How do I Choose the Best Dog Bed?
There are so many shapes, size, materials and styles to choose from when it comes to choosing your dogs' bed, it can be hard to decide what is most suitable. Here we have a bit more information which will help you choose the best bed for your doggy companion!
What size dog bed?
Size is an important factor when choosing a suitable bed; you want something large enough for your dog to happily stretch out on and comfortable to curl up onto. Here we have a simple way to measure your dogs “sprawl” length!
- First measure your dogs back, from the nose to where the tail starts (A)
- The second measurement is the front legs from shoulder to the foot (B)
- Thirdly measure the rear legs from the top of the leg to the foot (C)
Now simply take these measurements and do the following: A + B +C – Half the length of A and you should have your sprawl length. Most dog bed listings will have the measurements included; we would highly recommend you measure your dog before purchasing as breeds come in many different shapes and sizes! For example, working breeds can be a lot bigger or even smaller than their show/non-working brothers and sisters. Most bed brands will come in small bed sizes to an XL dog bed size, so there should be something for all sizes!
Choosing the right dog bed for your pet
Waterproof dog beds
This is great for pets who love swimming and getting muddy outside, waterproof beds are easy to clean and should be machine washable. Easy to clean beds are also ideal for dogs who suffer from incontinence and females in heat.
Self-heating dog beds
Self-heating beds or self-heating mats contain a reflective foil layer that lies between quilted polyester fibres and the bed’s foam layer; this reflects body heat back to your pet. The quilted fibres lie beneath a soft fleece cover that will hold warm air around your pet providing them with added insulation. Furthermore, if you have a pet that is very young, is ill, or has arthritis, thermal self-heating pet beds are great for providing extra warmth and comfort.
Quilted/ soft cushion and sofa dog beds
These soft dog beds are made for optimum comfort, they are most often designed to be soft, warm and well padded. Most quilted beds also have an outer pillow so your dog is able to rest its head comfortably.
Orthopaedic dog beds are most commonly filled with a memory foam mattress, the memory foam conforms exactly to your pet's body shape, effectively relieving pressure on the spine and joints. Our own memory foam mattresses are manufactured using temperature sensitive material so, as the temperature increases the memory foam mattress becomes softer and provides a good night’s sleep.
Mattress beds
Dog mattresses are better suited to those dogs that like to sprawl out, as they don't have heightened sides they can stretch out their legs out fully. These can also be used for dog crates and as the cushion for those high sided plastic dog beds.
Dog Blankets
Dog blankets are always handy to have, they can be added as an extra cover/protector for your dog bed, used to cover/protect the sofa, used in the car as car protection or if your dog doesn't like a soft bed they can just be placed on the floor for a bit of added comfort.
