<p>Well it’s that time of year again. Time to Christmas shop for the dog. </p>
<p>(Today is her birthday, which is what reminded me!) </p>
<p>Anyway, searching for a durable-ish dog bed. She likes to drag it around so they get really dirty really easily. Needs to be washable or have a washable cover. </p>
<p>She is a medium-large dog but likes to spread out. Her only requirement is that it be very soft (as in, fuzzy material). </p>
<p>Any suggestions? I don’t know the first thing about dog beds and she won’t cooperate in stores to try them out </p>
<p>They’re basically dog bed duvet covers, so you stuff them with what you want (your old t-shirts so they smell like you, if you want).
Her dog lives on hers in the winter as they place it in front of the fireplace.
Oh, and since it’s a duvet cover, it’s washable.</p>
<p>We’ve had good luck with LLBean and Orvis. Covers come off and you can buy “refills”. If you’re not picky, Orvis has warehouse sales (online) and you can get a deluxe bed for a lot less. Sabadog and Sabapup share one. </p>
<p>We’ve had two Molly beds, great idea, but clothing is heavy and lumpy. Plus he ate both covers.
I bought another bed which seemed to be of sturdy material.
Ate that in three minutes.
I bought a K9 ballistic bed, which is more like a travel bed and not fluffy, he has left that one alone.
He sleeps with us or on the couch.</p>
<p>Many years ago I bought an Orvis elliptical-shaped dog bed with cedar chips in the stuffing (despite this, it’s comfortable and it’s easy to shake out and redistribute the lumps). It came with two washable covers. It has lasted through two labrador retrievers, has never ripped or leaked, and really doesn’t smell at all. </p>
<p>Get a size or two bigger than what is recommended for your size dog. Get a dog bed that dog can spread-out in and really get comfortable in and not be cramped and crunched up.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone! That bed looks interesting, westcoast. </p>
<p>I actually didn’t even think about maybe getting an orthopedic bed. She is 7 now and has already had two ACL surgeries (one on each back leg) due to tearing them both over the last year, year and a half. </p>
<p>Lizard, don’t worry- she’ll get a large or XL bed. She’s too spoiled to get a bed that would actually fit her. Only the California King of dog beds is good enough for her </p>
<p>ETA: I should also mention that she drags it in front of the furnace or fire in the winter (she likes the heat) so it has to be something that won’t get really hot (like metal zippers). </p>
<p>I got a Petcot for our lab, plus a heated pad, when she was about 14, with arthritis. She looked at me like " why didn’t you do this before?"
I’ve since given it to my daughter for their dog, but I have a mini tramp, that my PT encouraged me to get after my knee replacement and our current pooch will sleep on that during the day.
The cot ( or a trampoline) is a good investment if you have the room.
You can also make one if you are so inclined.</p>
<p>It’s great, and he really loves it! The main selling point to me was that it didn’t have the flame retardants that are sprayed on most human furniture and dog beds. I am not a fan of them on people furniture (there is actually a move to get rid of them, but for now we are stuck with them), but I particularly did not want it for something my dog actually licks or eats off of. </p>
<p>There are some inside zippers, but I don’t think they get exposed. </p>
<p>I wish our dog would use a dog bed. I bought him one and he ate part of it. So I’m afraid to buy him another. He likes to sleep on our couch but if one of the kids coats falls of the hook in the hallway he will sleep on that instead.</p>
<p>Haha, my dog is a couch dog too, although he does use his bed. At night though, he often prefers to sleep next to me, especially in the winter. </p>
<p>Check out the Costco beds. I can’t remember if the cover comes off or not, but they last well and they look pretty good. My dogs have beds from Orvis, Costco, West Paw, and LLBean and they like the Orvis and Costco beds the best. I like the look of the Orvis bed the best myself–but it wasn’t cheap.</p>
<p>If you have a digger/needs to be under covers take a look at the cave bed. Our dog had the red one first (cheaper) but it ran and became pink. This time she has the fancier one by Snoozer and is in heaven. She weighs 20lbs and has the large as she is very long and spreads out. It is too big but the small is tiny. She stays in it most of the time on cold days. She also has a less expensive ortho bed with a comforter to dig into in another room so she moves from one to the other. Having two might help with the dragging around and getting dirty. Ours is also 7 yrs and a good sleeper. When we turn the heat down at night I put a sweater on her as she is so close to the floor.</p>
<p>West Paw is the BEST. The products are made in Bozeman Montana – in fact they are made by one of my former employees who went out there to college, stopped out, and I recommended her to West Paw! </p>
<p>A good dog bed is not cheap and can run $100-300 depending on size and fabric. There are lots and lots of brands out there. If you are looking for squishy cozy and soft but supportive, we do well with the beds from Worldwise and they are not horrifically expensive.</p>
<p>$300 is a lot of money for a dog bed. $20-30 should be enough to get something decent for a pet. A cardboard box with an old pillow and clean blanket will work too.</p>
<p>This Friday (yah I know BLACK Friday) Petsmarts have their dog beds 50% off. My big mutt is a chewer so I am going to buy her the bed by Kong. As durable as their chew toys.</p>
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