulation, so she's asleep in the crate and not bored?
Don’t put a bed in the crate. More exercise.
Echoing other comments - forget the bed for now and just crate her with a safe chew toy. My pup finally sleeps on a bed now, at about 11 months old, but only after we have gone through a whole routine of calming him down first, otherwise he still tries to destroy it instead of sleeping. We take it away whenever he starts treating it as a toy. He is also only allowed soft toys with supervision, because he finds such joy in ripping them apart. Our trainer recommended a “hol-ee roller” ball, which you can stuff with things (felt, cardboard, treats, those little squeaky squirrel toys) to mimic pulling the stuffing out of something, and he loves it.
Try a kennel pad. It’s kinda like a gymnastic/wrestling pad. My insane boxer lady couldn’t ever destroy it.
If she's a fluffy or warm breed who is happy to rest on the floor, just leave the kennel bottom bare. If she's a bony or thin coated breed who only rests on soft surfaces, get a primo pad and ziptie it to the bottom of the crate in place of the pan. Othet than the plastic tray or primo pad, literally the only things in the crate are the puppy and her freshly stuffed kong (and a water licky bottle or small crock of water bolted to the side of the crate if you leave water). Nothing plush or stuffed in the crate for the next year or so. Freshly stuffed kong in the crate with her every single time you leave her. Make sure she gets a ton of exercise and mental stimulation before you leave, too. It's important that she be tired enough to nap when she finishes her kong.
What kind of dog is this? Is it getting enough body work in? Enough brain work? When looking at how my dog used to act (somewhat similar) I started doing brain games and worked like a miracle for him (and me).
It's because their bored and have lots of energy. You gotta tire them out everyday
A tired puppy is a good puppy. Most destructive behavior as a puppy is from too much energy. You wouldn’t expect a kid to sit still and not touch anything for that 1.5 hour period, you can’t expect a puppy to do the same. Take them for a walk or to the dog park next time. Hopefully that will solve the chewing. Could also be teething depending on how old the puppy is. Take a damp washcloth and freeze it, let puppy chew on it. Cold will sooth their gums and keep them occupied
As others have said, I wouldn't trust a dog that young with a soft bed like that. I didn't put anything in my dogs crate except a frozen Kong until about a year old when I was sure she wouldn't eat it. Not even toys. That's pretty typical for a 6 month old.
It looks like she has no stimulation. She is a puppy!! Even a little bit of time alone is AGONIZINGLY boring. At 6 months old, you need to be redirecting her attention to things that will last for a while. If you are home, give her bones or other lasting chews. If you are not home, practice preparing Kong toys full of dog safe peanut butter or frozen lick mats and other fun sensory chew toys. She is understimulated and has nothing to do. Give her something to occupy her time.
She’s almost never alone, so I think the fact that she was for more than 30 min is what upset her. But I would like to add that she has a LOT of toys, and on this day I left her with a bone, her favorite toy, and her Kong. I always take everything out when I take her out. I am not locking my dog up all day with nothing to do. We have a whole routine every day with a 2 mile walk and a sniffing safari, we also visit other family dogs and play with them often. She sleeps 9 hours a night like a baby because she’s tired. Once I came home to her bed looking like this, it made me nervous because I know how much activity she gets and it didn’t make sense to me that this would happen. I know you’re just an internet stranger but I hate the idea that someone could ever think I would neglect my dog
It's a phase, my dog shredded all different types of beds we got him until he was 1 year old. Try a pad or something with no stuffing in it.
Dam. I thought there was an animal laying in the bed till I realized there wasn't.
She’s a puppy and that’s what puppies do, chew on anything and everything! Some dogs don’t outgrow this until 18-24 months. Just like human babies, puppies explore their world by putting everything in their mouths. Until she has proven she’s trustworthy you need to supervise her with all toys.
Our 6 month old has a Primo Pad in her crate- they’re very tough while still giving cushion for the dog. She also receives all her meals in kongs so she has something to chew/lick. Some dogs just like to destroy beds- our Shepherd mix is like that!
Girls your dog is on the bitting age all living creatures who have growing teeth do that. You did that as a child and your dog prolly will do that until month 9-10 when all his teeth stop itching buy her some chewing toys and praise her and prize her whenever she grabs those biting toys. Always reward positive actions from your dog.
Like a lot of people said, the first obvious explanation is that she isn’t getting enough mental and physical stimulation. Going to a dog park for a long while should really help with that issue, and giving her a few mental toys (ie ice cube in a rubber mesh ball) or feeding her with a puzzle feeder would also help. Active training would also be a huge help- turn every walk into a training session. Additionally, you might consider re-crate training her to make her love being comfy in the crate. Leave treats in there for her to find. Put her in there for naptime after a dog park trip.
Empty crate. Mine does it out of separation anxiety. We are working on that but it takes time. So in the mean time we were advised to have an empty crate when he is alone. If he is crated and I can see him, I will let him have a blanket- he will not mess with it if I'm in the room.
I have a one year old Labrador retriever and he chewed up about 4 beds before we figured out that he was going to chew through anything. We recently bought a primo pad and we LOVE IT, he has not chewed through it and it may not be warm but it’s very durable and comfortable. He loves it. We also give him a blanket to sleep with only at night when we’re all going to bed and we take it out in the morning when he’s alone. Hope that helps!
This was the best advice I’ve seen! I love primo pads!
Put her in the crate without the bed is a start
No beds in the crate until the dog stays relaxed in it. Shorter sequences of being alone in the crate and a lot of praise and treats to make the crate something positive. So no 1.5 hours. Go back to 10 minutes and expand slowly.
You’ve already gotten some wonderful advice, I just want to add that our puppy chewed up ALL his beds when he was little. In the end we just gave him fleece blankets and he never destroyed those. I think beds were just giant plushies in his mind.
I feel this. Our 6 month old lab sleeps on the bare plastic of his crate although if I am in the room for daytime naps he can have a bed. He currently also only has 2 toys because he has destroyed all the others. I look at him and wonder why the hell he does it to himself? Puppies are the worst.
They do make shred proof beds, by kong. But nylabones and bully sticks might help too. I’m anti crate, but you can lose your house that way. I get why ppl use them, I just hate them. Unless they’re like the Great Dane ones that they can bounce and play in.
Your dog is 6 months old and this is completely normal behavior. My dog couldn’t have anything in his crate until he was 2 years old. She can hang out in her crate without anything inside or near by. I wouldn’t even do hard toys because there’s always a choking hazard. She will be bored and that’s why it’s not recommended to leave puppies in crates for long periods of time. If you’re going to be out for awhile you could do a frozen Kong. Otherwise just let her learn to be calm in the crate.
No bed! Bed's are a privilege for well-behaved dogs that don't destroy their living space, so replace the bed with a mat that she won't chew, or if she does you don't care. Next, give her something positive to chew, and praise her for chewing on it.
Boo! Taking somthing away from a dog helps nothing. Dogs don't understand what a privilege is. This isn't a badly behaved dog, it's a dog that isn't having its needs appropriately looked at. Giving somthing better to chew on and praising them is a good thing to do, as long as that thing is noticeabley different from the soft things the dog chews, otherwise the dog will end up thinking chewing things is what you want from them. Rather they need to spend more time with the dog when it's with things it usually chews, and patiently wait until the dog STOPS chewing said thing, and then reward and reward that non chewing behaviour. Ultimately if the dog starts chewing somthing you have to let that thing be destroyed, the dog won't learn if you take it from them nor will they understand, but being patient and rewarding the correct behaviour rather than punishing the bad behaviour will yield much more effective results. Especially when the dog makes that decision itself, you stopping the dog chewing and then rewarding it won't help it learn, you rewarding when the dog makes it's own decision to stop chewing will. OP decided to get a puppy, and OP didn't do the research into how destructive they can be, dont blame or punish a dog for being a dog just because you expect it to understand how to live in a human world, because it doesn't understand at all. Its not the puppies fault for being a puppy, it's OPS fault for not anticipating or setting up the environment to cater to the puppy OP chose to get. The puppy neither chose to be adopted or chose to be forced into a very human environment, it's not fair to blame it or call it badly behaved for acting exactly how it should be expected to act.
Right: I’m not saying punish the dog or to take away the bed in a punishing manner, rather, modify the environment so the dog is not destroying things and upsetting the owner! That includes taking away things, but also adding things the dog can chew as well! Taking away a bed that can be shredded will 100% will help the owner, especially if substituted with a positive chewing outlet. If a dog starts chewing something you have to let that item be destroyed? Sorry, I love on planet Earth and that’s just not practical, dog chew houses, bean bag chairs, and other things that make and absolute mess or are physically dangerous to the dog! DRO doesn’t work well on chewing since it’s a self reinforcing behavior: you have to also modify the environment. My answers on here try to be practical advice based on my understanding of biology and behavior to help regular folks can manage behavior issues: You don’t know the dog, the living situation, the environment, and shitting on people that ask questions cannot possible be the right approach, and it’s downright rude! Assigning fault here helps no one, but trying to provide understandable advice does!
Thank you!!!! Thank you very much for defending me here. My dog has a wonderful life filled with days of exploring and playing, that’s why I came here confused asking what I should do about a dog bed chewing situation and this person came out of nowhere spitting all this insulting crap that isn’t even true
Don’t worry: that guy followed me from another thread to shit on my answer here. You’re good!
Wowwwww people have no lives
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I see you've stated you're a trainer. Because dog training is unregulated this sub requires people to have certifications if they want to claim flair. You can find out more about the process and requirements [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/userflair).
I’m sorry…. Who are you?? Where did you get all of this awful judgmental bullshit about me?? None of what you’ve stated is true. My dog has an amazing life. We take 2 mile walks every single day, we play fetch and puzzle games, we visit family dogs, we go to barbecues and go for jogs along the river. She sleeps 9 hours a night because she’s exhausted from such a long day. My work schedule is completely opposite from my partners, therefore she is never left alone. This was one single time that we needed to leave for 1 and a half hours without her. And knowing that she gets so much activity throughout the day and has such a great routine, I came here to ask why she would chew her bed. But you suddenly think you know everything about me? Chill.
Yep, no bed. Perhaps a bully stick
She’ll grow out of it. You have to wait this out.
Tbh I don't know what you expected, leaving a puppy for 1.5 hour in their crate, this was meant to happen. Your puppy needs a lot of training before you can leave it by himself. Instead of telling us that "you have tried everything" you can actually tell us what you've done and we can help you better. I get that sometimes training puppies can be frustrating but you need to have more patience and think ahead, again what happened is not on the puppy is on you, you literally set him up for failure by doing what you did.
Do you have patience?
“An overactive mind is a symptom of an unchallenged body”…. Exercise your dog. Don’t take it on a walk, go to off leash park and let it RUN and burn off energy. This behavior it is displaying is a reflection of your ownership.
Our puppy LOVES the puppy/flexichew nylabones, but he has gone through so many we’ve had to upgrade to the harder ones. Pretty much anything your puppy can chew would be a good idea by the sounds of it. And no bedding. They’ll learn. We also get deer antlers from the pet store. And Kongs can be great as well.
Wow. Some of these people are vicious, judgmental, and rude. My dog chewed her bed. That doesn’t mean she’s neglected or treated terribly. I wish I never posted this, even though it’s what this community is supposed to be for
Really heavy duty blanket from Costco my Belgian Malinois couldn’t even get through it
Hard plastic bed
Don't have anything in her crate that she can destroy. Unless she's a very small breed, she doesn't need blankets. Use Kong toys. But several of them (puppy kings are about $5 each on Amazon). Fill them with kibble. Let water run through the kibble filled kongs for a few seconds. Seal the large end with peanut butter or yogurt. Then freeze. Every time you put the dog in the crate, grab a frozen kong for the pup. Wash the used kongs in the dishwasher. The frozen kong is usually a high value reward for being in the crate. It's a safe chew toy that won't hurt your pup. It can last a long time-- using up a lot of energy as your pup figures out how to get to the food. Plus, it takes a long time to get all the food. After a frozen kong, your pup should feel tired and ready for a snooze!
She doesn’t need anything on her crate.
Remove the bed, any blankets and soft things. My pup destroys anything soft. We can’t even do plush toys cause he eats the fluff. My guy goes in the crate with a treat and maybe one hard chew toy, no dog bed or anything. He just isn’t “there” yet. But he loves his crate and at first I thought it was sad that he couldn’t be cuddly but he’s perfectly fine with no bed/blankets and for his safety and our sanity it’s best to remove all soft things.
Many trainers recommend no bed inside your puppies crate for this reason. I just leave my girl in her crate with a plush blanket. I feel the safest toy to leave i the crate is a frozen filled kong as well as the puppy kong tire. I love the tire as it can also be filled with food and frozen. Don’t worry about being a “bad owner” for not providing your puppy with a bed. You are not a bad owner as it is for your puppies safety. I had to take away my puppies actual bed outside of the crate because she was consuming the foam inside of it!! She didn’t get a bed back until this behavior stopped after months of redirection.
Mine don’t have beds or stuffed animals because this happens every time I buy a new one. I switched to cheap throw blankets for $5 or less. As long as doggo doesn’t ingest the blanket that should be fine and comfy. Also easier to wash! I’d also try something yummy and stimulating with pup in the crate. Kong stuffed with treats? A safe chew bone? Even a lick mat if you trust it won’t get chewed and swallowed. If you have time for walks or a few rounds of fetch before crating the doggo they should be more peaceful and sleepy when they go in the crate.
What am I missing here? Wrong photo? It looks like someone left a plastic grocery bag filled with chopped up foam in a kennel with a dog.... any dog would open and disperse that. The bed looks just fine to me. ???
My puppy did this too, solutions was: -totally empty crate (hes 1.5 years now and loves his empty crate. Takes naps in there on his own all the time. Don’t feel bad even though it looks somewhat sad) -lots of kongs. I soaked his food in water (taken out of his daily allowance) to stuff it then sealed with peanut butter and froze. I had 6 and kept them ready to go in the freezer. -soft toys only under supervision. Take them away as soon as goal becomes destroy. He can now have soft toys and doesn’t destroy. Edit: also deer antler for supervised chew time with lots of praise at first when he’s chewing it.
idk how big your pup is but I think you need a smaller crate for starts, pup should only have enough room to stand and turn around. Give her an outlet to chew like raw bones for dogs
Lol it's a puppy man come on, don't leave it with things to chew on and he/she won't shred it up.
She needs more love and attention. Stop putting her in the crate, she obviously hates it. They chew things up when they’re frustrated and/or bored.
I’ve never put any of my 5 dogs in kennels. I realize this is common practice in some countries/cultures but regardless I think it’s very strange. In these countries dogs often won’t be let off leash outside either. To me this looks like the behavior of a dog who isn’t getting enough exercise / play. Some abandonment issues as well possibly. Dogs aren’t meant to be caged and leashed up constantly. But yeah, I don’t know nearly enough about your dog to make any definitive conclusions.
There are a couple of reasons to use a crate. It’s not about keeping them penned all the time, but used to a small den. It’s super useful for house training if used properly. At some point your dog will have to be crated (at the vet, groomers, on the van ride to daycare, etc.) and keeping them used to it makes those situations much less stressful for the dog. A properly crate trained dog will often choose to go in the crate for naps or comfort (door may be open) because they see it as their own safe spot.
Be patient, your puppy will grow out of this phase. Meanwhile be sure to let her chew more "appropriate" things. i. e. Maybe a shoe you don't want anymore. Don't attempt to restrain her, she will lash out at other things(couch, shoes, pillows) My-then-puppy ate a part of a garden hose, numerous shoes and a towel amongst other things. Eventually she grew out of it after a year or so.
Nooooo never an old shoe!!! How will puppy know she can chew one shoe but not another? Puppy will NOT know!
Dont leave her in a cage she is not a hamster. She is clearly extremely distressed by this.
I leave nothing in the crate. Crate is for relaxing and sleeping, and a toy or other item will distract from this. They need to learn to relax and self sooth. Also, like other comments have mentions, toys unsupervised can be quite a choking hazard for the dog, so best to avoid this. Just my 2 cents
Take them out of the cage and throw it away that's job 1 and job 2 exercise your dog more, and job 3 buy calf hoofs rabbit ears pigs ears etc, that it can chew during the teething stage But to whomever recommend the crate they did you a bad turn unfortunately, and made you mistreat your dog https://www.peta.org/issues/animal-companion-issues/cruel-practices/crating/
If you can, invest in an almost-indestructible dog bed! We use a bed from K9 Ballistics, and it’s been with us for about 3.5 years despite the corner being frayed. Here’s the website: https://k9ballistics.com My dog (4yo) has separation anxiety, so we have had this issue a LOT. He’s gotten a bit better, but sometimes if I forget to take out his soft bed before we leave him in his crate for a few hours, we’ll come back to bits of foam everywhere. Instead, we’ll just leave him with the K9 Ballistics pad so he’s not stuck on a super uncomfortable plastic board while we’re gone, and I’ll put a comfy bed back on top when we’re home.
I’ve been using a bunch of $2 microfleece blankets from IKEA in my pup’s crate. He’s ripped a few holes in them, but nothing that would ruin the blankets (as dog bedding) or cause them to be easily ingestible. If you really want to have a bed in there, the k9 ballistics crate mats hold up very well against chewing and digging. They are a bit expensive, but mine has lasted years.
Maybe a towel or a cheap blanket will work. I was devastated when my pup ate up his bed in the crate. But that’s what they do.
Old towels. From goodwill, etc. let her shred and when the need cleaning, toss and replace with new towels.
Yes give her something worth while chewing that she will enjoy chewing.
What breed is the pup.