Do Dogs Really Like Dogs Beds (Do Dogs Prefer Hard Or Soft Beds)?

The quickest answer to this question is yes, and the explanation is straightforward: dogs are animals that like living in dens, meaning that they cherish relaxation spots very much. So, when you give your dog a warm, cozy bed, they will feel comfortable staying or sleeping on it.

Naturally, a dog will find the hard floor a very comfortable place to sleep. However, if they get a soft, warm, and comfy place, they will like it and choose to sleep there.

This article will shed light on the best reasons why you need a good bed for your dog. You will also be opened up to the different kinds of beds as dictated by the dog market bed. In the end, you will get to know why a dog may not sleep on the bed you bought it.

Why You Should Go For A Good Dog Bed

For one to say they had a good night’s sleep, they need to feel relaxed and rejuvenated when morning comes. That also applies to dogs too. A healthy dog will sleep for at least 12 hours and 18 hours at most every 24 hours, depending on age. Thus, just like you, a dog will need a cozy place to sleep.

While you may find your dog, often or occasionally, snuggling by your side at night, they also need to have a place to lay their heads. These beds will help them relax even when you are not around. If you don’t like it when your dog hops into your bed, you should get them their cozy spot.

If you get a good bed, your pup will get some adequate space to support them well. To enable your dog to have the best experience, think about your own sleep. Doesn’t it feel nice when you get a good bed with a pillow soft enough to support your head? However you feel about it, here are some reasons you should go shopping and get the best bed for your dog.

1. Joint Support

When a dog grows and ages, they start developing joint issues like hip dysplasia and arthritis. To help deal with these bone-related issues, you must get a supportive bed for your dog. The cozy item will help the dog get all the cushioning it needs to feel less pain. Also, growing puppies get the proper joint support, meaning that they rest well.

To get a bed that supports the dog’s joints, you need to go for one with unique fill materials. That type of bed will provide excellent, supportive, and sweet comfort. If the dog has arthritis, the pain will be kept at a minimum during day naps and night sleeps.

2. Better Sleep

Like people, our pups need good sleep so that they stay fit. According to a 2017 study in the Scientific Reports, a dog that gets a good night’s sleep has better chances of having a super memory. This means that they will learn and retain all the commands given, that is, after sleeping comfortably.

Larger breeds and older dogs need a little more sleep than their smaller, younger counterparts. When a cozy bed is provided, the dogs will feel the cushioning, encouraging them to sleep and stay that way throughout the entire night.

3. Relaxation Spot

If you get your dog a cozy bed, you will have given it a little oasis away from the ups, downs, lefts, and rights of your home. As you make your choice, you may want to pick a bed that appropriately fits your pup’s size.

Naturally and apparently, a large dog breed will need a bigger bed as compared to a small one, which will require a tinier bed. You should get a bed which is a size bigger than the breed. This way, the dog will get more space to snooze and stretch out.

4. Ease Of Cleaning

Since dogs track a lot of pests like ticks and fleas, and lots of dirt, it is crucial that you clean their beds. Ensure that you get a bed that comes with a removable cover – you can always toss it to the pile of laundry waiting to be washed. This ensures that the germs, hair, and danger are kept to their minimum.

You may also want to get a bed that can be washed and dried by a machine. This is crucial, more so if you are dealing with young pups going through potty training and aged dogs coping with incontinence issues.

Work On Motivating Your Dog To Sleep In Its Bed

While it may be comforting to sleep with the dog in your bed, it can get your sleep disturbed, especially if it is moving, tossing, and turning. Things could be worse if yours is as large as the Great Dane; that one will surely take much of your space.

The best way to get a dog out of your bed is to get one for the dog. You can even show love to the pup by getting it more than one bed to nap. If you go for several beds, place them in different places in your home. This will encourage your pup to spend more time on the bed than your furniture. You will get less shed hair on your chair and couches. Once you get a good bed for your dog, they will have a single place to stay, and you will get a focus area when cleaning after the canine. 

The Best Dog Bed Types

Where exactly does your pup sleep? Well, you could say the couch or the bed, but those are not the ideal places. As reiterated up to this point, your dog will need a place to call its own – one to lay its head and retreat from all the human drama. So, getting an excellent bed for your dog is actually meeting one of its basic needs. With the different varieties available in the market, making the best choice for a dog bed is quite challenging. However, this section gives you a rundown of dog bed types that will satisfy most dogs.

Dog Bed One: The Standard Type

These types of dog beds look like pillows or cushions that lack rims or edges. You can get them in different colors, materials, sizes, and shapes. The shapes that standard beds come with are square, oval, rectangular, and round. Many of these types of beds come covered with materials like faux suede, microfiber, flannel, denim, and fleece. Often, they have foam padding and a filling made of polyester. Some of these needs come full of cedar chips for insect and odor deterrence. You can get basic-economy standard beds all the way to the expensive designer types depending on what you need. Many of them come with washable, removable covers.

The standard types of beds are excellent for all dog breeds. However, they may not meet dogs’ needs that have orthopedic problems or the older ones.

Dog Bed Two: The Nest Type

These types of dog beds are everything like the standard beds except that they look like nests – their edges are raised. These nest beds come with bolster or rims surrounding a portion of the entire bed. Some nest beds out there in the market look like sofas and couches. The raised edges make it ideal and easy for your pet pup to curl up or lean – just like in a nest. Many dogs that have used these nest beds seem and feel comfortable on them. Also, the pet owners report that their dogs look so adorable nestling in there.

If your dogs like leaning back or curling up, get them a nest bed or a few of them.

Dog Bed Three: The Donut Type

Like nest beds, these ones give an edge or a rim around the bed. To allow the dog to sink in after curling up, the edges are made of a pillow-soft bolster. Many of these beds are typically oval or round, and the makers use soft materials to bring them together. Because of their plushness, these beds are some of the cuddliest options available for dogs.

If your dog likes getting cozy by curling up, this is the type of bed that you should go for since it will serve them well. However, an old, weak dog will find it hard getting out and in of the donut beds because of its plushness.

Dog Bed Four: The Orthopedic Type

For the most part, orthopedic dog beds are designed for dogs that have been diagnosed with an orthopedic problem like arthritis. These beds are made of thick, high-quality foam to provide the extra support that your dog’s body needs. Also, it works to put minimal stress on the pup’s joints. While it will appeal to many dogs, the best groups of dogs to benefit from these orthopedic beds are thin and senior ones. Like all the other dog bed types mentioned, they are available in varied shapes, colors, and sizes.

If your dog is a senior pup or gets diagnosed with an orthopedic problem, it would help if you got them an orthopedic bed. Breeds of bony and thin dogs like the Whippets and Greyhounds should use this bed to prevent calluses and pressure sores.

Dog Bed Five: The Kennel Type

As their name suggests, these beds are made and meant to fit kennels and crates of many sizes, forms,  and shapes. This is a more practical option to take than using bulky blankets. It is also better to get the dog a kennel bed than using thin disposable pads or papers – which are less comfortable. If your pet pup likes staying in its kennel, this is an essential bed to get.

The bed, which are also called crate beds, will fit all types of dog breeds. If you’re dealing with a bony, thin, or old dog, you should ensure that these beds are present in their crates or kennels.

Dog Bed Six: The Raised Type

Several companies and manufacturers put together beds which are raised on any kind of floor. Some of them are nest, orthopedic, or standard beds, and others are merely mattresses fixed inside a raised frame. When the raised bed is being made, its frame may be plastic, metallic, wooden, or wicker-made.

Other types of beds are made to bear the look of a dog-sized sofa. Some manufacturers work on the more subtle, smaller details. This means that you can have your dog’s furniture matching yours. The one plus of getting a raised bed is that it keeps some space between the dog and the dirty, cold floor. Also, insects will have a hard time overcoming the raised item invading your dog’s space.

The noteworthy thing is that dogs experiencing or living with orthopedic-like problems won’t find the raised beds appropriate. Other dogs like the dachshunds, which are prone to getting back problems, should not use the items. Those groups of dogs may feel uncomfortable jumping from the bed.

Dog Bed Seven: The Covered Type

Hooded or covered dog beds give dogs places to snuggle up. These beds can provide dogs with the plushest retreat places. Some of these covered beds will come made entirely of plush, and others may consist of a standard bed type or a wicker basket in the inside of a rigid house. A hooded dog bed is cutely unique and is a special place for your dog to live in.

These types are excellent for all dogs regardless of the breed. However, pet owners of small dog breeds have an inclination and an affinity for them. If your dog is a little too shy, it may like hiding in a covered bed.

Dog Bed Eight: The Heated Type

If you wish to set your dog up in a warmer-than-warm place, heated beds are an excellent way to go. If your dog has achy joints, a heated bed will work very well for it, especially if orthopedic features are also combined. These bed types operate in the same way as electric blankets and heating pads.

Another exciting thing is that they come designed with particular safety and protective features for your dog. However, you need to stick to the instructions given by the manufacturer.

Any dog breeds can immensely benefit from heated beds. However, the ones that benefit the most include tiny and thin dogs. If your dog is the outdoor type of canine, the heated bed will help it better during winter.

Why Would A Dog Not Sleep On Its Bed?

At this point, you have shopped, you know, till you dropped. You have taken most of your time choosing a bed for your friend carefully. You are sure that they will spend all their time there. Then, instead of getting cozy on the gift you bought them, the dog chooses to sleep on the floor – even worse – next to its new bed. This is a scenario that happens to many people.

Many dog owners bring up this question among themselves, wondering why their canine buddies ignore their new beds and instead rest on the floor. But, you have nothing to worry about because the ‘why‘ investigation is complete. It is time to look closely at the reasons and get the ‘bed-abandoning mystery’ solved.

In a nutshell, dogs reject and ignore their beds for the same reasons people give for not finding their new mattresses comfortable. Here are five of them:

1. There Is An Issue With The Temperatures

Your pup may be saying that the bed is either a little too cold or a little too hot. This variation in temperatures could be because of the location you chose to place the bed. If it is summer, the bed – which you think is comfy – may be a little overstuffed, and thus, it will be holding a little too much heat. For the dog, the floor may be feeling cooler, and that is what it wants. If it is wintertime, the dog will need more than enough warmth, which the bed probably won’t give. So, it may proceed and get a spot on your floor, either near sunshine or a heater. This will help them get the warmth they need.

If you want your dog to use its bed, think about moving it to a warm spot. This will only work during the colder times, and things may change for the dog when summer comes. You should get a raised bed (with mesh) to allow the circulation of cool air when the dog is sleeping. While this tactic may not be entirely foolproof, it will work to your advantage.

2. You May Have Made A Mistake When Choosing The Bed Size

Dogs love comfort and security, meaning that their bed should give them both of those things. However, bringing a small-sized bed will not give them ultimate comfort. The dog will not feel like the bed is not meant for them if its feet or nose are hanging off. The canine will then opt to sleep on the floor, taking take complete control over the space.

Sometimes, the opposite thing may happen. The bed that you get may be a little too big. You may genuinely think that getting your dog a bigger bed is doing it a favor – think again! Some dogs will comfortably curl up in the middle of a huge bed, but many want one that is neither bigger nor smaller. Knowing what the dog wants is purely a matter of chance, since, well, they don’t speak!

Before you buy the bed, you need to pay attention to the sleeping position of your dog. This will open you up to the total surface area of sleep, which you should measure. The dog may also like a nest bed type with raised rims to make it feel secure or a cushion to allow it to stretch fully and relax its entire body.

3. The Bed You Bought May Be Giving The Pup Zero Comfort

If your furry canine friend loves sleeping on its bed and then decides to floor itself, take your time and observe. Is the dog finding it hard to stand, sit, or jump? Is it getting older? If that is the situation, the dog is looking for something to deal with the bed’s discomfort. It is either that or the dog has some health issue. So, go to the vet and talk about the dog’s behavior.

If the pup has a clean bill of health, it could be that the bed is uncomfortable for them, making them sleep on the floor. Check the bed to see if it has any flat spots that may not make the dog happy. Also, ensure that the fabric is still intact and is not worn out. If it is a new bed, the dog may be finding the new material a little too slippery or itchy. If you think the dog does not like her bed’s texture, try and pull its favorite blanket over the bed.

4. The Dog Has Been Used To Flooring Itself

If your dog is a recent addition to the family, it may be that it used to sleep and nap on the floor – it never got the chance to sleep on a bed – this may be the case if the dog is newly adopted. For this kind of situation, you need to coax the pup with praise and treats. This will help the dog to warm up and get accustomed to its bed.

But the wheedling may never work – the dog may floor itself.

5. You Have Placed The Dog In The Wrong Area

The one thing you should have in mind is that your dog loves you – they love when they sleep close to you, even in a deep sleep. Since the two of you share a special bond, the dog’s bed needs to be close to you. If not, the dog will sleep near you and under your feet. Alternatively, it will abandon the dislocated bed and rest on the floor.

The point here is that you should ensure that the dog’s bed and yours are in the same location. Put the canine’s bed where the animal usually spends its nighttime. This will encourage the dog to go to bed when the right time comes. This should work well, and the bed will start being utilized.