Ok so here's the problem. My son lives in an apartment shared by others. He has a pit bull who is very loving but has claws like most big dogs. While he is at work the dog sleeps on his bed and when he is stretching, etc his claws puts holes in his bed coverings. He's already gone through 2 quilts I made. One of them was given to him when he was 12 (he's now 31). This quilt was made from his denim jeans. The dog slowly destroyed it to the point that it was impossible to keep repairing it. My son called me a bit ago and said he can't keep Hoody off the bed during the day and now his mattress is showing signs of Hoody's claws. He wants to know if I can make some sort of covering that can be placed over the mattress. My first thought was a tarp or something similar that has grommets and he could wrap the mattress side to side and tie underneath it. He said too much noise. Does anyone out there have any similar problems or any ideas on how to solve his problem? Hoody is 11 and was a rescue dog that my son has had for 8 yrs. Getting rid of the dog is not an option and unfortunately my son is not in a position to get a larger place. He lives in the heart of San Francisco. Rents are high and back yard space is scarce in his area. Any ideas would certainly be appreciated. Thanks.

Does he have a door he can close so the dog can't get near the bed?

My guess is the dog is trying to make his spot comfortable, my dogs do this, scratch the surface before they lay down. I'm stumped as to what to do with the bed, but do you think if your son got the dog his own dog bed he would rest there instead? It would also help if he trained him not to go on the bed when he is home. There is a chance even in his absence that he will not go on the bed any longer at all.

This is a high energy dog. Being kept in a room all day....he is bored. Lots of exercise when your son is home would help a lot. Just my thought.

Here are some tips for you. The first on is the least expensive.
Sometimes changing the surface of furniture that the dogs like to jump on can decrease the desirability of the object. Plastic rug runners with spiky plastic tips on the bottom (used to grip rugs when placed over carpeting) can be cut to size and turned upside down to detract a dog from a certain piece of furniture. The strips can be taped together on the smooth side.

This is even better than the rug runners. Search for X-mats and buy enough to cover the bed. Even our boxers, who destroy everything, won't get near them.


Check this site out http://www.petzoff.com/

Putting folding cubicle walls around his bed to shut it off during the day from the dog may be a solution.

Just spoke with my son. Should have checked here first. I like the idea of the carpet runners. Not sure my son would though. He says Hoody stays in his own bed at night or when he is home. But when he's not Hoody sleeps on the bed. He doesn't think Hoody can be trained at his age. I don't know since I haven't had dogs in 40 years. He did say that he has these heavy Hispanic blankets that a very dense that Hoody has not seemed to poke through. He thinks he's going to give that a try -- he'll buy a king size one for about $40 and it will do double duty. Thanks for your helpful ideas. I will continue to pass them on.

Might also take him to the vet and have his toenails trimmed, then keep them short. Just a thought. (Hmmm, I need someone to hold my two kitties so I can trim their claws. Any volunteers?)

Have him buy old covers at Goodwill and when he leaves, put the old cover on and fold up his good one and put it away, when he gets home he can swap it. Any claw marks can be repaired with an iron on patch, and then his nice things will stay nice.

My girl kittie doesn't fuss a bit when I cut her claws. She almost welcomes it. But her brother, the big sissy, whines and cries. He's a big guy, 23 lbs, and he will fight to get away. I keep 2 scratching posts for them. One is heavy rope. Works well.