Dog Beds

Dog beds come in three shapes, and the right one depends on how your dog sleeps: a flat bed for a dog that stretches out, a bed with raised sides for one that curls up, and a sofa bed for one that rests its chin on something. Sizes here run from 16 × 12 in (40 × 30 cm) to 45 × 31 in (115 × 80 cm).
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. Forty-five beds sit behind this page: flat mats, raised sides, firm bases, cooling surfaces and covers.

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Watch how your dog sleeps for a few nights, then pick the row that matches.

Sleeps stretched out on its side A flat bed with no walls: the Corduroy Dog Bed or the Foam Dog Bed with Washable CoverCorduroy Dog Bed Curls into a ball A round or oval bed with a wall: the Long-Pile Donut Dog Bed or the Oval Plush Dog BedLong-Pile Donut Dog Bed Rests its chin on something A sofa bed with walls: the Washable Square Dog Sofa Bed or the Waterproof Corduroy Sofa Dog BedWashable Square Dog Sofa Bed Has accidents The waterproof dog beds page, not this one

39 products

Keep reading

Large dog bedsCollection Dog sofa bedsCollection Waterproof dog bedsCollection How much do dogs sleepGuide Best dog bedsJournal Best dog beds for senior dogsJournal

Elsewhere in the catalog

Washable & Waterproof Dog Beds19 beds Large Dog Beds14 beds Dog Sofa Beds12 beds Dog Bed Covers11 beds Washable Dog Beds11 beds Waterproof Dog Beds11 beds

From the journal

Best Waterproof Dog Beds Journal Dog Beds With Sides: Bolster, Sofa, or Flat Journal Best Dog Crate Beds Journal

What narrows forty-five beds down to one

How your dog sleeps cuts the range in half

A dog that curls into a ball sleeps pressed against a raised edge and uses every inch of 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 pick a bolster or a sofa back every time, and they do it consistently enough that you can predict it.

Of the forty-five here, fifteen have a raised edge on at least one side and nine are flat with no sides at all. That single split removes most of the range before you have looked at a single measurement.

The posture decides the shape before size enters the conversation. Three dogs, three different footprints, and you can see which is which without reading a word.

Measure the dog, then measure the inside of the bed

Nose to the base of the tail, lying stretched out, plus 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). On a bed with walls, that number has to fit the inner panel. The outer box includes a rim they cannot lie on. The smallest bed here is 16 × 12 in (40 × 30 cm) and the largest floor bed is 45 × 31 in (115 × 80 cm), so the range covers a terrier and a mastiff, but not with the same product.

The number on the listing and the number the dog gets are two different numbers, and the gap is an area you can point at.

A soft fill and a firm base fail in different ways

Soft fill gives way under the dog until there is very little left between them and the floor, and it does that gradually enough that you stop noticing. A firmer base keeps its shape and feels less inviting on day one. Weight is the honest signal: a big bed that ships at a kilogram has fibre inside, not foam.

A large bed on a scale reading one kilogram, beside a cut-through showing how little is left between the dog and the floor once fibre settles.

How often it gets washed decides the construction

Thirteen of the forty-five have a cover that comes off, and thirteen carry a coated or tightly woven surface that keeps liquid out of the padding. Only four do both. Those are two separate jobs and the listing says which one applies, because a bed that solves dirt does not necessarily solve accidents.

A grid of walled dog beds in cream, tan and blue; some are drawn with a corner of the cover peeled back, some carry a coated-surface mark, and a few are outlined to show they have both.

Where the bed lives rules out whole shapes

A crate pan and a car trunk have hard limits measured across the base, and eight of these are cut for one or the other. A hot room in July points at the three ice-silk surfaces rather than at anything plush. A floor bed has no limit at all, so it can be the size the dog needs rather than the size the space allows.

A crate pan and a car trunk drawn as closed boxes with a mat fitted inside each, and beside them an open floor with no boundary at all.

The three shapes, and who each one is for

Almost every bed here is one of three things. A flat mat: no walls, the whole footprint is sleeping surface, easiest to wash and to fit into a crate or a trunk. A bolster or sofa bed: a raised edge on one to four sides, which a dog can press against or rest a chin on. A donut or round bed: a continuous ring, listed by outside diameter, built for a dog who curls into a ball.

The mistake people make is treating these as styles. They are not. They are three different amounts of usable floor, and a dog who sprawls will use every inch of the first and lose a quarter of the third.

One outer square repeated three times with the usable sleeping area shaded inside it: a flat mat fills it, a bolster loses the rim, a donut leaves a circle.

What wears out, and in what order

The fill goes first, and it goes quietly. A fibre-filled bed loses loft where the dog carries weight, which is the shoulder and the hip, so the bed thins in exactly the two places it was doing work. You will not notice the week it happens.

The zip goes second, on any cover washed weekly. The fabric almost always outlives both. That order is why we put fill type and shipping weight on the page: they predict the first failure, and the outer fabric does not.

Fill does not flatten evenly. It fails at the two points that carry weight, which is why a bed can look fine and stop working.

Where a bed goes wrong is usually the room, not the bed

A bed placed where you would like the dog to sleep tends to stay empty. A bed placed where they already sleep gets used the same day. Dogs pick a spot for sightlines and traffic, not for comfort, and a bed does not override that.

Watch for a week before you decide. If they sleep by the door, that is a bed by the door, and moving it six feet into the corner is the most common reason a good bed goes unused.

A room plan with the dog's own sleeping spot by the door and an empty bed six feet away in the corner.

Questions people ask about dog beds

What kind of dog bed is best?

The one that matches how your dog already sleeps. Watch them for a few nights: curled into a ball, flat on their side, or with their chin propped on something. Curlers and chin-proppers use a raised edge; sprawlers lose floor area to it. That observation decides the shape, and the shape decides more than the brand does.

What is the best bed for a dog to sleep on?

For most adult dogs, a base that holds its shape under their weight and enough flat area to lie fully stretched. Those two together matter more than the outer fabric. For an older dog, add a low entry. An 8 in (20 cm) wall is a step to climb before they can lie down.

What dog bed do vets recommend?

We are not vets and we will not put words in their mouths. What comes up consistently in veterinary advice is support under the joints for older and heavier dogs, and a surface that can be cleaned properly. Both are things you can check on a listing: fill type and whether the cover comes off.

What is the most comfortable bed for dogs?

Comfort is not one property. A curler finds a walled bed comfortable and a sprawler finds the same bed cramped. The one thing that is not subjective: a fill that has flattened is uncomfortable for every dog, because at that point they are lying on the floor through a layer of fabric.

What to use instead of a dog bed?

For a night or two, a folded blanket or an old duvet will do. What it lacks is a base that keeps its shape and a cover you can take off and wash. If you want something between a blanket and a bed, the Reusable Dog Blanket for Bed and Car ($12.46 to $24.14) is a quilted pad in three nested sizes. The Foam Dog Bed with Washable Cover ($25.89 to $64.33) is a thin mat that folds, and its cover comes off for the wash.

What is an anxiety dog bed?

Usually a round bed with a high, soft wall, often called a donut, that a dog can curl into with its back against the edge. It is a shape, not a treatment, and it suits a dog that already sleeps curled up. The two here are the Long-Pile Donut Dog Bed ($27.97 to $74.32) and the Shaggy Plush Donut Dog Bed ($23.50 to $115.30). A dog that paces or cries when it is left alone needs more than a new bed.

How much should a dog bed cost?

On this page, from about $12 for a quilted pad to about $170 for the largest corduroy bed, depending on size and construction. Price tracks two things here: how much material a size takes, and whether there is a foam core rather than loose fibre. A large bed at the bottom of a range is almost always fibre-filled.

How do I know what size to order?

Measure the dog stretched out, nose to the base of the tail, and add 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). Compare that to the inner sleeping area, not the outside dimensions, on any bed with a rim. Between two sizes, take the bigger one. A bed slightly too small tends to go unused whatever else is right about it.