Dog Beds

Some dogs curl up. Some stretch right out. Some like something to lean on. The shape your dog sleeps in narrows this down faster than anything else — then size, then how often you will be washing it. Flat mats, raised sides, firm bases, cooling surfaces and open frames are all here.

How your dog sleeps narrows it down

A dog that curls into a ball uses the raised edge of a sofa or donut shape and sleeps against it. A dog that sprawls flat on their side gets nothing from that edge and loses floor area to it. Dogs that rest their chin on things tend to pick a bolster or a sofa back every time.

Getting the size right

Measure them lying stretched out, nose to the base of the tail, then add 15-20 cm. On beds with raised sides, that number has to fit the inside area rather than the outside of the bed. A bed slightly too small tends to go unused, whatever else is right about it.

After that it comes down to where the bed lives. Hard floors, hot rooms, cars and crates each push toward a different type — cooling surfaces, crate and travel bedding, or a cover that comes off.