Eating things in the crate

dlrobertsdlroberts
edited October 2008 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Joey currently has a fleece blanket in his crate. I tried putting a bed in there once, but he destroyed it within 10 minutes. While my friend was watching him, Joey was fed in his crate and ate all of the rubber off the bottom of the bowl once he was done eating. He also eats pieces of his blanket and thankfully poops them out later (kinda gross).

So my questions are these. Is it ok to let him have the blanket knowing that he eats it and poops it out? Is there something better to put in there for him?

Thanks!

Comments

  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Perhaps you try one of these
    http://kuranda.com/catalog/crate_bed.php

    I bought the regular one (not the crate one) for Miko and one for Moto and they LOVE them
    and they are chew proof
  • MommyofNikoMommyofNiko
    edited November -1
    Niko has never had anything in her crate because of the fear that she will get a piece too big that will cause a blockage. I got a HUGE lecture from the vet when she pooped out part of her blanket. I just dont think it is worth the risk (especially with your luck Dave, Love ya but its true! ; ) )
    I wouldnt have anything in the crate with him unless he is being closely supervised. They dont need blankets, dogs are used to sleeping on nothing...
    Just my opinion.
  • lindsaytlindsayt
    edited November -1
    I always start with plain table cloths/thick sheets as crate blankets for new dogs. They have never tried ripping them apart (it's difficult with the polyester table cloths-they are actually blessed alter cloths from church that were stained-the power of Christ compells the pups not to chew them :) I wrap their fleece beds up in the sheets after a few days and give them kongs/nylabones so they don't really notice the bulk under the sheets, plus they like their crates and use them when I am home as a bed. Eventually I don't need any covers. Anyways, I guess if you can do a gradual introduction so the dog doesn't get in the habit of ripping the bed apart, and he should be monitored at first so he doesn't ever think it's ok to eat his bedding. Beds are really expensive and so is the surgery to remove them :0 Good luck.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    I'm with Rachael
  • CrimsonO2CrimsonO2
    edited November -1
    Ichi had a dish towel at the beginning. I threw that away 2 days ago. He now has nothing in his crate except for an edible nylabone that is made of compressed bits of rawhide.

    He's in a sky kennel right now and I'm waiting for his crate to arrive.

    He's becoming quite the personality at 10 weeks already (he's discovered wood). *Sigh*, God give me patience...

    Jesse
  • kwyldkwyld
    edited November -1
    News doesn't get anything in his crate because he rips whatever is in there to shreds. I even brought home this nice hard rubber matting to try in there once, and he chewed that up within a few hours. I have seen people use shredded newspaper in their dog's crates for a little padding, and if they eat it, it breaks down easily. I personally don't use that though, it's easier to just not risk a foreign body and not use anything in his crate.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Thanks guys.

    Jess: I'll look into the Kuranda. Lucy has a really nice crate liner that Joey seems to like a lot. Whenever he can, he'll sneak in there for a nap and not his own crate.

    Rach: I know, I've had the worst luck with my dogs this year!
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    BTW, I love having the shiba that loves her fleece line, bed, and pillow. Jazz just lays on them - she hasn't chewed them once.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    That's the funny thing. Joey won't chew his bed outside of his crate. But if I put it in with him, he'll chew it almost immediately. I thought it may be boredom that causes it, but the chewing starts so quickly I'm now thinking it is probably just something he likes to do.
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    That's too funny! It may be just a habit he's picked up.
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1
    Thanks Goodness! I thought I was the only one with a anti-pillow dog! Ryu chewed up COUNTLESS beds (both cheap and expensive) in his crate so finally, I ordered a crate cover set with came with a padded liner:

    Photobucket

    The cushioning is enough if he really wants some padding but most of the time, he burrows underneath it and sleeps on the cool plastic crate liner. Also, there isn't enough padding to tempt him to chew it open (like a fluffy bed or stuffed toy). He likes to pull it out of the crate and fling it around the room but hasn't tried to chew the padding out of it.... You could take all bedding out of the crate and if you notice that Joey still wants to sleep in there (sans cushioning), you could probably do away with bedding altogether! :)
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    That's very spiffy! Jazz would probably like that - where did you get it from?
  • KaddyKaddy
    edited November -1
    Keiko has a few fleece blankets in her crate that she's never tried to chew on. If Belle leaves her crate unguarded Keiko will sneak in there and try to eat her blankets... same blankets. Belle has a few more blankets in hers because she LOVES to burrow down into them. We've thought we'd lost Belle a couple of times because she'll be buried in blankets or dirty laundry (this was in the pre-hamper days).

    Keiko did have a bed that one of my students gave her and she didn't tear it apart, but she did puke on it once and it just wasn't 'quality' enough to try to clean.
  • RomiRomi
    edited November -1
    Pam - that is really nice! Where do you get crate liners and such? I always only see the bedding, but i haven't seen anything like your's before.

    Ninja and Portia don't eat bedding or things they lay on - but they eat everything else!
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1
    I believe I ordered it from.....jbpet wholesale:

    http://www.jbpet.com/Cratewear-3-Piece-Set,330.html

    I like it so much that I think I'm going to design a slightly more luxurious one for the boutique :D
  • RomiRomi
    edited November -1
    cool thanks! I think I will order them for Portia and Ninja! It looks very nice and comfy! Thanks Pam!
  • apshibaapshiba
    edited November -1
    I normally buy inexpensive bath towels, wash them couple of times to remove "new" scent and double fold it ( I actually stiched it) to put as a bed for Frost.

    only last week I threw away the old towels - for one week he was a terror and tore towels, put a hole on my drywall, tore 3 toys - now he is back to normal puppy.

    He also plays sometimes with towel and "kills" it. So now when is loose in the home, we close the crate so he does not get to it. I also used bath towels to partially cover the crate to create den for him at night.

    hope my answer helps.
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Pam that looks so comfy I want to sleep on it haha :)~
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