Chewing on Dog bed

Question
Hi Kristen,
I am writing to you about my 1 year old male Weimaraner. I can't seem to get him to stop chewing on his dog beds. He has never ever chewed up anything else in the house or chewed whenever we are around. We have two Weimaraners the other one is a 10 year old female and I know she just lays down and sleeps when we leave the house. We child-gate them in the kitchen when we leave the house and when we come home there is stuffing everywhere and a very guilty 1 year old dog! I have showed him the chewed bed and with a stern voice told him no chew many times. He still doesn't get it. I know he is bored and needs to be exercised but we can't take him until after we get home and sometimes we can't when the weather is bad. I hope you have some suggestions because our budget for dog beds is running thin!!

Answer
Tara, I have three words for you: Normal Puppy Behavior! *wink*

Your dog is still very much a puppy at one year of age. He is also a high energy breed. Do you give him anything else to occupy himself when you leave? If all he has is the dog bed, then that's part of the problem right there. A few things I would suggest would be getting him a Kong toy. If you do not know what a Kong is, go to their website at http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html and click on "Products" at the top, then "Dogs" on the left, then "Rubber Toys" on the right, and that will bring up a list. I recommend the "Extreme Kong," because it's more durable. A red Kong has never lasted long in my house, but the black one is still going strong! I'd get a size .

What you can do is smear one of the following on the inside of the Kong using a knife, or fill the Kong about 3/4 of the way full of a mixture of one of the following and some dry dog food, and then use a spoonful of another type (or use the same type that you mixed the dry dog food with) to plug the large hole. Then, freeze the Kong overnight to make it last longer and not make a mess when you give it to him the next day.

* Cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
* Peanut butter
* Plain, canned pumpkin
* Plain yogurt
* Canned dog or cat food
* Liver mush
* Cooked, unflavored oatmeal

Some people recommend using two Kongs; one you give the dog right before you're leaving, and the other you hide under the table or somewhere as you're leaving, for the dog to find after he's finished the first Kong. I've never done this, but it is an option.

Other good things to leave with him are Healthy Edibles Nylabones. They do not contain plastic like the regular Nylabones do, but they still last a long time. I'd recommend the larger sized bones so he isn't as apt to break off and swallow large pieces. Rawhide is not something I recommend because it swells up when it gets wet and if the dog swallows a piece that's too large to pass through his digestive tract after it's swelled, it could cause a life-threatening blockage that may require emergency surgery to fix. If you want to give rawhides to your dog, I recommend doing it only when you are able to supervise him and remove it from him if he starts breaking off and swallowing large pieces.


I would not give him another plush dog bed for a while. If your other dog has a bed that you're worried about the puppy tearing up, you may want to try Bitter Apple. You can get Bitter Apple at most any pet store. Shake it up well, take the lid off, and take a cotton ball and put it over the opening. Turn the bottle quickly upside down and rightside up again, to saturate the cotton ball. Squeeze any excess liquid back into the bottle, and then take the cotton ball to your dog. Have him on leash just in case, and offer him the cotton ball as if it were a treat. He should take it, and immediately spit it out again. PRAISE HIM! Pick it up and offer it to him again. Praise him if he takes it and spits it out again, or if he refuses to take it. Repeat 30 minutes or so later. He shouldn't take it from you this time. There are some dogs that like Bitter Apple, though, so having him on leash will help you get the cotton ball away from him if he turns out to be one of those dogs that actually likes it. If that is the case, you can try using white distilled vinegar. Put the Bitter Apple or vinegar into a spray bottle and spray the dog bed down really good. This should deter him from trying to chew on it since he now knows to relate the smell of the Bitter Apple (or vinegar) with a bad taste.

If you can't bear the thought of him laying on the floor, and just have to get him a bed, then a raised bed might be an option. Here's a picture of one:

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Indoor-Outdoor-Raised-Bed/dp/B000H42E6W


Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen