"Who chews their bed more, big dogs or little dogs!?"
We know. Such an urgent and all-important question!
Good news for you, and all dog loving pet parents in general. Scientists have found the answer.
Yes you read that right, scientists set out to discover which dogs chew more often... And in fact they discovered so much more about destructive and (potentially) dangerous puppy behaviors, but that's an article for another day.
It turns out there is a big difference in the behaviors of little dogs, medium size dog breeds, and big dogs. This shouldn't come as a surprise because we humans bred all types of dogs for incredibly different types of jobs. We still find working dogs incredibly useful and valuable members of our society to this day!
Dogs are better than humans at lots of tasks. Unfortunately one of those tasks is shredding up their dog beds.
So who chews their bed more? Big dogs or little dogs?
The answer is, big dogs chew their beds much more than little dogs! Surprised? We weren't... After all, little dogs were bred to go after varmints that might harm a farm, factory, or urban home. (Looking at you Boston Terriers!) They were rewarded for digging after prey, while big dogs were bred for protection, speed, and strength.
The scientific study found that little dogs tend to scratch through their beds more often than big dogs. Large dogs, on the other hand, are much more fond of chewing through their beds and leaving them scattered all over the house.
The study went on to suppose possibilities for this difference in behavior, based on previous studies of dog behavior:
Chewing objects is more frequent in large dogs. Dogs use their mouth to explore and investigate, starting in the socializing phase, at about three weeks of age (Fox, 1965; Houpt, 1991). (...) Chewing is also probably linked to a lack of stimuli in the environment, especially in the case of large dogs that do not get enough physical exercise (Houpt, 2003). Beaver (2009) claims that exaggerated chewing is typical of dogs with very high levels of energy.
"Exploring the influence of size on undesired behaviors of domestic dogs"
- Amanda Martino*
Veterinary surgeon freelancer
Publication: Dog Behavior
Way to go Amanda, thanks for sharing these well researched insights with us!
For owners of large dogs, sounds like we need to keep our pups well exercised and give them plenty of toys (and friends) to play with. Of course if you're looking for a chew proof dog bed that's virtually indestructible, look no further than our Chew Proof Armored Dog Beds.
These metal framed dog beds are backed with a 120 Day Chew Proof Promise against any damage from chewing, scratching, or digging. It's sure to help your puppy from absolutely mulching her next dog bed.
"No problem, I'll just get a little dog and all my problems are solved!"
Not so fast fair reader, we're not done yet! Small dog breeds have their fair share of behavioral issues too. Amanda goes on to reveal that small dog breeds tend to exhibit more excess excitement, more fear of the vet, and less tolerance of new people.
We're going to end this article with a big disclaimer... Every dog is going to have some type of behavior issue you'll need to work on. Big or little, it's up to you the pet parent to work through those issues with your pup. It takes communication in both directions to teach your dog how to become a valuable member of your family. That's our dogs' #1 goal in life, and that's the #1 reason why our pups will always have a place deep down in our hearts.