Our labradoodle, Atlas, needed a new bed.
He destroyed his first five so we took about a four month break before I decided to give him another try. A puppy needs a cozy place to rest, right?
Since he is a chewer, I didn’t want to invest much in this new dog bed so a painter’s drop cloth {cheap!} and some diy embellishment was the perfect combination.
// SUPPLIES //
canvas drop cloth / tape measure / scissors / pins /acrylic paint / paintbrush
{not shown: letter template, pencil, sandpaper, sewing machine, thread, dog bed insert}
STEP ONE // figure out your desired dimensions
I already had a dog bed insert {from the last bed he tore apart} so I based my measurements off of that. You’ll need four pieces total – one top piece, two bottom pieces that will overlap for an envelope closure, and one long strip for the sides.
STEP TWO // cut drop cloth to size
STEP THREE // embellish top with dog’s initial, name, stripes, etc.
I printed his name, cut out the letters and traced them onto the drop cloth.
STEP FOUR // paint and sand design
Just fill in the lettering with regular craft paint {or fabric paint for washable durability}. Lightly sand to give a slightly aged look.
STEP FIVE // sew the bed together
Begin by overlapping the back for the envelope closure {this will allow you to insert the dog bed without having to sew a zipper}. If you cut your pieces using the pre-hemmed edge of the drop cloth, you won’t need to create your own hems. Sew the overlapping pieces along the edge just to hold into place.
Next you’ll pin the side band right sides together to the bottom piece. Just line up the edges and pin around the diameter of the dog bed. At the corners, nicely fold the corners and pin.
Once you pin the side piece all the way around the dog bed bottom, just pin the end pieces of the side piece together and stitch right sides together. Then sew all the way around the diameter of the bed. It will look like this:
Next step is to add the top piece.
Put your top piece face down on the bottom {right sides together}. Pin along the edges.
Now sew it all together – going around twice for a reinforced stitch.
STEP SIX // turn right side out and stuff the dog bed
Ta-da!
Our sweet/crazy puppy loves it.
So much, in fact, that he left his mark on day two.
Dumb dog.
Any tips for a chew-happy dog are greatly appreciated …
Hi,
I have two Jack Russell terriers, so believe me when I say I know a few remedies for chewers. My dog is a vet so he also gave me some great tips. When puppies, dogs tend like babies to chew things as their teeth are coming out. To help sooth their urge to chew, get a kong and fill it with all natural peanut butter then freeze it. The cold help sooth their gums, plus it will keep them busy. Once the dog is no longer a puppy but likes to chew and depending on their breed, if strong teeth, then one of the best remedy and plus keeps their teeth clean (almost no tartar): Deer antlers. They get digested naturally in their stomach. I also get mine some frozen bones as a special treat. I don’t give them any bones, I personally buy ones antibiotic free… I used to cook them before and remove the marrow as fattening though I like the ones that are frozen which can be bought at a pet store. Once the dog finished with the dog, he will still go back to the bone for chewing, this as well helps to keep their teeth clean. But in all honesty, deer antlers are one of the best chew for dogs. Good luck. BTW, love your blog.
Nice job on the dog bed, As for the chewing…some do and some don’t, and I agree on the boredom as a possible contributor. If you have to leave for any length of time, and you haven’t had as much time outdoors with poochy as you’d like to burn off that energy, mabey remove the bed so they don’t keep on eating it. Don’t worry about their comfort on a floor….they will be just fine. Sometimes they are their own worst enemy and will eat large portions of the fabric or what ever else may be inside and there’s a chance it could block their intestinal track. I have two chewers, and I’ve been lucky enough that the stomach didn’t like having fabric inside, and they tossed it back up,but if it makes it through, you could be in trouble. Now I”m off to make one of your doggie beds.
I really like this personalization and just recently got a Chihuahua. There were not many options for cute, frou frou beds so it will be fun to make one for her with her name. Thanks.
Oh yes…chewing!!!! We’ve had a couple dogs during our marriage and what works for us is “bitter apple”. It’s used to keep dogs from chewing themselves but is a great tool for keeping them from chewing your things. Whenever we saw the dog/puppy chewing something they shouldn’t we would say no then spray that area. We would also take a cotton ball and spray the cotton ball and then touch it to the dogs nose (which then they want to lick off) and they would get a taste of the nastiness. And we would then say no. Sometimes I would have to re-coat the place where they would chew and it kept them from going back. I would also always give what I wanted my dog to chew if I caught them chewing something they were not supposed to be chewing. Kinda like kids…. Just re-directing their behavior. Good luck!
Here is my advice for chewing dogs: After my dog chewed through about four beds, I bought him a K9 Ballistics original tuff bed. It’s been 2 years, and there is not one hole. It is made out of a tightly woven nylon, I think, like the kind they use for parachutes and military fabrics. Some dogs can supposedly chew through even this fabric; however, it did the trick for my cocker spaniel. Love your dog bed (especially the recycled fabric), and I think I will make one for my chihuahua, who does not chew her bed. It is super cute!
“He destroyed his first five.” Seriously, can’t stop laughing.
I have a chewer too!! She’s the worst because she also eats whatever she chews up and what’s inside, so stuffing is a no-go. We have recently turned to stuffing the bed with old t-shirts and cloths (no zippers or buttons or stuffing, of course), that way if she gets through it, she doesn’t eat what’s inside. I am now experimenting with making a taught bed with a metal frame inside, so she can’t get the corners between her paws, that’s how she likes to chew. Otherwise, another idea I had was to make a bed with a tough fabric, a thin liner of cloths or felt or fleece (ie. something that’s strong and doesn’t pull apart easily) doing a diamond stitch across the whole thing and then placing the cover tightly around a cut piece of clear acrylic… if it’s taught enough I figure they won’t be able to chew it as easily, going to try these ideas soon (of course only with supervision)! Love this DIY idea, hope my ideas are of help to you. :)
This is a great idea! My lab has been needing a new bed & this was perfect. Just finished it up & couldn’t be more excited! :)
A couple of dog products I love & thought you might too…The Furminator really helps with shedding. Pricey for a dog brush, but totally worth it!! And I’ve found that a tired puppy is less apt to destroy things. When walking isn’t enough, we use the Walky Dog (an attachment so she can run alongside your bicycle). A great way to get the “crazy” out!
oooh yes! My dog has been sleeping on an old sofa cushion. I can’t wait to try this! I would also love to link to your tutorial if you didn’t mind.
yes, of course! feel free to link to it.
I love your DIY dog bed – your heart must have sank when you saw what that adorable dog did to it! Our previous dog did that with every bed I ever bought her too :-)
I run a dog daycare and have been making dog beds out of dropcloth for a while now. Mine aren’t nearly as cool as these! Thanks for the tutorial. I might make a suggestion to consider. I stuff mine with foam (like the kind you use for a mattress pad). I tear it into chunks. That way, when they chew a hole I can just pick up the foam pieces, make another shell and stuff them back into the new one. The polyfill is just TOO fun and makes a huge mess. :)
Our chocolate lab was a real chewer when he was a pup. We used Bitter Apple to spray on things we didn’t want him to chew. It seemed to work for us!
This is definitely a great article. My needs a new bed Pronto. He’s a chewer tough, but has reduced that by a lot. 4udog.com/how-to-stop-dog-chewing-bed-habits-for-your-pets. This is a article a based on.
I’ll give a feedback soon as I’m done with this bed.
Thanks
Bis
This is hilarious because it’s true! When I read the blog title, I said “not for OUR dog!” She has torn up every single bed I’ve bought her. Of course, I learned my lesson after bed #3 (it was only $10). Now she has a folded sheet in her crate and sleeps on our carpet. :)
You’re lucky! Your dog only seems to chew something like that. My dog, when I first got him, he went into my hamper at night and chewed out the crotch in every single pair of pants he found. o_O
I have a standard poodle and he was a chewer as a puppy also. He still chews a lot now but thankfully only on his toys. We only buy rubber toys because they last longer but elk antlers are we’re it’s at! I get mine from bestelkantlers.com which is much cheaper than buying from a store. They last forever and don’t get soft and soggy like raw hides do and they clean their teeth while they chew.
Neither of my dogs (a Boston Terrier and a Great Dane) are big chewers, except on their dog toys, so I don’t have much advice there. But I do LOVE this DIY dog bed, thanks so much for sharing. I’ve already pinned it!
We have a chewer, too and I see a lot of recommendations for rawhides. That’s what we used for the longest time but our pet store owner (we use a small, husband & wife team store for his food & stuff) told us rawhides are pretty tough on a dog’s digestive system and can actually force the dog to use more nutrients digesting what they eat than the rawhide puts in and over time can cause other very serious digestive issues. They suggest antlers (that are sold in pet stores) because they’re harder to chew so they last longer and they’re marrow, not hide so they digest better & provide a few more nutrients. We haven’t researched it in depth yet but it made sense & wasn’t the first time we heard it. We have to crate our puppy when we’re not around, too (which I can’t stand) but when he chewed up my Bible and then a favorite book I decided it was a have-to thing. I was scared to death of him choking on something when we weren’t around to help him. I’ll stop here – mini-novel already…
Our boxer would chew everything- including furniture then we discovered if we keep the raw hide bones available the chewing stopped!
This is awesome – and Atlas is a great looking dog!
I’ve used painters drop cloth to re-do a living room chair.. I don’t know why I never thought to use it for a dog bed! (I’ve definitely made my fair share for our McGee.)
Our two retrievers used to chew like mad when they were pups, and they weren’t even inside dogs – shoes, books, even a rose bush (thorns and all!). The younger one even used to grab my ponytail when I’d come home from school, because I was little and it would swing around. They eventually just grew out of it. Our younger one took a bit longer to get past it, but we gave her old soccer balls and things she was allowed to chew, and she went for them to avoid my dad going outside and telling her off. Soccer balls worked really well, because she knew there was something inside and it’d keep her entertained for hours (even once you pulled the balloon out). Bones, too!
I feel ya!
We have a Goldendoodle, Nesta–who looks strikingly like your Atlas–and he chewed up several store-bought beds. I think it’s the batting inside. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it seems to invite trouble.
What finally worked for us was a flat mat made out of fleece. My mom made it over two years ago and it’s still perfect. It gave Nesta a comfy and specific place to rest.
Good luck!
So sweet! Our dog, Sam, is five and that always amazes me because I was going to kill him. Naughty, naughty puppy! He also went through several dog beds and we eventually learned that he just LOVES the sound of fabric ripping. That is just music to his ears. Eventually, he stopped chewing on his beds (that’s complete puppy behavior and will stop at a year to 18 months). He still loves to DESTROY anything furry/fabric-based. He likes a Nylabone but really, really loves the Busy Buddy toys. See http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=busy+buddies+dog+toys&sprefix=busy+buddies%2Caps%2C152. The Jack Dog Toy, the Squirrel and the Barnacle are favorites.
Loved the bed and all the comments about the chewers…nice to know I am not alone !! We have a 9 month old Chesapeake bay/chocolate lab and he is chewer extraordinaire ! We have the black kong, antler ears and someone told me to give him an empty soda bottle. Tried it yesterday and it kept him busy for at least 20 minutes !
I didn’t read the comments, and maybe someone already suggested this, but if you see him doing it, try spraying him in the face with water. They don’t like that and when you spray, also say “NO!” in a very firm voice. Good luck. That bed was lovely. Stinker Dog.
We have 2 labs who were both chewers. We went through several dog beds before finding the one we have now. It Is from Orvis and is somewhat pricey but chew proof. In fact if your dog chews it they refund your money or send you a new bed for free. At least that was the policy two years ago. It took 5 years for one of our dogs to tear a hole in it . We called and they shipped a new one with no questions asked. It is called the tough chew dog bed. Good luck, and cute bed tutorial.
We have a goldendoodle and gave up on a dog bed for a few years because she was such a chewer! Every bed or soft toy would get chewed to shreds immediately. (Even the “tough chewer” toys!) Someone had told us that she would be pretty rambunctious and puppy-like until she was about three and then she would settle down. I think it was more like 4 for our pup. That’s when I pulled out the dog bed again and all is well. She chooses to use it sometimes and other times prefers the rug or hard floor. I wouldn’t worry about your dog not having a bed. He is young so he is not sore or anything like that and can really be fine laying down anywhere.
My best tip for a chew happy dog – Bitter Apple Spray – you can find it at Petsmart. Life Saver! Just spray on furniture, shoes, things laying around….. whatever you don’t want chewed. She will learn very quickly. It won’t hurt the items and leaves no smell to you. (of course, test it, if precious). Awesome! Pretty soon, she will just be chewing on what you give her to chew.
http://www.amazon.com/Grannicks-Bitter-Apple-Bottle-Ounces/dp/B00028ZMEO
Perhaps that’s a better “mark” than another kind of puppy “mark” I could think of. Perspective, right?!
Sadly, I think the only thing that solves puppy chewing is age!
Thanks for all your tutorials. I’ve used many of them.
I love this! I started buying fleece blankets at goodwill because our dogs are Chewers with a capital C! I have been wanting to get back into seeing so I’m think I might make this my first project. And I agree with what was posted above: if you have a chewer you need to give them something to chew on. Ours love nylabones and Kongs. I recently was.steered towards raw bones at the pet store. So much cheaper than the other toys and supposed to be better for them than the cooked bones you might give your dog after rib night. the uncooked bones do no splinter. They have some in the cooler section with meat on them but I don’t get those because our dogs like to chew in the house and that’s just too messy. Good luck!
Okay, I actually laughed out loud when I got to the end of your post. Pet owners will totally understand where you are coming from. Your post is one of the best tutorials I have seen in a long time. As soon as I get a sewing machine, I am making this bed for my older dog. thanks for giving me a good laugh today. :)
Oh my goodness, what a cute dog bed. How do you have the time to create something like this? I have absolutely no talent when it comes to sewing. Our oldest dog (now 14) did the same thing when she was young; she must have gone through 5 or 6 beds. She was high energy and got bored so she tore apart her bed, which I’m sure was quite fun. Once I caught her in the act. There she was with bed stuffing on top of her head, which was so cute I could hardly scold her. Your dog is adorable. Plenty of exercise and some good chew toys (we like yak milk bones) should help with the destructive tendencies. A tired dog is a well behaved dog.
Hi Emily!
Love this project. Growing up I had numerous labs that were chewers, and we currently have a lab mix puppy who is big into the chewing. Through all the years I use all natural no-chew bitter taste spray for pups that have super-chewing powers. Depending on how teachable Atlas is, you could also try spraying a a water/citrus mixture, but I’m not sure if this will leave a residue or not. Hope this helps!
Love your dog bed, I may have to give it a try. I bought my dog a nice comfy new bed because he is getting older,10, and seems to have some arthritis. I threw his old smelly one away and now I can only get him to sniff the new one I took the cover off and washed it and still he won’t go on it. He is a big yellow lab so it was large and costly. Geesh!
Atlas is so cute! I love the bed too. Like others, I give my dog a kong with one or two dog biscuits inside and a bit of squeeze cheese or peanut butter. Once the cheese is gone, she spends a lot of time working on getting the biscuit out. She will throw it in the air so when it drops a few crumbs come out. Pretty clever.
It might be that your dog needs to give up a bed until he is a little bit older. Once he stops teething perhaps he won’t feel the need to chew up his bed.
Another tip for barking or bad behavior is using a spray bottle of white vinegar. The stuff they have in the pet store is so expensive and vinegar works just as well. A few sprays into their mouth (not near the eyes) and then they will stop as soon as they see the bottle so soon you won’t have to spray at all.
We got our lab puppy the same time as you did, so I hear you on the chewing. I watch him like a hawk, I am so afraid he is going to ruin some furniture or something! If we go out he is kenneled and no longer with a comfy bed because he chewed it up! Just hard plastic for him (plus some chew toys). We do have a dog bed downstairs that I bought from Costco and he leaves it alone.
We invest in bully sticks (Costco occasionally sells them and they are a great deal). I also buy him Beef marrow pipe bones, which I find in the frozen food section of QFC. I keep them frozen and give him one occasionally and he is only allowed to chew it on his bed or on our deck. His bad behavior, fortunately is getting better and better.
My Favorite post yet! The last line must be said by every dog owner alive.
I have had small dogs, a shitzu and a yorkie. Both thought the dog bed was the biggest toy they had ever seen. I had to put the dog bed in my bed and teach them it was for sleeping, not for playing!
Love the bed! I have 3 poodles and they are all big chewers. The only way I could get the chewing to stop was to spray the object they wanted to chew with Bitter Apple. The spray worked like a charm and it doesn’t leave a stain.
Yes, it does get better as the previous commenter said. Patience is key and will be worth it in the end.
Elk antlers are great. I have a friend who’s Bull Mastiff cracked her teeth on one though, so keep an eye out for that. My dog will only go for the split versions, not the whole ones.
As dog mom of a Lab (chew happy puppies, for sure), I used to give him a Kong which I smeared some peanut butter inside of. This kind of tired him out. Lots of fetch is the ticket, and if you can get him to a place to swim a few days a week, that is the real golden ticket. Once we stayed so long at the lake that his tail was sore the next day and hung behind him sadly…but he sure did have fun!
He’s 7 now, and I’ve recently discovered the best toy I’ve ever gotten him – The Everlasting Treat Ball. It’s a large treat holder, but is a good mental stimulant because they can’t just pry the treats out. Even now that Charlie has figured out how to push them through the other side with his tongue, it takes a little time because of the density of the rubbery plastic. He gets a good little workout from it, and I think he feels like he’s won once he gets them out. I actually noticed a difference in his behavior in the first week, as the weather was preventing us from as much exercise as we normally get. He’s a 70 lb. Lab, and I got the 2nd to largest size they offer. I sometimes smear a bit of peanut butter inside or a thin slice of cheddar and he LOVES cleaning it out. :) I throw it right in the dishwasher to get it truly clean.
No, I do not work for the people who make these things. ;) After 7 years with Charlie though, it’s the best toy I’ve ever bought him.
Excellent idea for the dog bed material! And such a lovely style you have. I hope to make curtains for the balcony out of drop cloths this summer.
Thanks for what you do!
Adrienne in Atlanta
No advice here–My one year old lab has destroyed two beds, and we have yet to obtain a new one. Maybe when he’s an old man dog we’ll reconsider the dog bed situation.
Great job on the dog bed! Love tip on distressing the name too….sorry for the hole! :( Our cairn terrier chewed everything!!! after loosing the battle several times over with the toys, we found two things that she could not destroy. One was a ball called Visi-Ball and the other was deer antlers…..the antlers you can get on ebay and some pet stores, they do not splinter or leave any kind of mess….and last forever! Both have been wonderful!!! Hope that helps you.
Good luck!
We have a chewer! Ugh! Have gone through about 12 beds! Alas our neighbor came through; she’s a breeder. She gave us a bed from Orvis. It’s the only one she has not chewed. I even tested her with another Costco bed, yep, you guessed it, my backyard was a winter wonderland full of white foam! Grrrrr Back to the Orvis bed-they’re not cute, but I promise, they’re indestructible. About $100.00. For a dog who chews cement, rocks, sprinklers and any and every toy, this was a God send!!
Emily….we have a 1 year old labradoodle who LOVEs to chew….has from the first day we got her. I had had enough when she chewed the bottoms of my kitchen chairs……ugggg. i finally listened to the vet at that point and put lemon juice (which she liked) and then hot sauce (which she didn’t) on the chairs and began investing in a lot of chew sticks and larger bones as she grew older and bigger. I am happy to report we can now even leave our shoes in “her rooms” and they are safe…..she would rather chew on her “chew sticks/bones”…… We also had good luck with the big ball (Kong) that you put peanut butter in….she chewed and chewed it…but could never break it. Good luck!
That is so clever and what a handsome bed. I might do this for my 3 border collies.
I think all puppies chew on stuff. Just wear him out as best as you can, provide him with LOTS of chew toys. You’ve proably already figured out which ones he likes best. Most dogs stop chewing around 1 year of age.
He sure is a cute one!! Good Luck.
I love it! For some reason, I am so picky about dog beds and have kept her old dingy one for years while I search for the perfect one. That one looks great and cozy! I have never had a problem with my dog chewing beds, I don’t think she could have gotten a hole in there if she tried….but toys are a different story. There was this stuffed tiger toy that she just loved, so much so that she would rip it to pieces until she got to the squeaker; and I foolishly kept buying them. I eventually found some toy at Petsmart that claimed to be unchewable, and I got it to prove them wrong, but it has lasted years! Just like the bed, I can’t find a new one anywhere so the old one has to stay :) But really none of those antichewing sprays and such work..just gotta have some good bones to chew (I hate the rawhide–they get pieces off, but you can get like a giant actual bone or those rubber kind, again-I’ve had them last years) and give him lots of exercise to wear him out. Good luck!!
Hi, Emily. I know if you’re like me, the last thing you probably want is another book to add to the list of “should reads,” but I promise this one is worth more than its weight in gold: “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by/about the Monks of New Skete. (Here it is for $3.97 http://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=189932771&aid=frg&utm_source=google&utm_medium=product&utm_campaign=feed-details&gclid=CI393OPq_7cCFadxQgod1FMAwg)
They raise incredibly disciplined German Shepherds and work as “Dog Whisperer” interventionists to pay for their monastery in NY and have some AMAZING, common-sense information in their books that you can pull out and use right away. They got me through puppydom and beyond with a very demanding husky/coyote mix, so I’m sure Atlas would be a treat! I’m a teacher, and it’s funny to see that a lot of the child development principles we apply also correspond to puppies… they do a great job of laying out the science and the practical applications. Anyway. Good luck!!
We have a puppy who is a chewer bur only on my nice shoes {I swear he knows the expensive ones from the cheap ones!} We found elk antlers which you can get on amazon or pet stores are a life saver! They don’t splinter like a lot of other chews, they last forever, and don’t get gross after they’ve been chewed on. The only problem is our little guy hides his in our laundry so I’ve washed a few, but they come out fine :)
We used pig’s ears to deter our beagle from chewing. She loved them and would eat those over anything else. Atlas may be able to eat those in one bite, but I would recommend any sort of rawhide/horn/bone that you can find that he really loves. Sometimes you have to buy a few different kinds to figure out their favorite. Good luck! The bed and dog are adorable!
Our puppy (who is now 3!) lost her dog bed privileges indefinitely. She has always had plenty of dog toys, chews, rawhides etc. that she loves and keep her busy and has never chewed up anything “unauthorized†other than her dog bed. After about the 3rd one I gave up. I just chalked it up to her not being a dog bed type of dog.
Nice job, it’s adorable.
We have a 4 yr old American Bulldog. She’s a chewer. Thankfully not furniture or shoes, but dog beds, glasses, fingernail files, pens, pencils, and walls. I know it sounds obvious, but if you have a chewer, you need to give them something to chew. Nothing that is similar to things they shouldn’t chew (for instance, don’t give them something that looks like a shoe, or something that is made out of carpet, etc.). Our living room looks like the floor of a cave where a huge omnivore takes his prey to devour. Bones, bones and more bones. We buy her the big ham bones that come filled w/ doggy goodies (some beef, some ham, some peanut butter). We buy her the giant ($20-$25) Nylabones. They are great for serious chewers. And another of her favorites are elk & caribou antlers. We get these at our annual dog expo, or you can find them in some of the nicer pet shops. I think Petco/Petsmart may sell them, but they are small. They are pricey, but they last and last and last. She has a giant Kong toy that we put treats inside. She has to chew the Kong toy from the outside to crush the treats to get them out. Not only does it satisfy her chewing need, but it keeps her occupied mentally, too. Some breeds grow out of the chewing, some don’t. Ours didn’t. She’ll chew an antler, sleep a little, get up, chew her nylabone, sleep, chew her ham bone, etc. Rough life. We also give her giant rawhides, too….only American made. Hope some of this helps.
What a great tutorial. Costco. Has great, inexpensive dog beds, but I love this cover so much better. Peanut butter in a Kong satisfied our puppy’s chewing needs.
Have you tried an elk horn? Our dog usually takes about 2-3 months to eat one but she loves the taste. Any pet store should carry them. You can also spray the bed with the anti-chew spray (bitter cherry I think). It WILL get better!!
My mother used to use a spray she got from the vet. I believe it was bitter tasting and that seemed to stop the chewing and household items!
I think we got our mini aussie pup Sadie around the same time you got Atlas, based on the similarities in our daily experiences. I found her the PERFECT doggy bed at TJMaxx one day and she loved it for about two weeks…until she got bored and pulled the stuffing out. She sleeps on the floor now, but will snuggle against/on top of my throw pillows any chance she gets (when she’s not chewing the corners off of them). I’d love to buy/make her another one. But, I’m guessing hers would look a lot like Atlas’s new bed in a day or two. Why can’t they just appreciate nice things?? ;) Maybe we should try a corner-less bed.
What a great idea. I love that it fits so well in your livingroom. Atlas looks so cozy. Hopefully he’ll grow out of the chewing thing soon..
I used to give my puppy frozen baby carrots. She loved them and stopped her from chewing our base boards.
So so cute! I love the simple design you painted on the bed. I’m sure Atlas does love it, especially since he already did his puppy thing and chewed a hole in it – ha! Our dog wasn’t a chewer, so I don’t have any great tips on that from experience, but I’ve heard that bitter apple stuff helps?
I made our dog, Jackson a bed with an envelope closure as well. Great minds think alike! (Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out: http://www.mayricherfullerbe.com/2013/03/diy-dog-bed-for-jackson.html)
I love the painted idea! Our chew-happy puppy is appeased by rawhides larger than her head. Seriously. The bigger the better. And with rawhide, I’ve learned you pay more for a higher quality product, but the expensive (max $20) ones last so much longer. Apparently, there’s some primal urge satisfied by carrying around your very own dinosaur bone. Anyway, it curbs her urge to destroy my things, and reduces my stress!
Ha! Our dog did the same thing when she was a puppy! We went through at least 3 Pottery Barn Rugs and several furniture legs. It took her a few years to get over it but now she does great! We just had to kennel her while we were gone and couldn’t keep an eye on her. I love the adorable bed you made for Atlas!
LOL! I posted a dog-bed tutorial about a year ago and COULD NOT get my dog to lie on her new and beautiful bed! Finally just took the photo with her lying beside it. Silly pups.
-Trish
Oh, and we found a miniature tire (I think at Publix) that smells and it made just like big car tires, and she could chew on that forever too! Its alot like the kong, so if Atlas likes Kong, the tire is a great no-food alternative.
And I swear, I will stop thinking of things in a minute! Our last dog was a bed chewer (his first bed was filled with beans like in a bean bag…..what. a. mess) we finally gave up because we thought he would choke on the foam and stuffing and made him a bed out of pvc pipe with a THICK stretched vinyl top. There is a company that makes these type of beds. He tried to chew the nice cover I made it, but when we left it just pvc and the vinyl he would leave it alone (save the cover for when company comes over.)
And looking at our current pup’s burgundy and lambs wool bed (why are dogs beds so cabin-y?)…..I’m thinking a drop cloth cover is in order for it. Thanks for the idea!!
I try to make sure our puppy always has an approved item that will keep her busy. We LOVE red barn bullys, they are tough and will last several days (even for a large breed dog) plus they seem to be irresistible, our pup hides them when she is resting so we won’t “take it from her” I try to remember to make her a chicken stock ice cube every day, I make it from bullion (really watered down) and about the size of a cereal bowl it lasts about an hour depending on the heat. We put tiny treats in it also. This is an outside only activity. We also love kong, she will chew on it even empty, but when I need extra assurance I will put her meal in it with a little smudge of pb around the top to keep everything trapped in. This is good for about 30 minutes, although the food is gone in about 10 since she has discovered a trick to pour all the food out. We definitely depend on food, but our favorite toys are the ones that honk instead of squeak. Otherwise she would entertain herself with leather and power cords all day. Even with a system for our shoes, she finds leather around the house!