Perhaps think about letting him sleep not confined to a pen or crate. When we brought home our 9-month old lab rescue, she tore up everything in her crate.

It wasn't the right situation for her at first. She went through a few towels and beds.

We put a nice bed next to our bed, on the floor, and she did just fine.

Your dog is anxious and that needs to be addressed.

Please don't ever douse his bedding or towels with Bitter Apple. Can you imagine your bedding covered in a noxious substance?

Maybe a friend? He may be bored and lonely.

did he have siblings?

Give him another towel that has your sent on it.

just took one of my furry kids on a road trip, just me

and her. She stopped eating.

jo

Thanks for chiming in, mimipadv. Initially, he was using a pillow by the bed and then chewed through a few. The pen has always been in the bedroom as well and during the last month he discovered that he preferred to sleep in it. It's unlatched and has his favorite toys and blankets in it.

Just in passing, I asked my vet for advice and he suggested the Bitter Apple remedy. He said it was non-noxious and he used it successfully for all his dogs. The PetSmart personnel also gave high marks to it so we were very hopeful that it would solve the problem. However, in reading some reviews, I noted that some dogs seem to love it--as mine apparently does:(

Jo, I can barely keep up with this one! And he's right next to me at night so there's plenty of scent:)

One of my dogs will eat any dog bed. I got one chew proof bed, k9ballistics, but nobody liked to sleep on it. The tough fabric on cot legs is not cozy and is noisy. Now I put towels down and throw them out when they become tatters.

nannygoat was he a rescue and an outside dog before he joined your family? I had a black lab that was an outdoor dog. During cold and inclement weather we would bring him in for protection. He was so antsy and miserable, no matter how much attention/cuddling we gave him. He just wanted to be outside, even in the rain. It seems to me that your pooch is anxious for some reason and if you don't know his history, wondering if the Vet could prescribe something to calm him down. He's releasing angst by chewing. good luck

No, we got him when he was 8 weeks old. He's always been a ferocious chewer so we've kept him well supplied with toys. I would not want him on meds just so he could be more comfortable. Using a towel doesn't seem to be costing him any sleep. Maybe I'm just being anthropomorphic.

if not a med, there are chews with stuff like chamomile, just to take the edge and maybe learn to seek comfort from being around you/your family rather than on destroying stuff. He's young so behavior is likely correctable.

Ah. He's around us almost 24/7 and I'm hoping it's correctible. That's why I posted:)

Nanny, what breed of dog is he? I was just reading a discussion on chewing on Facebook and the consensus was that the dogs that were chewers did well with antlers, particularly moose antlers. They seem to last a really long time. But antlers in general seem to be a good soother for the chewers. Maybe if you had something like that, you could try getting another regular bed and he might leave it alone.

I believe there are recommendations against antlers as they can fracture teeth.

Does he chew the towels, any old blanket? Maybe some kind of indoor/outdoor carpeting which would lay flat would at least get him up off the floor. If he's on carpeting, then I wouldn't feel too bad about his chosen sleeping arrangement. Hard floors wouldn't be too comfortable. I hope he isn't ingesting the stuff from his beds! Anyway, is he good and tired before bed? Make sure he gets plenty of exercise during the day.

Kongs with a little peanut butter inside? Something to keep him occupied other than fabric things? I am so happy you are doing what appears, all the right things. You'll find the answer.

Thanks Bumblebeeze, he has a frozen stuffed Kong which he empties in all of 10 minutes. I also rotate his toys so they are always "new". The floor doesn't seem very appealing to me so I'd like him to have more comfortable nights. Maybe I just have to accept that he's just a voracious chewer…...

Have you tried a dog cot? I had to laugh when you said it's a chihuahua X doing all the chewing......I had in mind a mid to large size dog! ;)

I think a crate/pen surface is fine. Until his chewing subsides (could it be connected to teething) you are protecting him in a crate or pen so that he doesn't chew electric cords and stuff like that.

Annztoo, the PetSmart staff could not believe such a small dog could be so destructive. Until we got caught up in talking and later noticed he'd chewed away a stuffed toy that had fallen nearby. Only the tail was left……..

Lucille, that's the reason we confine him at night, Even during the day he's never left unsupervised. We've covered all the outlets but he's a very curious dog and finds things that we didn't even know we had.The vet said he has unusual double canines so maybe he's doing double duty!

I'd be curious as to whether his teeth are causing him to want to chew all the time. Has he ever had any x-rays of his mouth?

No x-rays necessary. The vet showed me and said that they will need to be extracted later as it means double tartar as well. But he assured me that there's no correlation or causation--otherwise I'd have them removed immediately! He said that some dogs are insatiable chewers and recommended the Bitter Apple spray to curb it.

I hate to ask what may be an obvious question, but have you disciplined him when he begins destructive chewing? Does he know what he's doing is unwanted behavior?

Yes, he knows "leave it" and will spit out the contents upon command. When we go walking, he gets constant practice as he picks up anything and everything, leaving a wet trail of leaves, twigs and garbage. The problem is that I don't hear him chewing the bed at night so he can chomp away undisturbed:(

My ferocious chewer loves his moose antlers and it has cut down on the destructive chewing significantly.

Those were recommended upthread but my vet says he's seen too many fractured teeth:(

Geez! Can you put him to work making stuffing for Chinese dolls? Garden mulch? Felting wool for your Etsy shop?

What about Kevlar or chain mail? Orthodontics? Shall we start a towel drive?

What if he hops onto your bed, a sofa or stuffed chair?

Haha! I wish we could channel it for positive use--doesn't seem that it's a talent that's in demand though.

He's never allowed on the furniture so that's a non-issue.

Right now, he's fast asleep on his towel. He looks very peaceful and comfortable. Maybe it's my problem, after all.

I can't help but think that he may be swallowing some of the stuff he chews and may eventually have a blockage.

You are a wonderful owner with your concerns and vet visits, but maybe his sleeping on a hard surface until this problem is resolved might be a choice to consider.

Lucille, those are my concerns as well. I just took him to the vet this morning for a diarrhea panel. I really wonder if he has a canine form of pica.....

Nannygoat18,

I just spotted this dog mat tutorial (for digger dogs) -- a dog nesting mat ;)

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=430774.0&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=

Thanks starsplitter! I can see how that might really work! Unfortunately, I have two left hands and no sewing machine:

I really appreciate your tip. I will go to a fabric store and investigate some heavy duty stuff that could provide some cushioning.

I had a chewer- not as bad as yours and I got her (and continue to get her) "heavyweight" rawhide bones. It takes her days and days of licking and chewing to get through these rawhides. They are also made in the USA. I keep my eye on her while she chews and when she's had enough I take it away from her. She has no issues with cracked teeth. Here is the link if you are interested.

http://www.i-pets.com/B7809.html

Thanks LilySpider, Kirby is staying overnight at the vet and I will ask about those. This is a new (another!) vet who seems more up-to-date about digestive issues than my previous ones.

Nannygoat, I haven't read through all of the responses and I don't recall the breed your pup is but would it be possible to get him exercised real good before bed? The reason I say this is because a primary reason for chewing is boredom and typically dogs who get the amount of exercise they need don't chew. It's been a successful remedy for us, maybe it would work for you as well.

Lukki, someone mentioned that upthread and I responded that he (7# Chihuahua mix) get about 3 hours of daily walking with the longest walk around 8 pm. He can barely keep his eyes open as he staggers into the pen.

maybe he is bored. you should buy him toys. I bought my dog´s toys online, I bought them on www . kupiku (dot) com