When you come home to your dog having chewed its bed, it is frustrating for so many reasons. The main being it is invariably messy to clear up with lots of padding or wadding having been sprayed everywhere, but also the cost of it. Dog beds tend not to be the cheapest items, especially if you have bought your pooch a bed with padded or heated sides or even one of the fantastic orthopaedic beds that can be purchased these days.
In this guide, we look at innovative ways to stop a dog from chewing its bed so that you don’t have to come home to a mess ever again, or shell out for another spot for your pup to sleep.
Keep Them Entertained
The key to stopping your dog from chewing its bed is to keep them entertained. The reason for this is not to stop them from chewing their bed in the moments that you are playing with them – it is so it has the effect that they leave their beds alone when they are left by themselves. Good ways to keep them entertained so that they stop gnawing away at their bed space include:
- Mentally Stimulate Them
Mentally stimulating a dog is incredibly important at the best of times, but if they are chewing their bed it largely means that they are bored and so there is even more reason to mentally stimulate them if you can. By doing so you will tire them out which means that when they are left alone, all they actually do is rest and sleep as they have little energy for anything else.
Mentally stimulating them can include many different games from stuffing Kongs full of food that they need to use their brains to extract or perhaps even playing a game of hiding and seek with them. Dogs love both these types of games as the first is food related and the second is to do with finding their owner who is invariably their favorite person!
Other mentally challenging games are finding food around the house, finding toys or learning a new trick through some training with you. Tricks like roll over or paw are great as they are harder to learn.
Related Post: How to Teach a Dog to Fetch
- Physical Exertion
Used in conjunction with mentally stimulating games, physical exertion is a brilliant way of keeping your dog from chewing their dog bed. This is because it works in a similar way to playing mentally challenging games with them because it tires them out. When a dog is tired out, they simply do not have the energy to be bored. It is when they are bored that they turn to negative destructive behavior like chewing their dog bed or other off-limit objects.
Physical exertion includes the obvious walks that dogs should be taken on daily anyway. If possible, try to change up where these daily walks take place or alter the route that is chosen as this also makes the walk more interactive for your pooch and therefore simultaneously mentally challenging for them.
The length of the walk is also directly correlated to how tiring a dog will find a walk, though a short one is better than nothing. There are ways, however, to turn a short dog walk into an incredibly tiring task. You can play games with them when out in the open air like fetch – either with a frisbee, stick or ball. If you find throwing difficult, ball throwers can be bought very cheaply and make balls go very far which is great for your dog who will chase it at full pelt.
Another great tip for making any walk extremely tiring for a dog is to go on a walk with another dog, or a group of other dogs. This way, dogs will inevitably play chase with one another and exhaust themselves out in this never-ending game.
Hopefully, when you return from a walk like this, your dog will be so tired that all he or she will want to do is lie down and recuperate in their dog bed all day as opposed to chewing it. However, playing a game of tug with them or a gentle game of tussle if you are physically able, are both methods to exhaust them at times when you have five minutes spare to continue your quest to entertain them.
Related Post: Creating the Perfect Dog Playdate
Use A Spray
In addition to tiring out your pooch physically and mentally, an efficient way of ensuring that your dog does not destroy his or her bed is to use an anti-chew spray that is available on the market. These taste bitter to your dog which will stop them chewing their bed in the first instance as well as put them off in the future through the negative memory they garner from chewing it when it has been sprayed. If you are unable to get to the pet store to buy such a spray you can put diluted lemon juice in a spray bottle and use that over their bed. The unpleasant taste of lemon will hopefully stop your dog from continuing to chew its bed into a million tiny pieces.
Use An Indestructible Dog Bed
Finally, a great way to stop your dog from chewing its bed to pieces is simply to buy an indestructible dog bed. To be a truly and therefore the best indestructible dog bed make sure you buy a bed that has incredibly strong stitching and robust outer material. Many beds will claim to be indestructible but you will be able to tell the best ones simply by feeling them. Do a little research as they aren’t cheap and you will soon find one that is suitable for you and your dog.
Follow these tips and you will never come home to a mess created by a destroyed dog bed ever again.
Sources:
- Destructive in the crate, Cesar’s Way
- How to Stop a Dog From Eating His Bedding & Blankets, The Nest
- Common Dog Behavior Issues, ASPCA
Comments