Is this mean???

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I put Cocoa in her create with out any bedding.   She has torn up 4 beds to far.  The last 2 were old bed spreads I cut and sewed to make a bed, but she ripped a hole in it and was eating the stuffing.  I am scared she is going to choke or get it stuck and need surgery so I no longer give her a bed.  But part of me feels bad for her to have to lay on the hard cold cage floor.  She can not have many toys as well she eats them even the tuff toys so all she has is hard bones and an antler and the antler is even getting chewed up.  Not to mention the hole in my couch, teeth marks on my wall and my poor blankie DH left out when I was gone.

I know we have lots of chewers here so curious as to what you all have to do.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I guess if Daisy had been a chewer I would have been in the same situation of thinking I was mean, I thought I was mean by simply putting her in a crate - thank goodness I found DK to set me straight. You are not being mean. Most dogs prefer a cool hard floor in the summer and by the time winter comes around Cocoa may be over the destructive phase.

As you can see from all of these responses most didn't even use bedding.

[Gail and Bailey]

My dog does not like having a bed in the crate so we cut a piece of carpet to the exact size and put it in there instead.

So far, so good.   

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

Carpet would be a big vet visit the next morning..lol 

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

Ok thanks I do not feel so bad now.

Before Cocoa I had little dogs and my last 2 were yorkies and they would be shivering cold when it was 90 degrees out..lol

They had to have fluffy beds and would steal things around the house to make beds for them self. 

Most days you do find Cocoa on the cold tile floor in the kitchen.... some times like right now she is on the couch with me but I do think she gets hot and goes back and forth. 

I just didn't know if it was bad on her body to lay on the hard floor (the cage we have the floor is rubbery so its not to bad).

I guess I need to look at it as being a responsable pet owner by not allowing her to be in the situation of ingesting things that could hurt or kill her.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

In my opinion, a lot of doods prefer hard cool floors over something warm and snuggly.  They are nothing like the toy breeds. Taquito would bury himself under the mattress if he could stay warm!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Lindsey, I think this last point is the best. You _are_ being a responsible pet owner.

And, in my opinion, it would be much better for her to be chilly or slightly uncomfortable (and she is neither of these things), than to be in a position to swallow something when you aren't there to supervise her and help her.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

My girls weren't chewers,  but when they were little they would pull the bedding out of the crate during the day when we were home because they liked the cool of the plastic bottom more than the bedding.  I would not worry.  Half the time they are laying around the house it is on the wood floor and not their dog beds. 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Noooooo you are not mean - we tend to humanize our dogs, I know I do :)   My two are/were big time chewers, and have passed that stage now, well sort of - LOL   When the were crated during the summer months I took out the bedding because both doodles would push the bedding into the corner because they wanted to lay on the cooler crate tray.  In the winter I did put the bedding back in and the stayed on it for the most part but a times I guess if they got warm they would push the bedding into the corner of the crate.  We are totally crateless now - woooohooooo.  I too was worried that they would eat all thestuffing etc. but I think they just like to rip it into a million pieces.  Cocoa will grow out of it I think ... mine did.  Sasha is 3 and Oliver is 2.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Not mean. Sophie hated bedding in her crate. She pushed it all aside and only slept on the plastic tray in the bottom. I think keeping it away is the right thing to do until she learns not to chew on stuff.

[Sandy]

Toby used to shove the blanket I put in there over to the side so he could sleep on the plastic bottom.  He was too hot.  Of course, he's not in a crate at night anymore.  He's a big boy.  :)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara's not much of a chewer and I always had a pad in her crate. HOWEVER, she would always push it aside so she could lay on the hard cold floor of the crate! LOL Now she doesn't use the crate anymore but she often lays on the hardwood floor when there are other softer options available. Go figure! LOL  So Cocoa may not really mind it at all! :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree....you're definitely NOT mean for protecting Cocoa from ingesting something that could make her extremely ill.  She'll be fine in her crate without a bed until she gets through this chewing stage.  It's sometimes difficult to do what we know is "best" for them...you are a responsible Doodle Mom.