My dog destroys foam. Why does he do this despite toys & exercise?

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!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Buddy. This is a million dollar question. I have experienced it with my dogs and I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. Some dogs are just very destructive when it comes to toys, beds, and other items in the house. Maybe it's just boredom, lack of environmental enrichment, etc. I would advise more walks, more exercise, etc to see if the behavior continues. Good luck

This is not an unusual behavior and is an expression of the natural hunting instinct in a dog. Removing the toys when not supervised and increasing her active play sessions and walking times to increase her mental and physical stimulation will likely help to reduce the destructive behaviors

Unfortunately this is a very difficult habit to break in a multi dog household where chew toys and puzzle feeders cannot be given to occupy their natural instinct to chew and play. Increasing exercise levels and feeding a higher fiber, lower protein food can help with some destructive behaviours but I would look at using less destructible bedding - solid plastic tub beds with cotton or fleece (not filled/padded beds) are less enticing to chew and destroy

Destructive behavior like this when you're not home is usually caused by separation anxiety - some dogs will chew things when they're bored, but if there is significant destruction and it only happens when you're gone, anxiety is much more likely. If you want to know for sure, I would suggest videotaping her the next time you go out - it's usually very easy to see on the video if this is anxiety vs. boredom. There are a few things you can do to try and help her. You can try crating her, but be aware that many dogs with this problem are more anxious when they are confined - she won't be able to do as much damage to your home, but she may injure herself if she panics trying to escape. I would strongly recommend leaving her with a special long-lasting treat of some kind every time you leave the house, like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter or something similar. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Composure or Zylkene to help decrease her anxiety. If you don't see improvement within the next 1-2 weeks, you should talk with your vet about the problem as she may need prescription medication to treat her anxiety, at least for a while. You could also request referral to a veterinary behaviorist for additional help if the problem is severe.

There are a couple of approaches you can take to stop Bruno from eating his bed. One, you can supply him with more chew type toys. This will allow him to take out his chewing instincts safely, as well as preventing boredom. You can train him to not chew his bed. Every time Bruno starts doing this, you can get his attention by making a loud noise, and then giving him a chew toy to chew on instead. Praise him when he stops chewing on the bed and starts chewing on the toy so that he learns it's good for him to chew on the toy. There are chew deterrents you can spray on his bed, which you can get from a pet store. Finally, give him plenty of exercise so that when it's time to lie down on his bed, he will simply want to sleep.

I am sorry to hear about Bailey! Separation anxiety or boredom could be the cause. If you have any sort of cameras at home to view her it may help you determine which it may be, also the length of time you are gone can help determine the cause. If she is destructive even if you are gone a short time this could be more anxiety related versus if it is only when you are gone long periods then boredom may be more likely. Definitely kong's are great- but to make them more enticing be sure to fill them with something tasty. Putting canned food inside them and freezing the kong to make it last longer, or a puzzle feeder toy. If anxiety is suspected there are some over the counter products that can help mild cases, including an Adaptil collar or diffuserhttps://www.adaptil.com/us/Products/ADAPTIL-Calm-On-the-go-Collar and calming supplements like Composure or Zylkene https://www.adaptil.com/us/Products/ADAPTIL-Calm-On-the-go-Collar . If the anxiety is severe then behavior modification and prescription medication may be needed. You can read more about this at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951949