Why does my dog destroy stuffed animals and how can I prevent it?

Unfortunately some dogs enjoy destroying things like foam beds. It may be a remnant of behavior in the wild, such as tearing feathers or fur off a dead animal. If your dog only does it while you are gone for long periods it could also be related to separation anxiety (some dogs will exhibit their stress/anxiety by being destructive). You can talk to your vet about trying a trial of medication for separation anxiety if you are interested. You can read more about that condition at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

Kennel him if you are not able to watch him. This will protect your things and him from eating something that may cause an obstruction. Too many toys can lead to boredom. Give him 1-3 at a time and hide the rest. You can rotate these every day so he thinks he is getting something new. If this continues you can talk to your vet about medication.

Young dogs get into a lot of mischief! I would encourage you to consider crating her at night to prevent her access to things she shouldn’t be getting into. Also more exercise during the day can wear her out and decrease her chances of getting into things. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Some dogs enjoy tearing toys apart more than playing with them and I think as long as you don’t mind it’s okay for them to play this way. You should however always supervise them to make sure they’re not ingesting pieces of the toys. If they are you should take the toys away.

This unfortunately is part of a cats normal hunting and stalking behavior - providing more appropriate alternatives such as chasing games, food puzzle toys and active play can help to limit the destructive behavior, I recommend you keep anything valuable out of reach until she gets older though!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She probably had a bad experience with a stuffed animal. You would be surprised to know that I have actually seen this before and in that case it improved with time. I do think that this will eventually get better. I would just have her exposed to stuffed animals every once in a while but without pushing her too much. Eventually she will likely get more and more comfortable around them. Good luck and have a great day!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Dogs will shred beds for several reasons. The first is from anxiety from being crated. This can be accompanied drooling, pacing and urination/defecation in the kennel. Next, dogs can rip up a bed out of boredom. Other dogs are destructive by nature and have a high desire to chew. The bed will satisfy this desire. It will likely be best not to leave a bed in the kennel. I hope this information helps!