Australian Made Mats
Jasper kept destroying his beds.
I kept trying to stop it.
That frustration is where ChewProof began. Years on and I’m still possibly Australia’s worst dog trainer.
So, if you’ve bought another bed, then watched it come apart and thought about the money you’ve just wasted, I understand.
You still want your dog comfortable.
You’d also like to stop shopping for their next replacement.
After a few disappointments, even a promising bed can feel like an expensive experiment.
Will it last?
Will they sleep on it?
Have they left the pieces on the floor, or swallowed some?
Before choosing another bed, let’s work through what’s been happening to the others.
What’s failing.
That damage gives us somewhere useful to start.
What the damage tells you
Not all damage is equal, it’s time to put on your detective cap and investigate.
Where the damage begins is the biggest clue.
A bed pulled apart at a seams or edges chewed and frayed needs a different answer from one scratched through the middle.
These clues can help you recognise your dog’s path of destruction:
1. Chewed corners and frayed edges
Small tooth holes, a ragged corner or damage concentrated around the outside suggest your dog found something they could grip.
Watch whether they hold an edge between their front teeth and keep working it.
An accessible starting point may be the main weakness.
2. Open seams and scattered filling
If a cushion splits along its stitching and the filling comes out, notice what happened first.
Did your dog open the edge, then pull out the contents?
Or bite straight through the top?
Both ruin a plush bed, but hiding the edges only addresses the first route.
3. Scratches and holes through the sleeping surface
Repeated claw marks, thinning fabric or a hole away from the edge suggest the material or surface needs attention.
Some dogs circle and paw before settling, others treat this like an exercise routine digging and scratching with all their might.
If that routine wears through the middle, stronger edge protection alone won’t solve it.
4. Pulled mats and repeated damage to tougher beds
Does your dog brace with their paws, grip the mat and pull?
Has the fabric torn, or come away where it attaches to the frame?
If several tougher beds have failed, those details help identify whether the surface, its attachment, or both need more protection.
Where they start matters more than the mess they finish with.
Note how long damage takes and whether they return to the same spot.
If you can catch them on the safety cam at home… Great.
Photos, or a short video taken safely, can help you appreciate what needs protecting.
Don’t leave damaged bedding available just to gather evidence.
Your dog is not bad and you are not failing
You can adore your dog and still be thoroughly fed up with replacing their bed.
Having this problem doesn’t cancel out the care you give them.
There’s some reassuring context in a 2021 study of chewing behaviour.
Its figures work out to around one in five dogs, or 20.2%, chewing their resting places at least occasionally.
The owners volunteered for the survey and mainly lived in Germany and Austria. While it’s not a local study, it shows you’re not alone.
The RSPCA explains that chewing is normal dog behaviour.
Puppies explore with their mouths and chew while teething; stress, boredom and other needs can also influence chewing.
A ruined bed doesn’t diagnose the cause.
Animal Welfare League NSW recommends appropriate chewing outlets and calmly trading an off-limits item for a toy or treat.
Dogs Victoria’s puppy guidance also recognises the need to chew.
Reward-based help from a local club, or trainer can support you with training and suitable activities.
If destruction happens when you leave, alongside pacing, persistent barking or escape attempts, speak with your vet.
Your dog may need help with distress alongside a better bed.
If you suspect they have swallowed bedding, contact your vet promptly.
Understanding the Destruction Ratings
Once you recognise the pattern, the ChewProof Destruction Rating guide helps match protection to it.
It’s our practical selection guide, rather than an independent laboratory certification or a judgement of your dog’s character.
- 1 star — The gentlest of dogs. Power napping is their speciality. Bedding generally stays intact, so destructive behaviour isn’t driving the choice.
- 2 stars — Harmless curiosity. Some mouthing or rearranging, but they generally leave things standing. Watch whether occasional interest becomes repeated damage.
- 3 stars — Light workout chewing and pawing. Ordinary beds repeatedly lose out to teeth, exposed edges and enthusiastic use. Removing accessible weak points becomes important.
- 5 stars — Chew resistance with drainage and airflow. This intermediate product rating balances the toughest mesh surface with drainage and ventilation. Persistent digging needs a stronger surface.
- 4 stars — Persistent chewing plus digging and scratching. Your dog repeatedly works the surface as well as the edges. Both need protection.
- 5 stars — Exceptional persistence and strength. Serious chewing, digging or pulling has defeated tougher bedding. The mat and its attachment need our highest level of protection.
This rating is designed as matching points, not stages every dog will progress through.
Choose Based on Behavioral Evidence.
Breed and size help with context, but a big dog who sleeps peacefully doesn’t automatically need the highest rating.
Choosing the protection your dog needs
Here’s how I’d use those clues, starting with everyday chewing and working towards the most persistent destruction.
ChewProof Classic: For dogs that destroy standard beds
If your dog gets started on exposed edges or pulls ordinary hammock beds apart, Classic is a sensible starting point.
Its 3-star Destruction Rating reflects the protection built around those everyday weak points.
The aluminium frame shields the mat edges, making them impossible to grip.
The taut PVC sleeping surface provides hammock-style support without loose filling to pull out.
The design removes the areas your dog usually exploits.
It gives them a comfortable raised bed while reducing opportunities to start another tear.
Check the frame and surface in the Classic product details.
Customer The Paw Professor describes the value of metal protection in his Google Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 8 Jul 2024
Fantastic product. Looks great, top quality and comfy for the dogs. I’ve got a number of these in all the different sizes including the giant. Been properly tested at Harrys Hounds Dog Daycare and training for multiple dogs with separation anxiety and chewing tendencies. Passed with flying colours.
If your dog repeatedly digs through the middle, I’d move to a surface designed for that demand.
ChewProof Comfort: For dogs that shred plush beds
You may have a dog who loves cushioning and then chews open the bed providing it. Giving up on their comfort doesn’t feel like much of a solution.
ChewProof Comfort also carries a 3-star Destruction Rating. It adds pillow-top cushioning with the mat tucked inside the frame.
For dogs who rip up cushions, the No-Chew Pillow Top slides into the frame, hiding the fabric edge they would normally grab to open the cover.
There’s a real development story behind it. Customers reported dogs chewing the edges of our strapped down pillow tops.
So we removed the temptation and put the edges inside the frame. We trialed it with early customers and found the change worked.
The pillow-top story and design comparison explain what changed.
The Easy-Clean Pillow Top uses straps for simpler removal but does leave the edges exposed. Choose that version when your dog leaves the edges alone and frequent washing is the priority.
If teeth or claws go straight through the top, concealed edges won’t protect that exposed surface. That is why Comfort remains at three stars.
ChewProof Pro-Mesh: For chewers who need airflow & drainage
For a dog whose bed needs to survive chewing and regular wet use, consider Pro-Mesh. Think post-swim rests, muddy paws and a bed you regularly hose down.
Its 3.5-star Destruction Rating combines protected mat edges with a tough, open mesh sleeping surface. The frame removes access to the edges; the mesh allows water and air through. Those openings are why it drains instead of holding water on the surface.
For evidence of that everyday benefit, boarding kennel operator David Draper of Fido and Felix Pet Resort stated:
ChewProof beds drain well and dry quickly, they’re the best beds in Australia.
If persistent claws have already worked through mesh, Pro-Tough is the more appropriate choice.
And even with airflow, follow Dogs Australia’s advice on shade, ventilation and access to water in warm weather.
ChewProof Pro-Tough: For dogs that chew dig and scratch
When your dog keeps working the same patch until a hole appears, the surface itself needs to withstand more.
Pro-Tough earns its 4-star Destruction Rating from the combination of protected edges and a textured Riplock PVC surface designed to resist chewing, digging and scratching.
It gives claws a solid mat surface to work against, rather than open mesh.
The mat also has a protective line of stitching that helps shield its heat-welded edge from splitting over time.
Suspended inside the frame, the mat still offers hammock-style support; a tougher surface can be comfortable.
The Pro-Tough construction details show those features.
RSPCA Queensland’s Hayley Kennington:
ChewProof not only provided our company with an exceptional service whilst we were gathering quotes, they delivered over 200 beds to separate sites in a remarkable time frame too.
The beds themselves are strong and robust yet look highly desirable in the pens. Most importantly of all, is that our dogs like them too!
That’s useful evidence from daily shelter use, alongside the construction details.
It isn’t a controlled laboratory validation of the rating.
ChewProof Extreme: For dogs that defeat tougher beds
If serious chewing, digging and pulling have already beaten tougher options, I’d consider ChewProof Extreme.
Its 5-star Destruction Rating comes from industrial strength woven PVC material secured inside the aluminium frame with solid stainless-steel retaining rods.
The heavier surface, sourced from the mining and heavy engineering industries, is designed to resist persistent damage, while the rods hold it firmly against attempts to work it loose.
The material remains pliable enough to support your dog like a hammock.
This is our Tuffer Dog Stuff, developed because some dogs need that extra protection.
Trish’s Amstaff helped drive that development after defeating an upgraded mat in three days. She told me, “I just need something that’ll last.” When we published his story, the industrial mat was still holding up more than three years later.
The same article records Sally at Happy Paws Haven near Grafton reporting over two years using the industrial mats without needing a replacement. Those experiences give the recommendation substance.
They also explain why I’d reserve Extreme for this level of demand.
Check the proof and the fit
Read ChewProof’s Google reviews. Look for the same behaviour, the mat used and how long it lasted. Business reviews cover different products; those details matter more than the star average.
Then measure your dog stretched out and check the sleeping area, overall bed dimensions and access height.
Check the frame, mat and pillow-top warranty terms separately.
If your dog has mobility or pain issues, ask your vet about appropriate support.
Relief… At Last!
You’ve been trying to give your dog somewhere comfortable.
Tired of the mess, expense and uncertainty, that’s normal, it doesn’t make you any less caring.
If you’re unsure which pattern fits, get in touch with photos and tell us what happened. I’d rather understand your dog than send you into another expensive experiment.
If a bed stops doing its job, we’re here to help assess what went wrong, too.
Step 1 — Choose your challenge. Explore the range, then select the bed and size that suit your dog.
Step 2 — Relief is on its way. A bed chosen for the way your dog uses it, with comfort for them and one less recurring frustration for you.
A simple Goal:
A calmer household and more time enjoying your dog.
