My dog keeps eating his crate. What should I do if he eats a lot?

Why don't you crate Chico while you are gone? The crate will provide him a small space where he can feel safe in it when you are gone, and it will keep him from chewing on things. You will have to slowly train him to get used to a crate. Start putting him in it when you are home and sitting nearby so he doesn't think you are abandoning him, and slowly increase the time he is in it. He can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that he has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to him in the crate. That will keep him occupied for a while. I hope this helps!

More and more people are allowing dogs to be in their house with them, but dogs sleep about 14 hours a day, so it really doesn't matter where they are during those 14 hours. They key is to have the remaining 10 hours involve good quality time. Depending on the dog, that may involve walks, playing with toys, playing with other dogs, or playing with humans. If you have having behavior problems with Edgar because he seems bored, then I would certainly try to find ways to stimulate him more either inside or outside his cage. One thing that people think of first is treats that keep them busy for a longer period of time. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for him to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. Keep him mentally and physically busy during meal times. I love using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps dogs busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires them to work. There are also a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I hope that answers your question and was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Buster. Some dogs will experience anxiety when crated and do not ever seem to adjust. You can give him special toys or high value treats that he only receives when crated (food puzzles, Kong toy stuffed with treats). You can also try a dog pheromone collar or diffuser. However, he may just resent the crate. In this case, I would recommend leaving him out, but in a safe area. Make sure there is nothing that he could destroy or eat and no electrical cords he can chew. Start leaving him out when you can supervise him as opposed to leaving the house for hours. Some will do better in a small room (bathroom or laundry room), while others will do well with a baby gate so they can see out. You will need to see what works for him. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Shesh has moderate to severe separation anxiety. This is sometimes made worse in a kennel, though for many dogs the kennel makes it better. I recommend talking to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medication for him. I notice he is 25 lbs so I’m assuming he is not yet full grown. For a puppy, one of the most important things you can do for anxiety and decreasing destruction is exercise and training. A husky puppy needs about 1-2 HOURS of hard play or running per day. Spending 10-15 minutes per day on training (tricks, etc) also prevents boredom, tires them out, and decreases destructive behavior. Best wishes to you and Shesh.

Unfortunately, this is one of these situations that really stinks. Yes, of course you want Moose to be comfortable, but you also don't want him to be in surgery the next day having blankets removed from his intestines! If it were my dog, I simply wouldn't risk it. I would maybe try to put something very thin in there, like a bed sheet, and see if he still tries to destroy that. One other option you can try is to spray whatever you put in there with bitter apple spray (https://www.chewy.com/grannicks-bitter-apple-original-dog/dp/46006?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Grannick%27s%20Bitter%20Apple&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKEAjw85DIBRCy2aT0hPmS1jkSJAC1m9Uvv8OwVDmskFB6pFbR3iGy9Bna8uuuI2KuZPeahNIfOxoCtIzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) Dog's usually don't like how it tastes so they won't put it in their mouth. Some dog don't like how it smell either unfortunately, so it may not be the most enjoyable experience for Moose. The safest best would be to leave the crate empty. My dogs regularly sleep on the cold, hard floor in my house voluntarily and seem quite comfortable. I wouldn't fret over this issue too much.

For his age the time he spends at a stretch in a crate is fine. You're doing a great job with making sure he gets out to go potty and exercise. When he's at the park, make sure he plays hard and gets tired, so throw the ball or run with him to make sure he gets tired. Making sure he gets plenty of exercise will ensure a little destructive behavior as possible, since a tired dog is a happy dog. Get him some kind of toy to keep him occupied in his crate as well. Kong toys are fantastic, they offer heavy-duty chewing and can also be thrown for him to fetch, dogs will even entertain themselves with a Kong toy by dropping it, the shape makes it bounce erratically. In time, he may be able to come out of the crate as he comes to understand that you will come back to him.

They make a product called Forbid that you can add to his food that stops him from this behavior. Since he only does it in the kennel he might be bored. I would start by getting a smaller kennel or adding a partition. If he does not have enough room to poop and lay down out of it, they generally won’t go in the kennel. Make sure he has a new bone or toy to help give him something to do