Dog won't sleep on a blanket....

Niamho!

Hi All,

My dog has a kennel in the back garden, and she will not sleep on a blanket. I have her 4 years and I have tried so many times to put different types of blankets in the kennel, but she just pulls them straight out and seems to prefer the bare floor!!!

I am wondering has anyone had a similar problem, and found a solution?

I have been looking at some quite thick pet beds recently in various shops, but am reluctant to buy one in case she just destroys it out of disinterest. They're not that cheap either so i'd hate to buy one only for her to hate it.

I've considered shredded paper too which might be worth a try!?

Also...When she comes into the house I will occasionally put a blanket on the floor for her indoors, which she has no problem lying on!!

boomerang

Get some vet bed and nail it to the floor of the kennel with carpet tacks?

Fluorescence

My dog loves blankets indoors but will only tolerate newspapers in her travel crate. Maybe your dog has a similar taste? :pac:

Dogs are finicky creatures when they have mind to be!

TooManyDogs

My sisters dogs are the same and she's also tried nailing down various beds, now as far as she's concerned they can lump it They love their bed inside the house but destroy anything in the kennel

bluecherry74

I have the same problem, the younger dog keeps pulling his vet bed out of the kennel and drags it around the garden. It's a game to him. :rolleyes:

I haven't tried this yet, but a friend suggested it:

1) Punch a small hole in the 2 back corners of the vet bed.
2) Drill a small hole in each of the back corners of the kennel.
3) Get some strong nylon string and loop it through the holes in the vet bed, then out through the hold in the back of the kennel and tie it securely.

That should stop most dogs from pulling the bedding out, but a really persistent dog would either chew the string or pull the bed till it tore.

RacoonQueen

Does it matter? If she doesn't want to sleep on one, she's obviously happy enough on the floor of the kennel.

My dogs would find something soft and comfortable to lie on anywhere. They're never too happy when you give them newspaper though, they spend ages tearing it up to make it more comfy.

ncmc

This reminds me of when Libby used to be an outside dog during the day (used to being the operative words!) We had a lovely big kennel for her and used to keep a lovely snugly bed in it. No matter what, she would take the bed out and leave it in the mud and rain. We would come home to find her shivering out in the rain. I tried nailing a bed into the kennel, she left the bed in there, but started sleeping out in the cold. The final straw was when I came home and found her asleep on top of a bag of coal that was out in the garden! It was like something from a Dickens novel! I gave up at that stage and let her stay indoors after that. I always thought she was stupid not to sleep in her kennel, but maybe she knew how it would end up all along!

To answer the original question, if she doesn’t want the blanket, then I wouldn’t force it on her, wood tends to retain heat very well, so if it’s a wooden kennel, she may be warm enough. You could try straw or shredded paper, but I would be pretty sure it will end up scattered all over your garden!

getz

Niamho! wrote: »

Hi All,

My dog has a kennel in the back garden, and she will not sleep on a blanket. I have her 4 years and I have tried so many times to put different types of blankets in the kennel, but she just pulls them straight out and seems to prefer the bare floor!!!

I am wondering has anyone had a similar problem, and found a solution?

I have been looking at some quite thick pet beds recently in various shops, but am reluctant to buy one in case she just destroys it out of disinterest. They're not that cheap either so i'd hate to buy one only for her to hate it.

I've considered shredded paper too which might be worth a try!?

Also...When she comes into the house I will occasionally put a blanket on the floor for her indoors, which she has no problem lying on!!

try spraying a little lavender on the blanket

angeldaisy

Mine only sleep in their kennels during the day, but do tend to throw out or ball up their blankets. We nailed a piece of carpet to the base of the kennel just to take the chill of the wood - problem sorted:)

mel.b

What is it that you're worried about your dog sleeping on the bare floor? The cold? The dirt? Something else? Maybe look at getting one of these...http://www.pawfi.com/coolaroo-elevated-pet-bed-with-knitted-fabric-hammock-style-bed-for-your-dog/

I had one for my dog and we actually built the kennel around it so it was a perfect fit Kept her nice and cosy.

Niamho!

mel.b wrote: »

What is it that you're worried about your dog sleeping on the bare floor? The cold? The dirt? Something else? Maybe look at getting one of these...http://www.pawfi.com/coolaroo-elevated-pet-bed-with-knitted-fabric-hammock-style-bed-for-your-dog/

I had one for my dog and we actually built the kennel around it so it was a perfect fit Kept her nice and cosy.

I'm feeling a little bit guilty now with the weather getting colder. She's an Alaskan Malamute so She's more able for the cold, but I just hate looking at her on a bare wooden floor of the kennel when she's in it.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll give a few things a shot and see if anything works!

goat2

if you use a blanket you have been using for yourself a while i bet your dog will love it,
i find that when i am tossing say a soft sweather or coat that i had a few wears from, they love to snuggle up in it, the smell of the owner is a comfort to them,
so that when you are binning clothes, instead give them to doggie bed unwashed and it should work,
try it

mel.b

Hey Niamho!

I had a mal too! Def look at getting one of those beds i posted above.

If anything she's probably dragging the blanket out because she's too hot...mals are designed for sub zero temps...it's us who feel bad for them and want them them to be nice and warm!

Iancar29

Hey Niamho!

I have a Mal too ! , hes 3 and always does the same , we have a blanket in his kennel for him and he always ends up pushing it too the front so he can sleep on just the wood.
Its either there or he goes down and sleeps on the FLOWER BED! ha , trust me , shell be grand the way she is

mel.b

LOL Iancar....the mal we had when i was growing up loved to do exactly the same - i'll have to see if i can find a photo