We had bought one of those basic comfy crate bedding liners for Paco when we brought him home; just your basic soft cotton padding with stuffed sides.
Well, Paco tore a hole in his today while I was at work and pulled out all the stuffing he could reach. Quite comic to come home to, actually - a crate full of fluff and Basenji. He was very proud of himself, obviously.
I cleaned it up and he'll be sleeping with a flattened bedliner tonight. I have no intention of starting a game of re-stuffing and patching the liner up only to have him tear it up again - so I need suggestions as to something better to line the crate with. I don't want to use towels, because twice he's peed on towels left on the floor, and he's been doing amazingly well at not peeing in the crate so far; I'd like to keep it that way.
Our pet stores here are pretty limited…so something I could order online or make at home would be best.
Thanks all; you've been amazingly helpful to me as a first-time puppy owner, and I really appreciate it!
I find Vet Bed/Pro Fleece to be the best. My dogs destroy all bedding but because this has no stuffing it lasts a lot longer. The Pro Fleece is quite rip proof too - mine have a couple of holes but not bad after 3 years. They also wash and tumbledry well. They are design to soak up any accidents too. 
I use bully pads with my dogs, http://www.upco.com/the-bully-pad-16-x-23
If a puppy is really determined to rip their bedding then they don't get any because once they get into that habit, they will pretty much shred anything you put in with them. I rather they have nothing shred for the first few months and then add bedding once they are past phase.
Thanks, both of you, for the quick replies! I'll start googling tonight.
I use bully pads with my dogs, http://www.upco.com/the-bully-pad-16-x-23
If a puppy is really determined to rip their bedding then they don't get any because once they get into that habit, they will pretty much shred anything you put in with them. I rather they have nothing shred for the first few months and then add bedding once they are past phase.
He doesn't seem particularly determined - he's pulled on the bedding before, but I figured it was because I have a divider in the crate and he wanted to tug more of the bedding to his side so he could bunch it up and enjoy it. Today is the first time in 5 weeks of being home that he seems to have decided it was demolition time, hehe.
If he rips on the next one, or rips more on this one tomorrow, I might just have to do that. Though I'd hate to think about making the crate less comfortable for him.
At the rate Spring and Gbala shred their bedding I think I keep the bedding supplier in business!!!
Towels are the worst things to use for a pup who shreds - shredded towels often have long threads!
One out of my 4 is a shredder, so his crate has a grate in the bottom and thats all, so that if he does pee, it goes beneath him under the grate. I keep him bedding free more because I am worried about him eating the bedding and getting a blockage rather than because he shreds.
Other than a slab of concrete, I've yet to find any bedding that Bella can't / won't destroy.
Otis just tore his pad to a million pieces two days ago..he was determined to let me know he does not like being crated..so he sleeps on a flat case right now…doesn't seem to bother him one bit.
Of my 3 basenjis, I have 1 that shreds bedding (Brando) and one the eats the shredded bedding that lands outside the crate (Ruby) - or if she is lucky enough to make it into his crate. So because Brando shreds his bed, I put a thick wool throw rug on the bottom of his crate (hasn't been able to destroy that) in his crate upstairs and in his dinner crate downstairs he has no bedding.
Because Ruby has on occasion made her way into Brando's crate and grabbed big pieces of shredded cloth and eaten them, I no longer take the chance as she could get a blockage. Both Brando & Liyah don't eat shredded fabric, but Ruby finds it irresistible.
Yeah, Paco still has to be crated while I go away to work - he'd love to have rule of the apartment and make everything a chew toy while I was gone. I do hope that I can find something not fluff-filled and more durable…he has a throw pillow on the floor next to our bed that he naps on, and he scratches at it and might chew, but he hasn't torn it. I guess we shall see...
I remember reading somewhere that Basenji's should be given very comfortable bedding to make the crate more welcoming...for those of you who don't use it, does your B hate their crate? Paco has napped in his occasionally during the day without me prompting him too!
My boy Brando is 5 - I've had him 2 years now.
When he lived at the breeder's house, he was fine with his crate - was actually a good crate dog. Fast forward to my house - Brando has never liked his crate at my house - and he has both plastic and wire crates. He has always shredded his bedding and cried - doesn't matter what treat is waiting for him (raw bones, kongs, busy buddies).
The first month he was here, I had him sleep in his crate at night. He wasn't great, he would shred his bed and would cry for about an hour then finally give up. However, in the morning at first light - be it 3am or 5am, he would cry incessantly until the whole house was up. After his first month here I let him sleep with Ruby on my bed.
He has always been fed in his crate. It took some work to get him to actually go into his crate on his own for dinner - I usually had to catch him and then put him in - however his game of keep-away was never because he was afraid, he would be wagging his tail the whole time and basically thought he was a joker. I managed to train him to sing for his dinner and then run into his crate and wait for his food. However, he has never silently waited for his food. He's usually sobbing away - although I don't think it is sobbing because he is crated, he's crying because he wants his food. Immediately upon finishing his dinner he starts sobbing to get out of his crate. That doesn't happen - the dogs have to wait until I finish my meal before they are let out, so he sobs for about 15 minutes and then gives up. When he had bedding in there, he would be shredding his bed/blankets. He has never been let out of his crate when sobbing - never.
So does he hate his crate because it isn't soft and comfortable - no - he just hates being confined in general.
The thing I will say about Brando vs. my other 2 (both girls)…Brando absolutely craves human interaction - has since the minute he came in the door. To him there is no greater joy in life than being petted and loved on. My other 2 - Ruby and Aaliyah want love on their own terms and are really much more independent than Brando. They love their crates because they love the treats in their crates. If I toss and turn on the bed too much, Ruby has been known to let out a big sigh because I'm disturbing her sleep and climb off the bed and sleep in her crate. Brando would NEVER do that!
I can't recommend the Dura-Crate pad from Cushion Guy enough. Made from VERY durable fabric and made exactly to the dimensions of the crate, they sew loops in the sides and it fastens to the bottom of the crate. It lays flat and they can't get it up to chew. Mine lasted longer than my Basenji did 
Now I have it fastened in the vari kennel that's in my car.
You want the Dura Crate pad.
I have gotten some bedding at dog shows for the travel crates which are basically the same thing as the mats/rugs you put in a bathroom. They have a grippy surface on the bottom so they stay in place in a metal crate. No stuffing and they seem reasonably plush and carpetlike. Since no stuffing, they are very easy to wash. I have a few of these and some pads simliar to the bully pads. You might be able to find some cheap bath rugs in the store there and just cut them down to size, you probably could get two out of one of the larger ones if it's a smaller size crate. I've gotten to dislike anything with covers and zippers on them, particuarly if I have to take it apart to wash it.
I find Vet Bed/Pro Fleece to be the best. My dogs destroy all bedding but because this has no stuffing it lasts a lot longer. The Pro Fleece is quite rip proof too - mine have a couple of holes but not bad after 3 years. They also wash and tumbledry well. They are design to soak up any accidents too.
Does anyone know where I can get these in the USA? I have been doing Google searches all day and can't seem to find any.
Does anyone know where I can get these in the USA? I have been doing Google searches all day and can't seem to find any.
Yeah, the only thing I found on Amazon with that name didn't seem like something I'd like, though you can look.
Until I have money for the Dura Crate liner, I've simply taken out all of the fluff from the liner I had before. Paco likes to fold it over in his crate and lay on it doubled up like that. He still shreds at it, but hasn't really destroyed it any further.
I am not sure if it will work for you, but for my girl, who loves to shred up anything with "fluff" i have just folded a blanket (it was my old camping blanket - cotton) and put it in the bottom of her crate. I went through 3 pads before putting that in there, and it has been in her crate, unharmed, for nearly 9 months now. It is easy to wash on occasion, and sometimes she even opts to go into her crate to lay down rather than on her nice, plush, expensive dog bed.
My Arnie who is 9 chews and destuffs bedding. He sleeps on the stuffing in his crate. I have been doing this since he was young.
