crates and heat

[Newsy]

Hey folks,

We're almost two weeks into our new "boxer-lifestyle" and finding it rewarding already.

the last few nights Allie has "re-decorated" her crate. let me explain - the crate has a pillow-type padding on the floor. She gets in the crate then digs furiously at the corners until she lifts it up, then moves it over to the side, and she sleeps on the plastic bottom. Any theories on what she's doing? We thought maybe it gets hot under her belly. or maybe she's trying to tunnel under the walls?

it has been a hot summer here in Toronto. any other boxers feeling the heat? what to you do to keep them cool and sane?

[Doreen]

Coco likes to tunnel under our blankets, but when she gets hot (we can hear her huffing and puffing), then she comes out and lays on the wood floors to cool off. She comes back to bed after she is done cooling down.

My guess is Allie is looking for some coolness.

[Marylou Mader]

I agree with Doreen, it's amazing how these little buggers figure stuff out like that.

[Spyglass Sally]

Buddy lays on the floor to cool off too. But sometimes he pulls his bedding out just for fun I think. It's not even hot - it's like he just gets in this "Somebody's gotta pay!" mood and starts dragging his mattress out of his crate or off his Coolaroo. Once he gets everything out and totally messed up all over the place, he collapses on the floor with a dramatic sigh.

Crazy dogs!

[purplelori]

we have a plush crate pad in Wally's crate, and last week when it was pretty warm all of a sudden he started digging around--the end result was he flipped the pad over so he's now lying on the 'cool cotton' side! Pretty smart--I hadn't even realized it had that!!

[Ruby Red]

I think maybe it's behaviour that's instinctive - in the wild dogs would scratch around to make a bed for themselves - rough up the ground, the leafs etc - that's my thinking anyway. My last dog used to scratch up the carpet in a certain place to make a bed for herself [even though she had plenty of choices including the sofa...!]

If you click on this link - here's my foster dog Roddy - he does this to the bed every day..... I kind of think he enjoys doing it too.............http://forums.boxerhub.com/f15/roddy-bed-2135/

[Dragon]

Yeah peaches always pulls out her blanket in her kennel. She doesn't sleep in it at night anymore but during the day she likes to lay on the steel pan on the bottom.