Hi everybody

My two 9 month old irish setter bitches love playing tug of war with their bedding. It is in rags. They are ok when we are with them but when left alone while I am at work they tear their beds to pieces. I have resorted to just leaving them with their plastic beds and a big box of toys. I feel really guilty as I have some lovely bedding for them! I tried carpet squares which they promptly ate!

I always give them their breakfast and leave them with biscuits and chews to eat when I go out to work. I also leave them with kongs stuffed with their meat (which I put in the freezer to make them last a bit longer)

Does anybody have any suggestions please? I have not had this problem with any of the other setters we have had over the past 30 years. I have tried bitter apple spray too which although it doesn't stop them destroying their bedding works like magic when sprayed in the air near them when their play fighting gets out of hand!

I am in the process of changing their dry food gradually over the next few weeks to one which has a lower protein value as I read somewhere that high protein foods can make them even more yampy (Black Country for mad!) than usual!

Thanks

Fed up!

They are young pups - don't leave them alone so long.

They get bored - try getting them interested in reading from your local library - or doggie day care.

Do you think this could be separation anxiety? If not I would make sure you give them a really good walk before settling them down when you go to work and give them a marrow bone each. I think that will keep them occupied longer than a kong.

I use Tuffie beds which are waterproof and scrubbable - the dogs love them.

Thanks for that. We always walk them before work and they have a good run. I will certainly think about enroling them in our local library

Will check out the tuffies beds. They sound like an excellent idea!

I am retiring soon so hopefully the bed destruction will come to an end.

Thank you for your comments

if they`re young and they`re bored they will turn to something else to play with. So your walls could be next.
I would walk them before you go out and leave them filled kongs to occupy them, plus some rope toys to play with.

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have U videotaped the behavior?
are U *SURE* it's tug-of-war, or is each dog just standing-on or gripping & ripping a bed?

i'd tackle it by using a video to confirm who is doing what - is it both together, or each individually?

then if it WAS tug-of-war, i'd crate each dog, turn & turn about, with one free & the other crated.
if one dog proved to be destructive when out solo & the other was not, i'd crate the one who shredded things
& leave the non-destructive dog at large. that way i know who's the instigator / bed-shredder,
or if it requires BOTH dogs to be at liberty to cause the damage.

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