How to Stop a Dog Chewing it's Bed
It can be very frustrating to buy new toys for your dog, only to have them chew them to pieces! What is even worse is when they chew on your things, as well as their own!
One of the most expensive thing you buy your dog is its bed. If you notice that your dog keeps on chewing its bed, you need to act quickly. No doubt you are reading this article having tried several things, which haven't worked! Here are some useful hints that can help you stop a dog chewing it's bed:
- Keep your dog away from its bed unless you are there to watch him. This is not a permanent setup but this has to be done until you are successful in training your pet. If you have a crate, you can let your dog stay there.
- Your dog's bed must be placed on the floor where it can be easily found. Look out for him and watch out when he starts to chew on it. As soon as he starts chewing, say "No" or "Don't" in a stern and strict voice and then take the bed away.
- After about 20 minutes, put the bed back on its place. If your dog starts to chew again, reprimand it again and remove the bed. However, if your dog stops and lies down on the bed without any chewing, praise him.
- Do this consistently, reprimanding your dog every time it starts chewing. You will need patience training your dog and this might take several weeks. You have to remember to be consistent when training your dog not to chew it's bed.
Dogs chew; it's a fact of life. It is a part of their lifestyle and chewing can actually help strengthen their jaws and clean their teeth. Make sure that your dog has something to chew on such as chew toys or bones, instead of a bed! Make sure that you train your dog to differentiate what is okay to chew and what it not.
When you are disciplining your dog from chewing it's bed, it is important to remember that you must not hit or scream at your dog. This is not an effective way to train them and it will just make your dog afraid of you. Fear can lead to bad chewing behaviour in dogs. Only scold your dog when you see it chewing on things that are not to suppose to be chewed.
There are also sprays that can be used to put on the things that you do not want to be chewed. For example, there is the Grannick Bitter No Chew Spray. At the time of writing it's had 30 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4 out of 5. That just show it's gone down well with dog owners!
If your dog likes to chew its bed, you can spray this on the bed. This spray prevents dogs from chewing the things which have been sprayed, because they do not like the taste. This spray will be more effective when coupled with training. This is a perfect combination to help stop your dog chewing it's bed.
As long as you put in hard work and determination in training your pet, you will eventually solve the 'bed chewing problem' and have a happier dog. You'll have save some money too!
If your training seems to be being totally ignored, you can always buy a bed designed to not be chewed! To find out more, read our page on indestructible dog beds.