How to get my dog to stop chewing up the bed??????

[spudsgirl]

Ok guys I have 2 dogs Reg an american bulldog and ellie a staffy.

Reg is now 5 and keeps chewing up Ellies beds. He will destroy her blankets and chew her bed to the point where there is nothing left. Though this might be highly entertaining for him I am now getting sick of replacing beds as the new one I bought lasted 10 mins. I went upstairs and when I came downthe bed is pulled to bits and is all over the kitchen floor. Its never his bed or bedding its always her, now the easy solution would be to seperate the 2 but as it is I have a lot of vivs in the front room and would not leave either dog alone in the living room for this reason, the pair get on really well together and have lived together for 4 year. I cannot let the dogs sleep on just a tiled floor and am running out of ideas. He gets attention and I dont react to naughty behaviour in the way of shouting cause I know he will do it all the more to get negative attention. I just want him to stop eating her beds.

Any ideas guys its driving me nuts.

[Shell195]

Have you tried using Bitter spray to deter him ??
If he was mine I would buy them both Plastic dog beds and lift the bedding out of them during the day and just put it in at bedtime(I do this with my dogs or one will pee on the bedding). My dogs still lie in the beds during the day with no bedding so they cant be that uncomfortable

[Moodie]

Sound crazy but you need to catch him in the act then chastise him by taking it striaght away from him. Then on the odd time you burst in and he aint doing it give him lots of praise.
The other alternative is to get a treat ball from the pet shop. You open it and put biscuits or spread in it which he then chases round getting food out of. This might keep his attention away from the bed

[spudsgirl]

I have caught him a few times he is now sleeping on the chewed up bed that is getting smaller by the day.

As for the treat ball it is a good idea but I dont want any jealousy going on between the 2 as I know reggie will take dominance over his and hers for that matter and as said they really must be together at times when I am not in. He wouldnt put ellie at risk in that sense he would just take it from her and make sure she doesnt get it back. He is now laying on her bed and pushing her off till I tell him to get on the one he is taring to shreads.

Reggie is the dominant dog of the pair.

The only thing with the plastic bed as I have tried this before what happens is he will take hers the pair will snuggle into something far to small for the pair of them and he will push her out by growling and getting moody. Even if I got them one big enough to share he would still growl at her when she moves about. I have tried the sprays but this doesnt work I have even given him our lads sweaty old t shirts to chew on thinking he is anxious when my other half is not there this does work for a time then its back to destroying her bedding.

[Javeo]

My 7 month old dobie does the same, stupidly I bought him a huge bed for £80. Lasted 2 days before he ripped it up now he only gets it at night, and its put away in the morning. He has an old duvet to lay on the rest of the day and lots of toys that are rotated in groups of 3/4. The sprays dont really work for me.

[KathyM]

Don't punish him for it. One way of changing problem behaviours is to se them up for success rather than failure. How you can do this is by providing plastic dog beds and to allow him something that is ok for him to chew, so as to divert that chewing onto acceptable things. What chew toys does he have? What level of exercise (mental and physical) is he getting daily?

[spudsgirl]

They both get walked morning noon and night the afternoon walk is a longer walk taking bout an hour where a play games with him.

As for chew toys they dont last minutes even the kongs dont stand any chance that and as I have said dominance will take over and he will growl at the other dog.

Bones well the knuckle bones he just throws back up, pigs ears he gets greedy he will chew them to an extent then he just swallows them and they usually get brought back up as well.

At the mo they on soft padded beds but Reggie is finding his is getting smaller as the chewing is persisting. I might try getting 2 plastic beds and as suggested remove the bedding each morning and give back at night.

He gets plenty of excercise I even take him out with me when am on my bike and he runs beside me so I know its not out of boredom am thinking its more something to do with anxiety maybe.

It did stop for a good few month and now he has started it again I refuse to buy another soft bed as one person has already said its quite annoying when you come down and there is nothing left of it.