So I've got an 80 pound German Shepherd and no matter what bed I get him, he always prefers the hard floor and now he's getting skinned elbows all the time from it. I've bought him pillow type beds and he just tears them up within the first couple of minutes. If I put a blanket or something down for him, he just picks it up and shakes it to death. I even bought him a Kuranda bed and he just lays down on the floor next to it. What do I have to do? Get him elbow pads?
Isn't this a common affliction for dogs? Unless his elbows start getting majorly callused (cracking and/or bleeding), I would just let this sleeping dog lie.
Oh, if they're bloody then it might be a little detrimental.
I don't want to say that "if it really bothered him, he would't do it", because animals do do things that aren't good for them, but you're probably right about it bothering him more than you.
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
edited June 2011
I hate to state the obvious, but did you call your vet and what did they say?
The vet says to get him a bed. When I say the dog has beds and prefers the floor, they don't have any further suggestion. I'm pretty unhappy with the vets in this area.
Have you tried treating him when he gets in bed? Get him a smelly, delicious foodstuff and he only gets it when he's in the bed? Make him thing that really good shit happens to doggies that stay in beds.
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Gabriel_Pitt(effective against Russian warships)Registered Userregular
edited June 2011
If he's refusing to use the beds, have you tried giving him a thin blanket? That'll at least put a little protection between his elbows and the floor.
i seems like most big dogs just get callused elbows. i imagine his are just soft still. he is young i imagine yes? probably just needs to get them broken in
He kind of destroyed his crate a few months ago. But when it was still around, pads never lasted more than a few hours - he is a chewing machine. Hopefully I can get Elin's advice to work and get him to sleep in the Kuranda bed.
@mts - Yeah, he's only a little over a year old. And when I describe his elbows as bloody, I don't mean buckets of blood pouring out of him - its more like nasty rug burns.
You can get some gauze and that stretchy medical tape they put around your arm after you've had blood drawn. Place the gauze over the elbow and wrap it. You'd have to change the wrapping at least every 2 or 3 days, and for it to work, he'd have to leave it alone (might be asking a lot), but it's an idea.
Rokate on
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i thnk its just one of those things big dogs go through and i doubt there is much you can do besides try and keep it clean. is he chewing on his elbows? as long as its just sort of calousy injuries and not like an allergic reaction i personally wouldn't worry about it.
Would leaving him out in the yard be an option? Grass is soft...
Also, him chewing anything he gets his teeth in is something you might want to look into. Our dog isn't much of a chewer, so I don't know any solutions off-hand. I'm betting that's something your local library or the internet can help with.
as for chewing, they sell giant nylabones which would wokr out well. you will need to keep his brian occupied with them.
its a matter of vigilance to make him understand what he can chew and what he is not allowed. bitter apple works ok, but we would pepper sauce worked better. our dog was a ferocious chewed when she was little. we just made sure she always had a chew toy around . they do eventually grow out of that phase. its surviving with all your furniture intact that is the problem.
Yeah he's got a few nylabones - had to order them online as all the pet stores around here carry neither the giant ones nor the extra durable ones. He doesn't really chew on furniture too much though, its just that once its clear that are large, pillow like object is designated as his, he goes nuts on it with extreme prejudice. When I tried putting blankets down for him, he couldn't seem to tell the difference from a rope toy.
Pepper sauce might keep him from chewing on something, but I've got a feeling that it wouldn't do much to convince him to lay on something.
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I don't want to say that "if it really bothered him, he would't do it", because animals do do things that aren't good for them, but you're probably right about it bothering him more than you.
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@mts - Yeah, he's only a little over a year old. And when I describe his elbows as bloody, I don't mean buckets of blood pouring out of him - its more like nasty rug burns.
our dog hated the kurando bed we bought for her.
Also, him chewing anything he gets his teeth in is something you might want to look into. Our dog isn't much of a chewer, so I don't know any solutions off-hand. I'm betting that's something your local library or the internet can help with.
its a matter of vigilance to make him understand what he can chew and what he is not allowed. bitter apple works ok, but we would pepper sauce worked better. our dog was a ferocious chewed when she was little. we just made sure she always had a chew toy around . they do eventually grow out of that phase. its surviving with all your furniture intact that is the problem.
Pepper sauce might keep him from chewing on something, but I've got a feeling that it wouldn't do much to convince him to lay on something.