ripping up bedding....why now

Buddy is six months old and is crated when we are out and at night - he has never had any issues with the crate and still happily goes in it but ..over the last 4 days he has ripped two beds up when in it and now ripped a hole in the base mat that is in there -

he has never ripped anything before ..toys, or bedding he has been really good - why would he start all of a sudden - he was so good I was going to start leaving the crate open of a night but now I am worried for my furniture... any advice on how to sop the habit in the crate - other than taking everything out but a blanket ?

Hey! Has there been any change with the house, or his routine?

hi the only thing that has been different for him was that he has been in kennels for two weeks whilst we were on holiday he took his bed with him and it was fine - but this Monday he destroyed it... - he has been home two weeks now and didn't seem at all stressed by the kennels and the staff said he ate fine in fact he put weight on... he is a bit more snappy/bitey than he used to be but I put that down to the 6 months pushing boundaries attitude - there's no aggression and he stops straight away when told enough - one bed he destroyed during the night and the other one when we left him to pop to the shops .. do you think it could be the kennels ?

Sounds like Buddy started puberty! Maybe give him a nice big chew bone when he is his crate?

he has his kong when we go out during the day for work and at night he gets excited when the kong comes out - during the night he never cries unless he wants toilet but that is rare he loves his sleep so I was surprised when he did it during the night - during the day he doesn't like going in if we are around and he can hear us but safety wise sometimes he has to - the second time my daughter was out 20 mins at the shops and he had toys and a biscuit ..very odd behaviour ..

Hm. It's been a few weeks since he's been back from kennels, I'm unsure that it would be that if he wasn't trying out these behaviours there. It sounds like perhaps he did it once, and realised that it was fun, and it's become a rewarding behaviour for him to repeat.

Usual questions - how long is he in the crate each day, how much daily exercise is he getting, what are you feeding? Does he show any signs of separation anxiety?

I'm sorry, but it bothers me that dogs are being crated as a matter of course with the door shut, especially for extended periods of time. I do apologise if this causes offence but I hate the idea of a dog being confined with no choice. I would much, much rather have ripped furniture.

Our animals have a limited number of ways of saying that they are unhappy and sadly we don't often notice until they're screaming (not literally). It is possible that Buddy feels he can express himself more, and this might well him saying 'aaagh!'. It may be fun, as Rachel says, but equally it may well be an outlet for his frustration.

I know it's a personal bugbear of mine but it is the result of having worked with many frustrated animals whose owners swore they were perfectly happy with something, that in fact they had a real problem with. Ok, so they were horses but from discussions with dog trainers, the same applies to dogs. We owe it to our animals to give them the best environment possible, one that is closest to what they would choose and I'm 100% certain that, while some dogs may indeed choose to sleep in a crate, very few would choose to be shut in there for hours at a time.

So please consider that this might be an expression of his frustration. Look for other ways that you can limit his access to the house, such as one room that is to the extent possible Buddy-proofed, and give him an old armchair that he can curl up on without you worrying that he might destroy it. You can pick them up easily on ebay, freecycle, etc. And if you do that, you'll also find out what will happen if you give him more freedom.

LizP wrote:I'm sorry, but it bothers me that dogs are being crated as a matter of course with the door shut, especially for extended periods of time. I do apologise if this causes offence but I hate the idea of a dog being confined with no choice. I would much, much rather have ripped furniture.

Our animals have a limited number of ways of saying that they are unhappy and sadly we don't often notice until they're screaming (not literally). It is possible that Buddy feels he can express himself more, and this might well him saying 'aaagh!'. It may be fun, as Rachel says, but equally it may well be an outlet for his frustration.

I know it's a personal bugbear of mine but it is the result of having worked with many frustrated animals whose owners swore they were perfectly happy with something, that in fact they had a real problem with. Ok, so they were horses but from discussions with dog trainers, the same applies to dogs. We owe it to our animals to give them the best environment possible, one that is closest to what they would choose and I'm 100% certain that, while some dogs may indeed choose to sleep in a crate, very few would choose to be shut in there for hours at a time.

So please consider that this might be an expression of his frustration. Look for other ways that you can limit his access to the house, such as one room that is to the extent possible Buddy-proofed, and give him an old armchair that he can curl up on without you worrying that he might destroy it. You can pick them up easily on ebay, freecycle, etc. And if you do that, you'll also find out what will happen if you give him more freedom.

I agree especially with the dog proof room to leave him in

It could be frustration as Liz suggests or it could just be fun. Without seeing what's going on its hard to tell, might be worth recording whilst your out to see how Buddy reacts.

To be honest, my Flo keeps saying that our pillows keep exploding for no reason whatsoever and there's not a cage in sight

It well could be just for fun, my boy shreds anything he feels like on the day (he has never been crated, is walked daily and has tonnes of family play), yesterday for example he was v happy next min he shredded his ball within a minute of having it. It may be frustration or it may just be fun. I have removed as much as poss what i dont want destroyed but i also teach him whats acceptable and make sure he knows if something was inappropriate. Every dog is different of course and we all have different experiences as well as levels of experience here on the forum so keep reading til you find something that works for you. Let us know how you get on

thanks - glad to know it could just be Buddy having fun he is not at all stressed about anything- he is walked four times a day and when we are home he has the run of the house and garden and there is always some one playing with him- he is a very happy dog -he is fed Wainrights dry food with treat days where he has fresh chicken or pasta or tuna and rice , as for some of the points regarding using a crate - I have no safe room to put him in my whole house is open planned , I have had dogs all my life and I have always used a crate, if Buddy was distressed in any way in the crate I would use a doggy day care service , - he is never in it for more than two hours during the day and at night once he is asleep that's it he is out for the count until someone comes downstairs to wake him , I would much rather place him in a crate and keep him safe than leave him to wander and chew through an electrical cable and hurt himself its impossible to raise every appliance above Buddy level . Once he has stopped the " I must chew everything I see" stage I will leave the Crate open at night with the intention of removing it completely as he progresses - it has worked for all my other dogs so I cannot see Buddy being any different--I do understand that some people do not like the use of crates and some do , as long as the dog is not stressed by a crate I think they are a good training aid. Buddy loves his den..we find all sorts hidden in there ! I think he has hit puberty and is trying new things to have fun or to test me and my patience .Curtain swinging was this weekends new game ! thanks for all your comments its nice to know others have exploding cushions and beds ..

Curtain swinging!! Sorry but!!! My boy has never touched a shoe or slipper but ate my entire termite guard protection system, an outdoor power point case, the edge off my screen door and favoured my BBQ knobs and gas line so maybe don't ask me !!

Curtain swinging was definitely a hit - he realised if he ran fast enough and grabbed the curtain and swung it would take him out into the garden - all was well until the door was shut - one splatted Buddy - thank god for toughened glass!
He moved on to the washing hanging on the line after that .. who needs a flirty stick - my trouser legs on the line are just as much fun !!

Can so visualise that!!! Little buggers aren't they lol

fun times for you Both then hehe marleys started to hang off my washing line, then when he's bored he takes the clothes off it and runs around the side of my garden to hide from me he's also started to pinch plastic bottles out of my recycling bin then stash all the remains of it in his massive holes he's still digging!!! Pot holes galore in my garden

Buddy loves a bottle too..full or empty - he managed to get a two litre bottle of lemonade out of the kitchen through the conservatory and down two steps without piercing it .. most impressed he sulked for hours when I took it off him! - this mornings treat was to take as many of my husbands records ( used to be a DJ ) and see how many he could hide under his blanket without me seeing- I put them back and hid the ones with teeth marks in the covers at the back hubby will kill him-of course buddy stood wagging his tail at how good he was...NOT!!

brilliant