2

I have two 80 lb tamaskan puppies who sleep in their crates at night. I don't know if all crates come with the same type of tray, but mine are not smooth on the bottom (they have a kind of bumpy relief). Every time the dogs move, their nails make a horrible loud scratching noise and wake me up at night. I can't put anything on the tray like a blanket or a dog pillow because they destroy and eat everything.

Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm trying to avoid spending $100 on new trays.

Look at this lazy dog sleeping after thrashing around his crate all night and keeping me up ......

enter image description here

Improve this question
5
  • Maybe their nails are too long? When was the last time the nails were looked at?
    – Timmy Jim
    Jan 31, 2017 at 14:50
  • @TimmyJim, I trim their nails every week because we have hardwood floors and I don't want the dogs scratching them up :)
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 15:36
  • You could move the crates away from the bedroom or try blocking out the noise with something soothing. Our dogs snore, so we use an app at night with nature sounds.
    – Kate
    Jan 31, 2017 at 17:30
  • @Kate, the crates aren't near the bedroom T.T ... we just bought the house and because it has all wooden floors and we don't have any furniture yet, even the tiniest sound resonates like crazy %\ ... I usually just put earplugs in, but we have my or my bf's parents over sometimes for a few days and I'm afraid the dogs will keep them up :(
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 18:13
  • What worked? I have an American bulldog who is a chewer too
    – Jennifer DiTillio
    Jun 15, 2019 at 10:35

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
3

Cut an old yoga mat to size of the floor of the crate, adding an additional inch on each side as to match the curve. Add strips of Velcro across the bottom width of the mat and the crate floor every 5 inches. Attach mat to floor of crate and seal all edges of mat at crate curve with duct tape as to alleviate the puppies from pulling up the mat and chewing it. The mat can be removed and washed in a washing machine on the gentle cycle and remounted.

Improve this answer
4
  • I thought about something like that, but I'm not sure ducttape will deter them %\ They already chewed pieces off the tray edges >.< ...
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 18:48
  • If you mount the mat at the curve of the crate, because of the slight depression at the curve, the edge is more difficult to "dig up." Try it!
    – M.Mat
    Jan 31, 2017 at 18:59
  • oh, i see what you mean... I guess i could try that. I was thinking about just supergluing the mat to the tray, but then i wouldn't be able to wash it ... velcro might work tho. I'll let you know how it goes XD
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 20:15
  • 1
    Good luck! I feel this solution will work. Please let me know how it goes and don't forget to give me an upvote.
    – M.Mat
    Jan 31, 2017 at 21:25
2

Take a look at this place: k9ballistics.com/ This place advertises as having a chew proof bed. You could look into it and see if there is a guarantee. You can also look up ballistic or high denier nylon and make a slip cover for you bed. You can order the raw material. I can attest to the strength of this type of material. I have water proof horse blankets that are either 1200 or 1600 denier and they run through the woods and hit stubs with them, lay on them, and they pull on each others. These have held up extremely well with little damage. I think it's really worth a try.

Like another poster said, though, your dogs nails are probably too long. This can happen even trimming them every week if you aren't aggressive enough. It's a fine line, but as the nail grow out, so does the quick. If you trim the nails back to near the quick, it'll die back and you can trim it back further. I have a Jack Russell and she used to be so active I only had to trim her nails a couple of times a year. Almost a year ago, I noticed that they'd grown out, because she was slowing with age and were actually turning her toes slightly. I started right away, trimming them back to near the quick every week. It took several months, but I finally got them to where she's silent when she walks across the floors. I would have noticed sooner, but she's mostly an outside dog so I don't hear it. You have to get near the quick without hitting it. Like I said, it's a slow process. It took me months to work the quick back less than a quarter of an inch.

It's worth it, though. If your dogs nails are long enough that you hear them walk, then they're putting stress on the toes. This causes the dog to rock back on their heels, stressing the leg and causing discomfort, pain, and arthritis. I noticed a definite change in how she runs around from when they were too long to when I got them cut back to a reasonable length. Now that they're where I want them, I use a dremel sander to keep them there. That is more comfortable for her as well as rounding them nicely so that they don't scratch the floors. Good luck.

Improve this answer
0

If you are willing to spend a little money, you could look into rubber mats for the crates. They're generally easy to clean and you won't get the scratching sound.

Improve this answer
5
  • I would, but I'm almost 100% positive they will tear them up and eat pieces cuz that's what they did when we tried putting carpet in there that we had extra of lying around :I
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 18:11
  • 1
    Also, I forgot to mention, GIVE THEM CHEWING TOYS IN THE CRATE! They are "teething" and full of energy; chew toys will give them something to do besides tearing up the crate. Walk them before crating to rid them of extra energy.
    – M.Mat
    Jan 31, 2017 at 19:05
  • @M.Mat We tried giving them toys, but they eat those too %\ ... If it's a stuffed animal, all the stuffing will be out in seconds at which point they proceed to tear off and eat pieces of fabric =_____= ... and if we give them bones to chew on, they drag them around the crate and bang them on the wires and make all sorts of noise, so that wouldn't really be helpful at all at night. They're not teething, they're 10 months already XD
    – Raksha
    Jan 31, 2017 at 20:12
  • Ha! In regard to the chewing, try really large bones, available at Petco or other retailers. If the matting is installed, the banging around should stop.
    – M.Mat
    Jan 31, 2017 at 21:23
  • Have a look here: google.com/…
    – M.Mat
    Jan 31, 2017 at 21:32

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.