If your dog has been tearing up bedsheets, this post will show you a number of likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my dog tear up bedsheets? Likely reasons why your dog tears up bedsheets are that it is bored, it has learned that the behavior gets rewarded, it is fun or that it has some separation anxiety.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog tears up bedsheets and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my dog tear up bedsheets?
Below are likely reasons why your dog tears up bedsheets and what would make them more likely.
Boredom
A part of the cause could be that your dog is bored. This would be more likely if your dog tends to do it before getting exercise or if it does it when it has been lying down for a while. In this case, it would help to ensure that it is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed and it would also help to give it distractions.
Encouraging the behavior
It could also be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as extra attention, toys or treats, when it tears up the bedsheets, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
It’s fun
It might also be the case that your dog simply does it because your dog thinks it is fun. This would be more likely if your dog seems to be excited when it is doing it and if it does it when it is playing. In this case, it would help to give your dog distractions, a “time out” and to try to restrict its access to your room where possible.
Anxiety
It could also be the case that your dog has been doing it due to being anxious. This would be more likely if it does it more when you are not home or when you are leaving home. In this case, it would likely to be because your dog has some separation anxiety. It would help to limit reasons why it might be anxious when you are not around by doing things such as exercising, feeding and letting it pee before leaving it.
Nature
Dogs will sometimes tear up the ground below them as a way of making it more comfortable for them to sleep on. In addition to the above, this could be a part of the reason why your dog has been tearing up your bedsheets.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your dog has always torn up your bedsheets
If your dog has not always torn up your bedsheets, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If your dog started doing it suddenly, it could be due to something causing it to get anxoius, a change in its daily routine or getting less exercise or attention than usual.
The timing of when your dog tears up your bedsheets
It would also help to consider the timing of when your dog tends to tear up bedsheets. If there is a certain time your dog tends to do it, the timing might have something to do with it. For example, if your dog tends to do it more when you are not home, the cause could be due to separation anxiety.
How to get my dog to stop tearing up bedsheets?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Limit your dog’s access to your room
The first option would be to try to limit your dog’s access to your room where possible, especially when you are not around, and to give your dog alternative places to lay down such as on a dog bed.
Avoid encouraging the behavior
As mentioned above, it could be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. Instead, it would help to avoid giving your dog rewards when it does it and to give it a “time out” instead where you take it to a different part of the house and wait for it to calm down before giving it anymore attention.
Give it distractions
Another option would be to give your dog things to be distracted by such as toys and bones so that it is less likely to want to rip up bedsheets.
Why does my dog tear up my bed?
Likely reasons why your dog tears up your bed are that it is bored, it has learned that the behavior is rewarded or that it has some separation anxiety. It would help to consider if there is a certain time that your dog does it. It would also help to encourage your dog not to tear up your bed by rewarding it when it is well behaved, not rewarding it when it tears up your bed and by giving it a “time out” when it starts doing it.
Why does my dog scratch my bed?
Likely reasons why your dog scratches your bed are that it is anxious or that it naturally wants to dig soft surfaces since dogs would do it in the wild to hide food and to make a spot more comfortable.