Indestructible dog beds?

VroomGrrl · 05-11-2009, 06:59 PM

I've searched far and wide for a bed that my dogs would not destroy. They are pound pups who came with some behavior issues, and while they have come around really well in many important ways, they just have to chew up any bed I try to give them, and furniture if they are unsupervised around it.

So they have a nice pen for when they are alone inside

However one of my pups has bad knees, and the vet has been telling me for a long time that she needs to rest on something soft. This past winter, I took their blankets, which have somehow escaped the jaws (mostly) and wrapped them around a sleeping bag. They got some of the stuffing out of the sleeping bag, of course!

So I found what is marketed as an indestructible dog bed made by Kuranda. it's basically a tube frame around a rectangle of durable nylon (edges concealed in tubes) on four 6" legs.

When I took the pieces out to assemble them in the den, Rosey (bionic knee dog) started barking at the stuff. I had to leave the room for a few minutes and I could hear her all through the house. She very rarely barks indoors, so I went back to see what was wrong. There she was, staring down the bed pieces and barking at them!

This did not bode well.

I put the dogs outside while I put the beds together. I washed their bedding, set up the beds, put the bedding on top, and let them back in.

Turns out they love their new beds! Hopped right up and settled in. I snuck back just now to take a couple of pictures. Rosey sat up in her bed. Tess's was empty - she is the dark shadow on the floor in front of the door, her favorite spot.

No comments about my crappy housekeeping! My vacuum is packed!

As for their indestructibility, I will have to get back to you.

I'm curious, have any of you dog owners ever needed, and found, an indestructible dog bed?

I got two of these: http://kuranda.com/indoor-dog-beds/standard-indoor-dog-bed

campbellcj · 05-11-2009, 09:17 PM

Thus far with our two Aussies, we have not found anything indestructible. They now sleep on the bare floor as any form of bed, blanket or even old towels were shredded.

Once I bought a "guaranteed indestructible" dog toy for them, and it lasted 1 1/2 hours...

Let us know how this bed turns out - maybe there is hope!

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

My lab destroyed all. We finally would screw old carpet down in her doghouse and then the cedar chips. Her house has 1" thick walls skinned with an aluminum on the outer and wood inner with foam insulation between them. My dads jack russel that shares a yard with her seems to destroy all as well but they share the big house and we just have to try our best to keep them from destroying stuff

chapo · 05-11-2009, 10:02 PM

We have one 130 lb shepherd lab mix, one 50 lb beagle lab mix, and three chugs(chihuahua pug mix) . NOTHING is Indestructible. LOL. The bed looks good, keep us posted, our dogs chew our bed. All were found BTW with momma chug being pregnant at the time and having two more to make the five.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Never needed such. I'm not sure I would tolerate a dog that destroyed my or their furniture. I've had a few dogs and none has ever done that. (Doesn't such behaviour often indicate not enough exercise, attention, etc?)

But anyway, will the dogs chew up carpet? If not, how about three or four thicknesses of foam padding under the carpet?

widgeon13 · 05-12-2009, 03:53 AM

I think you need the dog whisperer!

dtw · 05-12-2009, 05:37 AM

My '76 Targa = indestructible dog bed. PM me for price & shipping info.

looneybin · 05-12-2009, 11:33 AM

my dog sleeps in the bathtub (protection from drive by's)???
she sleeps in the shower if we are going to have a quake, but that's another story

Rot 911 · 05-12-2009, 01:02 PM

I agree that the problem is with the dog and not the bed. A well mannered dog shouldn't be destroying anything.

Tim Hancock · 05-12-2009, 01:10 PM

The only time our dog (Australian Shepard) ever chewed his bedding was when we kept him in a pen. Now that he has free roam of the yard (invisible fence), he only chews on bones, sticks and cats. He also used to dig holes when he lived in a pen.... not anymore. I assume he was bored when couped up, but now has plenty to do during the day (chase cats, birds and bluegills in the pond) when we are away at work.

teenerted1 · 05-12-2009, 02:53 PM

stuffed soft toys, cow hoves, and rawhids are all that Merle destroys now.
as a puppy he liked to take the stuffing out of the pad in his crate, now he has one filled with only ceder chips and it gets atacked only by dreams. luckily he out grew the destruction stage. funny thing is he has never had an interest in chewing shoes.

VroomGrrl · 05-12-2009, 03:51 PM

So far, so good with the beds. The dogs like them just fine, and show no interest in chewing them. So a big yay for that! Finally a way to get Rosey off her bad knees.

Re: behavior issues, if you read my original post, you will see that I noted their behavior issues. We took them both in knowing their issues - nobody else wanted them. Tess (Aussie) was basically feral, having been beaten (apparently often) and left out in the country to fend for herself. Debilitating people anxiety was her thing at first. Rosey (GS mix) was injured and needed a $2,000 knee surgery when we adopted her from the Humane Society - and she had her own behavior issues, also pretty much feral when picked up. Surgery & long confinement for recovery that followed got her behind a bit, but she seems pretty well caught up now.

They're both "special needs" dogs, and we are happy to provide them the best home we can. They have made tremendous progress, with the help of the pro trainer we have consulted with from time to time to keep us all on track. It's been a long, slow road with Tess. On the trainer's first visit, she said, "Keep doing what you're doing and call me back in a year." And it did take that long to get her acclimated to living happily with humans. They're both generally well-behaved dogs, obedience school grads X2.

Neither dog has ever shown any interest in traditional "toys." Rosey is finally out of puppyhood and her chewing has dropped almost to none. Tess is still very high-strung and has some lingering anxiety issues which partly drive her chewing. They both love their rawhide chews. It's been awhile since they hurt anything, except any bed we try to put in their pen, they rip the stuffing right out of it!

They do both need lots of activity, which can be a challenge for us to provide, both working during the day. We walk them a lot, and they get a field trip about once a week to really get out in the country and romp all they want. They have a large yard here, plenty of critters to chase and things to guard against.

I wanted to start them both in agility training, but Rosey's "good" knee has started to fail (which got me looking for an indestructible bed in the first place) and she's probably going to end up having surgery. And we are now in the middle of moving. Once we're settled and Rosey's knee is looked after, I do want to pursue agility training with them. It'll be great fun & good exercise for all of us.

Bottom line: Eight paws up on the indestructible dog beds - so far!