How to choose the right dog bed - shape, size and filling

When choosing a dog bed for your dog it is important to remember that you are investing in an item that will become your dogs personal space for rest and comfort. Sadly there are numerous low quality dog beds which fail to offer support, comfort and longevity.A good quality dog bed should offer many positive benefits both for you and your dog.

The shape of the dog bed you decide upon should reflect your dogs personal resting habits. If they love to sprawl then a flat mattress dog bed will offer maximum surface area for them to spread out on. If however your dog prefers to curl up and get cosy then a bolstered dog bed is more suitable as they can snuggle into the bolster and keep warm whilst being protected from drafts.

The size of your dog bed is obviously based around the breed of your dog. Measure your dog and make sure the bed you purchase relates to this size with a little extra for moving around in. As it is a good idea to have a designated space in your house for your dogs bed you should also make sure that the dog bed will fit into this space.

Keep an eye on the support of your dog bed, take note of the filling of the bed. All inner fillings should raise your dog up off the floor and out of the way of drafts. If you have a younger dog then a firm , supportive dog bed will be fine. An older dog however would benefit from a memory foam filling. A memory foam dog bed will mould around your dogs joints rather than you dogs joints moving to adapt to the foam therefore offering improved support and comfort . If your dog can be regularly caught napping on your deep fill duvet or soft and squidgy sofa then a fibrefill inner would offer them the same experience.

Hygiene should also be considered when choosing the right dog bed. Some beds can be folded up and put into the wash as one piece, but be careful, lower quality versions of these beds will have thin inners that often fall apart in the washing machine. A good quality bed will most likely have machine washable removable dog bed covers avoiding any damage to the inner filling of the bed. Machine washing your dog bed covers is a great way to kill off germs and odours. If choosing a dog bed with removable covers check to see if you can purchase a spare set of covers so that you have one to wash and one to use so your dog does not have to wait for the covers to be dry before they can use their bed.

The appearance of the dog bed should also be considered, after all it will become a part of your furniture. A good quality material will retain its shape and stylish appearance even after several washes.

Visit our website today to view our selection of hardwearing yet stylish dog beds.