Choosing A Dog Bed Sized To Suit Your Dog
I got a very excited call from my friends the other day with big news. They just got a new puppy. They were at the mall at the pet store when they called, buying all the new stuff necessary for any new puppy owner – little collars, little leashes, puppy food, puppy treats, puppy vitamins, lots of toys, some puppy clothing. You know how new puppy owners are. What they wanted to ask me, since I have gone through the puppy stage with my dog, is whether they should buy a puppy-sized bed for their new puppy.
My advice to them was that if they are using a crate for puppy training, then buying a bed at this point really isn’t necessary. When the puppy is up, he will be playing and sitting with them. When it is nap time or bed time, then he really should be in his crate, so a puppy bed wouldn’t be used all that much, and might even be confusing for her. I said that I expected they should wait until the puppy has grown up to their final size – usually 12 to 18 months, although larger breeds will keep growing for a little longer.
Once the puppy has grown up and you’ve made the decision to let your dog choose a different sleeping spot away from the crate, this is the time to choose a dog bed. Getting rid of the crate isn’t a necessity – if you and your dog both like the crate, keeping a routine that is working is probably better than introducing new things. A crate actually provides a lot of security for dogs, and functions as their own little condo where they can feel like they have their own safe space.
Once you have decided to get a bed for your dog there are a number of things to consider. First and foremost, you need to buy a bed that is the right type for your dog. Does your dog like to curl up when she sleeps? Does your dog like to stretch out when she sleeps? Does your dog stretch and curl depending on the day? Monitor your dog’s sleeping habits for a few days. A curl up sleeper will do best in a nest type bed. A stretched out sleeper would be best on a longer bed like a human type bed or a fainting couch dog bed.
After figuring out whether your dog prefers to curl up against a wall, or whether they prefer more leg and paw room, you now need to find the size range that suits your dog the best. Again, watch your dog when they sleep, and this time take measurements of the space they occupy when they sleep. Do this at different times to see whether it changes – if in doubt, take the larger measurement. You can always add a cushion or two to take up extra room, but you dog won’t be comfortable if the bed is too cramped. Once you have the final length and width sizes, add a few inches to each measurement, and take this shopping.
Now that you have determined a proper size for your dogs new bed, you will suddenly be faced with a number of new decisions, such as style, shape, material and quality. These factors warrant their own article in themselves, but be happy in the fact that once you find a bed that looks like the perfect fit for your dog, you will know that you really are getting the perfect sized dog bed.
