With all of our hardwood floors, I always liked having an
Ikea Rens Sheepskin rug or two next to my bed to keep things cozy. When I adopted Miss M I thought they would be multi-functional to look nice for me and be comfortable for her. Little did I realize Miss M was likely 'raised by wolves' before I got her; she didn't know how to sit still and would spend hours tearing around my tiny apartment. My life changed when she learned the commands "down" and "stay" and all of a sudden she would spend her days lounging on the rugs.
The rugs and
floor pillows are nice because they serve as a type of "base" for the dogs. The dogs understand 'their place' in the house so they aren't constantly pacing or trying to get on the furniture. When we had our guest dogs in the house, they all understood where they were supposed to lay:
At the same time, Mr. B didn't quite understand these were rugs and not giant fluffy chew toys. When we first adopted him, he ate huge chunks off the rug. Seeing
he doesn't like to be reprimanded, we decided to embarrass him when he chewed chunks off the rug. We made him a little toupee with the leftover bits and called him Hans:
But when he chewed a lot off we made him a full-out wig and he became Hans-Washington Mr. B. I think it scared Miss M more than it phased Mr B:
Or an a more traditional note, we use
Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray; it's harmless to dogs, but they absolutely hate the taste. You could spray this on the rug, or spray it on your hands it put it on their lip if they start chewing. I don't know if it was the embarrassment or the Bitter Apple Spray, but soon enough Mr. B learned to lay nicely on the rug without eating it:
30 comments:
Mr. B looks adorable in his wig! :) We have all hardwood floors too, and now i think I'm going to look into some sort of rugs or pillows. Flash always destroys dog beds, but maybe she'd be ok with a fluffy rug or too. I think Ollie needs a bean bag!
Does the bitter apple spray have a smell? Dex chews on my comforters, and I'd love to try the bitter apple to deter him.
Sienna drank a whole bottle of bitter apple spray. Didn't work for her. Mt B is such a cutie.
Love the dog wigs! And oh, bitter apple spray. When I first got Luffy, I kept spraying it on my hands and arms since he just wanted to eat me and wouldn't let anyone pet him. I think he eventually got used to the taste. Great product though!
We love Mr. B's poodle top! BOL I think we need some of those rugs or our crates...Totally cool!
Wags and Licks,
Mollie Jo & Bobo
Rugs (and blankets) have been great around here too. I finally put a blanket under my desk a couple weeks ago to give Kona a safe spot if something on the street spooks her. She use to pace, looking for somewhere safe, when she got nervous. I put the blanket down there and bingo! Instant safe spot. She understood right away where to go.
Oh!Mr.B, it was surely the spray that worked because we don't believe that wig managed to embarass u!
Infact u looked rather like a knowledgeable, wise old judge!!
Great rugs, we would love to get some. So would Mummy:)
The bitter apple doesn't have a smell, and I don't think it's supposed to harm fabrics. I've also heard that if your dog isn't deterred by this brand, there is another brand that works (they either hate one or the other). I used to use it a lot with Miss M because she would chew her leash so much. But then it just got to the point where I would show her the bottle and she would automatically stop.
BOL! Mr. B's toupee and wig are too much :) Glad for whichever reason he decided not to chew your great rugs anymore :)
Waggin at ya,
Roo
Those look SOOOO comfy & warm! Our mom is a cheapskate - she buys fake ones that are super thin!!
I really like the punk rock look Mr. B sports on occasion.
Sugars,
Mack
Mr B looks adorable IN and ON his "rugs." We have lots of rugs, too, but they're more functional than fashionable :)
The Road Dogs
Like I've said before, I'm thrilled that 'my' Hans doesn't feel the need to wear a toupee! Too bad men who do wear them don't look as cute as Mr B.
Heehee! Mr. B's wig is super awesome! Maybe he should go as Hans-Washington for Halloween next year!
Having comfy places to lay is very impawtant. We have lots of doggie beds (and of course my condo) around the house. But, well, mom lets us on the couch and that's really kind of hard to beat.
Wiggles & Wags,
mayzie
I have given you the Doggie Bloggie Award. Come and get if you are interested.
We are going to go chew our rug so mom will make u a wig. We will tell her you said it was ok
Benny & Lily
Bitter apple helped with my dogs (mostly Kayloo) too. Not before they got into a few things though...
Hans! hahahahaha!
We used bitter apple with my first dog - she liked it! Talk about backfiring - she licked everything we sprayed it on! We moved on to other methods from there, but it was hilarious when we figured that out.
They look like they really like those soft rugs. Whenever we get rid of our carpet I'll have to remember to buy something like those for our guys.
Rugs are awesome training tools. "On your mat" was one of the first commands Shiva learned. Now she'll even go there if we're standing in a different room. It has helped in many situations.
Those are some sweet-looking photos. If we had rugs as nice as those, I'd be kicking the dog off to enjoy them myself!
I love those fluffy rugs - may have to look into getting some! We got some roll-up type fabric mats from Old Navy years ago, so use those in a few spots for our dog. After remodeling we realized that she had a specific spot in the kitchen that she liked to lie, so we placed one there - unfortunately not before she scratched up the hardwood :) Should have given her a bed there sooner!
Our dog also wasn't deterred by the bitter apple spray - she didn't mind it at all. Luckily she never completely ruined furniture, but she actually chewed holes in walls and ate into baseboards of all things!!
I've used that spray with some rescue dogs I worked with in the past. One dog was chewing through the wall and it seemed to help a little. WAIT- does it work for rabbits???? Oh please tell me it's safe for rabbits. But he'd probably like the taste of it, little bugger.
I've got a bed per dog and lotsa rugs around here, but they always end up on the bed/couch, as close to me (meaning usually on top of me) as possible. Though they both have a decent "off."
Ms. M has the best faces. And Mr. B can't be beat with that wig on. It really is remarkable how similar their markings are!
I swear by Bitter Apple, too! Bless the man who invented that stuff!
I love Mr. B's new hairdo! He can join a rock band anyday now!
Mr B looks awful funny in his wig! Those rugs do look cozy.
Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar
Love the wigs on Mr. B! Kirby has a big fluffy run in one of his dog beds and he loves it. I also use bitter apple. I spray it on my hands when I comb Kirby, other wise it's all out war with the comb and my hands and his mouth!
Kirby's mom
Mr. B looks so cutes wif his wig on. We has hardwood floors in our house and mom makes sure I have plenty of rugs to lie on but dose looks most comfy so I will tell her 'bouts dem. :)
Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae
Oh, we love rugs, pillows, doggy beds and all those things, too. And Franklin sleeps in Blog Mom and Daddy's room. There's no room for a whole big bed in there, but he has a cushy comforter topped with a fleecy blanket and likes that very much, too.
lotsa licks, Lola
Okay that picture of Mr. B in his wig is adorable. But I think the best part is Miss M's horrified expression in the background. BOL!!
Wags,
Zona
I don't know about training, but that rug sure looks comfy cozy!
Your pal, Pip
P.S.: nice wig!
Love the toupees. They are hysterical. I tried one on Stella before Halloween that was part of an old fake fur collar; decided then to keep an eye out for something at the fabric store because as Mr. B has already discovered sometimes less is more :)
Baily LOVES the taste of bitter apple. Crazy dog
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
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