Many dog owners come home to find the bed torn apart. You shouldn’t scold your dog because he wasn’t fooling around, he wasn’t bored, and he certainly wasn’t retaliating, he was just following his instincts!
In this article, we will explain why do dogs dig at their beds and tell you how to stop puppy from digging in bed.
Reason Why Do Dogs Scratch and Dig at Their Beds
Domestic dogs have the blood of their ancestors, and they lived in hollows in the soil. Unlike burrowing animals, dogs only need a medium-sized hollow or a place under a knoll.
Such rookeries provide a place for dogs and to sleep, protect them from other predators, and also provide shelter from the heat, bad weather, and frost.
Domestic dogs follow these instincts by “digging” the bed. And if that doesn’t work out, it may spin around, make new attempts and then, with a sad sigh, go to sleep.
Wolves and wild dog digging in bed at night before they lie down on it, but this behavior is quite practical. It helps wolves stay warm on a cold night. In hot weather, digging over cold soil has the opposite effect.
Even if wolves are comfortable in terms of temperature, digging a place to sleep has additional benefits. A shallow hole gives them a place to hide so they can sleep in peace.
This action is not as useful if the dog bed is made of cloth rather than earth. However, this does not stop pets from indulging their animal instincts by getting ready for bed.
Do All Puppy Digging Beds?
According to owners’ reviews and observations of experts, not all. Breeds with a tendency to dig are particularly prone to this behavior. Let’s mention all terriers without exception, as well as dachshunds. They are just happy to “tear” the blankets!
However, any dog can do this. Each animal has its own “sleep” ritual, as we noted above. Dogs sometimes twist on their axis, scratching with their claws, trying to dig a hole in their favorite couch.
As you can see, pets do this instinctively, worried about sleeping safely. They don’t want to annoy their owners by ruining the furniture.
How to Wean a Dog from Digging the Bed
Even the iron nerves of the man with a great love for four-legged loyal friends can give up. Some owners sadly face removing hair and drool from the bed. Is your sweet dog digging in bed, and you want to clean up the habit? It is possible, but not by scolding, but with a little cunning.
It’s worth noting: it’s unrealistic to eradicate the dog’s survival instinct, and if you start doing it by force, the dog’s psyche will break down.
But there are three ways to act if a dog keeps digging bed:
- Accept it.
- Watch it, and if the moment is lost, accept it again.
- Redirect the dog to another place.
You need the last option to wean your dog. You have to find a quiet place in the house, some dogs need a place with a good view you have to find a comfortable place for the pet.
It is where you can put as an option:
- An unwanted chair.
- A lounge chair with a rag.
- An upholstered part from a chair.
- A box of rags.
Now you need to get the dog used to go there on the “place” command. To do this, as soon as the pooch starts digging the bed, take him to the proper place and say the command “place”.
Then we praise him and give him a yummy treat. It will take some time, don’t think that the pet will stop his bed digging ritual in a few repetitions.
If the pooch likes an enclosed space, you can install a homemade canopy.
Conclusion
It should be remembered that as soon as the doggie has his bed, all attempts to make a cot out of your bed should be suppressed. The dog can lie on the bed with you, but as soon as he starts digging it, you need to send him back to his place.