[PyrNet-L] Fw: BEHAVIOR: Dog Beds

["Barb Bowes, Bo, Molly, Chelsea & Flopsy" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

>
>Hi,
>At my place, I never put a blanket, pillow, rug etc. in the crate for
a
>puppy.    Sooner or later the puppy is going to start chewing the
object.
> When one of my puppies is crated and there is drydek in the crate,
the pup
>is watched carefully for any signs of chewing the drydek.    After
one
>vocal correction, if the puppy again begins to pull the drydek up to
chew,
>I remove the drydek.    The drydek is not returned to the crate until
the
>Pyr is mature and I'm sure will not chew the drydek.    I do this
same
>thing if the pup has a particular spot that s/he likes to nap--if I
see any
>propensity to chewing what I've put down for them to lie on--I remove
it
>'til the pup is mature.    Of course, by that time the Pyr probably
doesn't
>want me putting down something for them to lie on, but some do
appreciate
>it.   When I got my first Pyr, Grizz, and later my second Pyr, Bruin,
I
>tried to put straw in their doghouses for those times when I wasn't
home
>and they had to be outside in cold weather..    Both Grizz and Bruin
would
>remove the straw from the doghouses.    I tried using cedar chips in
the
>doghouses but they removed the chips, too, albeit, not as easily as
the
>straw and they didn't seem to appreciate the extra work!    Since
people
>told me that the cedar chips were also good at repelling fleas, I had
to
>lay screening on the ground, place the cedar chip atop the screening
and
>place the doghouse atop the chips.    The Pyrs did accept this
compromise.
>  Of course, I found the doghouse to be more stable if I dug 2" to 3"
>removing the soil and placing the screen into the indentation and
>overlapping it.   Then I placed the chips onto the screening in the
>indentation and the doghouse above the whole enterprise.    More work
on my
>part but then Grizz and Bruin started using their doghouses again.
They
>didn't really appreciate it wobbling before and when I simply put a
piece
>of 2x4 under each corner, the cedar chips eventually were all over
the
>place due to wind and rain and very little remained under the
doghouse.
>Later, I tried putting old blankets in the doghouses but they, too,
were
>removed by the Pyrs.    Obviously, this was some kind of genetic
quirk
>because my pups later demonstrated the same behavior.    My Pyrs
don't seem
>to mind the drydek on the bottom of their crates.    This summer I
started
>using those *cool down* mats.   The first several times using the mat
atop
>the drydek, the Pyrs would shove it aside and then lie down.    One
day I
>put the mats frozen in the crates which made it more difficult for
the Pyrs
>to push aside and lie down.    That whole day they would lay atop the
mats
>with pained looks on their faces that read, "Gee, mom, why are you
>punishing us by making us lie on this un-naturally cool and
comfortable
>mat?"  The next day the mats were accepted with only a few sniffs and
>untrustworthy looks--after that day, smooth sailing.    In my
experience,
>Pyrs like to *rough it* when it comes to lying on the floor but
sofas,
>couches, loveseats, chairs and beds are *okay* in their book.   Go
figure.
>  But, I know several Pyrs that like leather beanbag chairs.
Basically,
>I would not trust a Pyr puppy not to chew their bedding and a mature
Pyr
>can be trained (coaxed?) to accept bedding to lie on.     Hope this
helps
>you.    Hope this gets on the list!    I'm trying to see if I can
fake out
>the list machine by responding *Reply to Author*.    We'll see.   (Or
I
>will anyway.)
>Jean F-V
>W.PA.
>
>