Dog is now coming up for two years old and likes to consume his bed. He must be into double figures now. Latest one was bought at weekend and I have just went down to him and it’s destroyed.
Why is he doing this?
He gets exercised, usually a good couple of hours in morning, some playtime at various stages over day and then a short evening walk ( he is still petrified about going out for night walks since bonfire night). Sometimes literally need to carry him out the door at night. Once out in driveway he is happy to go his walk.
His bed is in the utility room and the door is open to the kitchen so he has a big space to get up and walk around.
He also has a bed in corner of living room but has never tried to eat that.
Other than his bed at night when no one can see him, he is not a chewer , well, apart from tennis or footballs which he can mutilate in seconds!
Any hints/ tips?
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Our Springer chewed stuff relentlessly until he was 18 months and then miraculously stopped. He'll still eat bits of paper or cardboard. My friend's Beagle has eaten every bed he's been given - the dog now sleeps in a Banana box. Disposable bedding !
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I had a Springer like that. Ate a complete goosebery bush!
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>> I had a Springer like that. Ate a complete goosebery bush!
Its hard enough keeping a lime tree healthy and fruity in your Oranagery without a your golden pupster being addicted to leaf chewing. .......
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Some of the behaviour is now ingrained (you can tell as its only one bed) because it hasn't been redirected in the important first year. Ie you didn't stop him early enough, it will decline naturally but take longer.
He's not a chewer, but will destroy balls and eat his bed? He's a chewer so give him something to chew in bed. Nylabones are best because a: they are very resilient, and b: not noisy when banged on the floor.
My pup is a digger and a chewer. One rug has holes in it - as per my comment above only one rug? its becoming ingrained, habit, we are working on it by redirecting attention onto other stuff and she now knows the bad "watch it pay attention*" word, and the No word.
*OI said with feeling as in "OI watch it mush" and appropriate dont mess with me body language.
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Following on your advice, put him to bed last night with some of his toys and there was no more destruction. Had always previously assumed no toys at bedtime to make sure he knew that it was bedtime only but if it does the trick.....
It’s like being back having toddlers. Anyone remember the Safeway “shop n go” green baskets? Well I have one of them filled with all his toys. Quite funny at times seeing him go into it and rummage around and bring something out and wondering what his decision making process is!
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>> Anyone remember the Safeway “shop n go” green baskets?
I still have a couple. They're the ideal size for use in the car as a boot tidy and stowage for oil, screenwash, de-icer and other odds/sods that one might need.
My daughter makes the toddler observation about her 3yo Show Cocker.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 10 Mar 21 at 11:18
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Hahaha...Currently our Foodbank has a "number" of Tesco crates, including some deep (sort of double depth ones) I've banned the volunteers from using these as they are difficult and awkward to handle when full of tins, since they've ignored me, I brought them home, they make for very good garage storage.
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>> ..Currently our Foodbank ....
How do you decide who is a worthy recipient and who isn't?
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>> >> ..Currently our Foodbank ....
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>> How do you decide who is a worthy recipient and who isn't?
Put it like this - it aint waitrose, the food on offer at a foodbank is basic, you dont shop there by choice.
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>> How do you decide who is a worthy recipient and who isn't?
RP can reply for his area but round here it's quite tightly controlled; you cannot just rock up and walk out with a week's worth of (mostly tinned or dried) food.
Various outfits including GP surgeries, advice agencies, churches etc can nominate people and issue the requisite voucher. Drop in centres run by charities may have on site foodbanks but will triage before issuing food.
When I was doing generalist face to face advice there tended to be two categories. Those who presented wanting, or knowing they needed, help from the food bank and others who probably needed it but didn't ask.
An advisor would always do an exploration of circumstances. We used a mnemonic FAMED (Family, Accommodation, Money, Employment and Discrimination) to inform that exploration. Common reasons why help was needed included benefit and other money hiatuses, sudden unemployment, relationship breakdown, domestic crises of one sort or another etc.
Quite often the exploration showed they must be short of food even if they weren't telling you and offer of a food voucher could be made.
There's a limit to the number/frequency of vouchers an individual can have.
I dare say that if one was determined, energetic and mobile it might be possible 'milk the system' using different foodbanks, referral routes etc. Life's too short and real need too high to imagine such folks are getting stuff for free.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 10 Mar 21 at 12:25
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Most of our clients are referred on by an agency. Our local town coordinator is a County Councillor and a very effective networker. We take occasional self referrals, but there are checks undertaken. As of yesterday we delivered 503 food parcels mainly in the town. I have concerns we're not reaching people in the rural areas. We had a Zoom last night and we believe we've been effective, we turn referrals around mostly on the same day, certainly by the next day. It's been a journey that's certain.
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>> >> ..Currently our Foodbank ....
>>
>> How do you decide who is a worthy recipient and who isn't?
They you go Duncan, you have your answers, its such an exclusive club you need to be referred by a professional. On that basis you'll have to stick with Aldi.
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>> My daughter makes the toddler observation about her 3yo Show Cocker.
They are dogs, the biggest mistake we can make in dealing with dogs is by trying to attribute human characteristics to them. I can see why humans do it tho we need to associate stuff with those we spend a lot of time with.
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>> They are dogs, the biggest mistake we can make in dealing with dogs is by
>> trying to attribute human characteristics to them.
Mrs B occasionally decides we might like a dog. We had a lot of fun with after the Thursday Carer Clap with the three Cockerpoos that lived in the close at the time and were allowed out to associate. Happy to throw balls and tickle tummies but no way do I want one full time.
Daughter's comment to her Mother was made in the context of 'want a dog'. Grandchildren will be quite soon enough for something that's into everything, puts anything in it's mouth and has, at best, limited control of excretory functions.
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>> will be quite soon enough for something that's into everything, puts anything in it's mouth
>> and has, at best, limited control of excretory functions.
Dogs dont grow up to go out drinking, experimenting with drugs, mixing with the wrong crowd, drive cars or motorbikes, and you dont have to buy them their first house.... And it only lasts for 15 years before you can get a better one.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 10 Mar 21 at 12:11
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>> Following on your advice, put him to bed last night with some of his toys
>> and there was no more destruction. Had always previously assumed no toys at bedtime to
>> make sure he knew that it was bedtime only but if it does the trick.....
Dogs have no concept of "bedtime" its a concept foisted on them by us to fit in with our lifestyle.
Fix up a trail cam on them and you will see at night its cycles of light sleep, sometimes but rarely periods of deep sleep* and lots of periods of being awake.
Your dog is a wolf, night time is a time of danger if you are on your own, if you are in the pack its a time for hunting and prowling. Its not a time for spending 7 hours in undisturbed slumber.
* Doggy deep sleep, that time when they have dreams chasing rabbits, growling, yipping, is only deep sleep because you are there and they know they have a lookout.
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>>Doggy deep sleep, that time when they have dreams chasing rabbits, growling, yipping, is only deep sleep because you are there and they know they have a lookout.
A fascinating point which I had not appreciated and which explains a lot.
My dogs would spend the early part of the night and the end of the night in the children's bedrooms. But the rest of it active and wandering around the house and garden fiddling about with various things. If a hole was to be dug, something was to be chewed or something was to be stolen it always happened at night.
That whole deep sleep with a lookout thing makes so much sense.
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Well that lasted just short of a month.
Downstairs this morning to find his bed in bits. Surrounded by his chew toys.
Grrrrrrr......
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>> Well that lasted just short of a month.
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>> Downstairs this morning to find his bed in bits. Surrounded by his chew toys.
>> Grrrrrrr......
Hey stop your whinging. Come round and see my garden, I knew my pup was welsh but I didnt know it was a ruddy miner...... I have had to put safety fences round the deeper ones.
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I take it they are all soft beds? Try buying a hard plastic bed at least you'll save a few quid, it'll take him a while to destroy it!
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>> I take it they are all soft beds? Try buying a hard plastic bed at
>> least you'll save a few quid, it'll take him a while to destroy it!
I have seen numerous homes with destroyed hard plastic beds. Even seen one Malinous eat its way out of a 5mm thick GRP car cage.
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I'm sure there are, takes them a bit longer though.
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>> I'm sure there are, takes them a bit longer though.
It is true that hard plastic beds do not provide a room full of stuffing when chewed, but ask yourself this - Would you want to sleep on a hard plastic bed?
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Well I can't say I've felt the urge to eat my bed.
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>> Well I can't say I've felt the urge to eat my bed.
I dunno, depends how good the sex was with your partner/.
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I thought most pet dogs could only dream of such things...
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>> I thought most pet dogs could only dream of such things...
Bobby has a black male lab. That and food are the only things he is dreaming about.
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Keep up Zero, this one is a yellow lab.
And, unlike any lab I know, doesn’t scoff his food in one gulp. Sometimes takes him hours to finish it off. Very strange.
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>> Keep up Zero, this one is a yellow lab.
I'm sure Megan will find a way to play the race card with it.
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>> Keep up Zero, this one is a yellow lab.
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>> And, unlike any lab I know, doesn’t scoff his food in one gulp. Sometimes takes
>> him hours to finish it off. Very strange.
>>
Mine lab is the same, he's never been massively interested in food.
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Labrador chewing his bed - R.P.
