ARG! dog/crate beds

Since we've moved to Rhode Island, Jager has been destroying anything in his crate. He clawed huge holes in his dog bed and peed on it. Since he peed on it, i couldn't wash it because all the stuffing would just come out. so it got thrown out. I put a blanket down in the meantime, folded up so it was even thicker and softer than the dog bed. He proceeded to push the blanket through the bars of the crate, both bending the bars some and shredding the blanket. He got tangled up in the shreddedness of it, so into the garbage it went. I put a bathmat down, just so he would have something to lay on. I left a pillow too close to the crate and he pulled it through, shredding it in the process, and then laid there happily in all the fluff. Fine. I put the fluff in a pillowcase, figuring he could make a game pulling it out of the open end. He ripped the pillow case, and once again laid happily in the fluff. Fine. I left the fluff. He peed on the fluff. I threw it out. I put another pillow in the cage, figuring the last one only got shredded because he pulled it through the bars. Two days, pillow still in tact. YES! I come home from work today... pillow shredded.

I'm not really mad about any of it (except the first bed, that one was expensive and i could tell he liked it) because it was a blanket i'd gotten for free, and a couple of five dollar pillows, one with some stains. But what the heck?! I know it's separation anxiety/boredom. I leave for work around 9:40 in the morning. My mom comes down and lets him out for about half an hour around 1. I'm home by 4:30. He has a kong stuffed with peanut butter, a squeaky toy, and a rawhide bone to keep him occupied.

Does he just like laying in fluff?

I am going to try a different type of blanket in a couple weeks, and i've got a list of new dog toys to buy and try out, but i'm broke for another 2 weeks, if not longer.

Any other suggestions?

Give him a good run before you crate him
Soak his kibble, stuff it into kongs, and freeze
Divide the kongs up so some are given in the AM when you leave and some at 1pm
Worst comes to worst, put some straw down instead of a blanket


OC never had any blankets or pillows until just recently, when he finally matured enough not to destroy them.

thanks, i'll try that. He gets a walk in the morning, i'll have to drag myself out of bed earlier and make it longer. My mom said he was quiet today until around 3, and the pillow was still in tact then. So maybe if she gives him another bone he'll cope until i get home.

If those suggestions fail I would consider a dog walker. A tired dog is usually a good dog.

From your time line I take it he is in the crate for over 3 hours in the morning. gets left out for 1/2 an hour, then back in the crate for 2 1/2 hours? Thats not to bad for a dog getting the right amount of exercise.

Sounds like he's really bored in there, though.

Primo Pads... guaranteed, even if destroyed. I have one in all of my crates, they last forever and are great padding. They are much squooshier than they look...

www.primopads.com

thanks, looks like that might work. When the dog gets past being destructive, do you add blankets or anything?