Anyone own a greyhound?

[Denisemomof4]

My dog keeps digging at his bed. We've gone through TONS of blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, quilts, bed spreads, even couch cushions! While the couch cushions lasted the longest, they're a MESS once he breaks through the material.

 

He keeps digging at his bedding which breaks it down. I was at a home where they had three greyhounds and I saw them digging at their bedding, too.

 

I don't know what to do! He really needs a soft bed because we have hardwood floors.

 

Thanks,

Denise

[SonshineLearner]

Have you said, "No" to him when he starts to dig? This probably sounds crazy, but I thought that it was just something dogs do...until his cushy form to your body...$30 dog bed got a hole in it after a few? weeks. Next time he started, I said, "NO!" and he hasn't done that in his bed again....

Just a thought...

Carrie:-0

PS...how old is he??

[Denisemomof4]

yes, I've firmly told him "no!" over and over and over. So when we're in bed at night he goes NUTS getting ALL his digging out. He's such a wonderful dog, but has DEFINITELY got OCD. Seriously. So I think he holds it together all day and then has to get it out at night.

 

:glare:

[Greta]

Is this a boredom thing? Is he getting enough exercise/play? (Just a thought. I have a whippet, similar to a greyhound. The only time she did this was when she was stressed from a traumatic experience.)

[hornblower]

Is he ex-track? I think a lot of the track dogs are kennelled outside & would have been used to digging ground nests. My sil had a rescue grey so I learned a bit about them. Unfortunately quite a few are prone to a bit of ocd.....

 

Regardless of whether this is just habit or really ocd, I'd suggest the following

 

*increase exercise; 2-3 on leash walks of about 20-30 mins each + 1-2 play sessions offleash would I think be a good starting place for a dog this age. I think greys are often so quiet indoors that they don't communicate their need to get out & burn some energy. Instead it manifests in weird displacement bhvr.

 

*increase EFA's; my preferred method is to supplement with wild salmon oil

 

*feed the best quality food you can afford

 

*get a Kuranda bed. put on it a flat piece of polar fleece fabric folded in quarters. This will allow him to dig & nest if he wants to. Kuranda beds are pretty indestructible (shelters use them here) but you'll want the fleece on top as on a short haired skinny dog, you want more padding for their bones.

 

*try a DAP diffuser (dog appeasing pheromones)

http://petcomfortzone.com/comfortzone_dap.htm

 

*give the dog a lot of mental stimulation

-clicker training tricks

-stuffed kongs or buster cubes

-canine genius toys are fun when you put some treats inside http://www.caninegenius.com/

-knuckle bones for chewing

 

*give the dog regular opportunities to do 'their thing'

-for your dog, that's running; weekly or more opportunities to run as fast as he can are required.

-he may also enjoy playing with a lure toy like this

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=K9X109&AffiliateID=45638&Method=3

 

If all that fails, I'd suggest you try a very small dose of anti anxiety meds. You need to find a vet who is familiar with stress disorders in dogs & pref one who has exp with greys as greys metabolize certain meds at different rates than other breeds.

 

Good luck!

[Kathy in MD]

I used to give my dog a towel or a huge sheet in his crate to "nest" in, but he kept chewing them, sleeping next to them, and dragging them out of the crate. So I've just stopped supplying anything soft. I read somewhere that it's not worth bothering with cushions or soft dog beds until their over 2 yo.