What can we give our dog to sleep on, that he will not eat!?

Question

Our 7month old dog sleeps outside in a kennel at night. It has got very cold now at night and its hard to put him outside to his bed. Especially as the blanket - or towel - or cardboard - or cotton matting - or anything else that we have put down for him to sleep on and now to provide some comfort and warmth for him, he tears to shreds and eats large chunks of - in the early morning before we let hime out. Any ideas what we can do? and why does he insist on eating his bedding? We want him to be warm at night but its proving a challenge!

Answer 1

He sounds like he may be bored or having anxiety problems at night. If he stays with the family except at night, this could be why he's having problems!

If your main concern is the bedding, you may try putting hay in for him to sleep on. Dogs will burrow in the hay, and if he chews it, it won't hurt him.

You may also want to give him some treats to chew on to satisfy that urge.

Of course, the best thing would be to bring him inside at night. Even if you put the kennel in the laundry room, he will feel more comfortable inside. He may just be scared. What you are doing is like locking a small child outside in the cold overnight. He's still a baby and doesn't understand it at all!

Answer 2

Here are some solutions you could try.

Maybe you could bring a crate inside for him to sleep in, especially during the colder months. I think they chewing and shredding is a way of the dog telling you he doesn't like his sleeping arrangements. His bad behavior could be a cry for help.

If you must keep him outdoors for some reason, try those braided rugs you can get at the dollar store. In my experience they seem to last a little longer than blankets and towels and are fairly soft and warm. (And cheap to replace). I had a Pit Bull / Mastiff who chewed everything to shreds and for some reason left these alone.

Try walking him sometime during the day or maybe even before bed. Not only is it beneficial to both you and your dog, if he is active during the day he will be less active at night.

Last you can try giving him some appropriate things to chew on that will keep his attention away from chewing on the bedding. They have these great big meaty bones at petco, my dog would gnaw on for weeks. They really did the trick with keeping him occupied.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Is Your Dog Overweight?

· Dogs are natural scavengers, believing that each meal could be their last. They appear hungry when they are not, this is because they are reverting back to their instincts of their ancestor, the wolf

· Dogs do not naturally eat little and often, humans often feed their dogs along the same patterns that they feed themselves, which is wrong. Dogs like to eat a lot at a time and then rest, so give them one or two big meals each day


· An overweight dog is nearly always the fault of the owner, except in certain circumstances, when the dog has a medical condition. One such condition is called hypothyroidism, which is caused by an under active thyroid and is usually more common in an older dog. Some of the symptom to look for are:
- Poor coat and skin conditions
- Increase in appetite
- Thirst
- Muscle pain
- Stiff joints and limbs
- Becoming slightly lame
If you notice any of these symptoms take him to the vet as this problem can be easily treated

· Arthritis, heart problems and respiratory problems are a major concern in overweight dogs, they sleep more and are less resistant to infection and their life expectancy will be shorter


· To check that your dog is not overweight:
- Check that his ribs are not visually noticeable but are easily felt
- Feel the dog's hips, more than a light fleshiness indicates that your dog is overweight
- Check that your dog has a trim abdomen

· The following breeds are more prone to gain weight:
- Basset Hound
- Beagle
- Cairn Terrier
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Cocker Spaniel
- Dachshund
- Labrador Retriever
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Spaniel

· Always follow the instructions on the packages of prepared dog foods

· All prepared dog foods should provide all the nutrients they need

· If your dog is overweight, even just a biscuit in addition to his normal meal could be too much

· If your dog is gaining weight, cut down their intake of food and make sure they get plenty of exercise

Answer 4

You could try gettin an offcut of carpet and nailing it to the floor of the kennel or i have shreaded paper that you can buy in a big bale and put it in the kennel, its lovely and warm my dog loves twirling round and making a nest for herself in it and it lasts ages :) Its shreaded so theres nothing to tear up :) She is still fairly young and may be teething so try gettin her a few bones or rawhides or the kennel could be her next chew toy!! Good luck!!

Answer 5

He eats his bedding because he has nothing to play with. They do not sleep like we do. They wake up and get bored. Give him some toys.
Get a cedar filled bed. He will not eat it and it will be warm and keep fleas and ticks away. Dogs are especially vulnerable to the bugs in the winter.

Answer 6

if you entertained your dog in the day then he wouldn't be bored at night. his behaviour is because he's bord and is trying to ocupy himself. give him lots of toys, food balls things to chew and play with him more. this bed chewing will soon stop. also don't shout or punish him in the morning coz he won't remember what he did, and even if he does you are only enforcing the behaviour for giving him lots of attention for it

Answer 7

That is a difficult one but how about a hard plastic bed and then put some straw in it. He shouldn't eat that! Hopefully he will gradually outgrow the chewing and you will be able to use a doggie bean bag or duvet. Good Luck.

Answer 8

Let him sleep indoors at the foot of your bed. Putting him outside in cold weather is cruel and inhumane.

Answer 9

Try straw, as in bales of straw. He might chew on it although I doubt he would eat it and it provides lots of warmth if you bed it deep enough.

Answer 10

He shreds it because he DOESN'T WANT TO BE OUTSIDE ALONE. He wants to be with his pack. Why do you punish him by making him sleep alone outside at night?

He's frustrated.