Dog Lover Community

A good dog bed or cat bed is an important item for any owner looking to pamper their pet. There’s a wide selection available to suit anyone’s needs and budget. Today’s pet beds are functional according to a pet’s needs and fashionable according to the owner’s taste.

Many beds are bought simply for necessity. In some cases, that necessity is the owner’s need to get the pet off their own bed. These beds are relatively cheap and easily replaceable. It’s no big loss if the dog or cat turns up their nose, soils it or even tears it apart. Many pets seem to react this way to any new item introduced into their territory, so the practical pet owner will want to get this type of bed. Breed size will also determine what type of bed. There are two basic kinds: pillow beds and nest beds. Pillow beds are large and flat and are ideal for big breeds that need room to stretch out. Nest beds have a wall around them and are much smaller, so they are great for small breeds of dog and cats that need to feel safe and secure.

Sometimes, an owner will go that extra mile (and an extra $100) to get their pet a luxury bed. These beds are also functional and sometimes are made to be as comfy as a human mattress. Many stores today offer the service of custom making a luxury bed that matches the owner’s home d

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Selecting a mattress is a very personal thing. There are many options from the very inexpensive available off the shelf at discount stores to the very expensive made to order specialty products. You know that this is something you will be using every single day for the next five to ten years so most consumers put some thought into their selection.

You consider size of your room and size needed for comfort. You weight the options on spring count and adjustability. All of these options are specifically designed to meet different consumers’ needs for a good night’s sleep.

Have you ever considered you dog’s specific needs for comfortable rest? Senior dogs over the age of 10 are similar to a seventy-year-old person. Can you imagine Grandpa curled up on the floor for the evening? How about Grandma climbing into a waterbed with a two-foot frame? Or better yet, imagine her trying to get out!

If your older dog currently sleeps on the floor or in a cardboard box with blankets, his discomfort would be similar to these scenarios. It is even worse for a senior dog as they spend a good portion of the day at rest.

Consider Your Dog’s Sleep Style

Like every person, every dog has a certain style to sleeping. Whether trained or individual nature, these idiosyncrasies should be observed and noted prior to purchasing a dog bed.

Does your dog curl up in a ball?

Does he hang his head over the edge?

Does he like to be able to rest his head with a view of the entire room?

Does he sprawl and stretch out completely?

Does he sleep in a kennel?

Does he like to stay warm under the blankets?

Does he avoid the bed because he needs to cool off?

Does your dog shed or have any other disorder that will cause the bed to need constant cleaning?

Specific Beds for Sleep Styles

By observing your pet, you will have a better idea of what product to look for as his daily comfortable resting place.

A dog that sleeps in a tight curled up position might prefer a round bed with sides. Beds with sides are great for dogs that like to hang their head over the edge. Make sure the sides aren’t too high or there is a lower opening so that your dog won’t have to jump to get in and out. Measure your dog when his is comfortably sleeping. Use the inside dimensions and compare to this measurement to choose the right size bed for your dog.

If your dog likes his head on a pillow, try a lounge bed or couch. Again consider the height for comfort.

If your dog is a sprawler, consider a large flat bed. Be sure to measure the entire length of your dog at rest to get an idea of how much space he is using so you can select the correct size.

If your older dog has slept in a kennel his entire life, it is good to know that there are beds specifically designed for use in dog crates. Often these will have padded sides for extra comfort.

Orthopedic beds are often a good choice for a senior dog as they are designed with special high-density foam for additional comfort and cushion for your dog’s aching bones and joints. Firm, orthopedic foam is egg-shell shaped to evenly distribute weight and provide extra comfort. The foam holds its shape for a longer time and will not need to be replaced as often as beds with traditional polyfil or cedar chips. The foam tends to provide additional warmth too so if you live in a warmer climate, your dog may prefer a cooling bed like the Canine Cooler to the traditional orthopedic bed. However if your dog is extremely sensitive to cold or suffering from arthritis, a heated dog bed might provide the extra comfort he needs.

If your dog has a shedding or odor problem, make certain the cover of the bed is removable and washable. Some products such as the Canine Cooler are a great choice because wiping down with a cloth easily cleans them.

Copyright 2006 Dave Eckholm/Old Dog Paws

Dave Eckholm is the owner and creator of http://www.olddogpaws.com, a site dedicated to the care and comfort of our old friends. As our dog Tikki began to lose his eyesight and became grey around his muzzle, we were concerned for his quality of life. As a senior dog, he started to have special needs. We searched for new ideas, resources and products to enhance his life. Old Dog Paws shares this information, including a national pet sitter directory, with all dog lovers so your friend can enjoy wonderful senior years too!

Tags: arthritis, bedding, comfort, dog bed, dog health, old dog, older dog, orthopedic, senior dog, sleepingarthritis, bedding, comfort, dog bed, dog health, old dog, older dog, orthopedic, senior dog, sleeping

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Who doesn’t love to travel with their dogs? Some of us do not just bring our dogs to walk in the park, we also love to bring them with us wherever we go. Our dogs are our very best friends.

When we go visiting our friends or on an outing, we bring along our beloved dog with us. Most often, we travel to our destination by car.

Most of the time, our dog will be sitting in the rear seat of the car.

As a dog owner, we know that dogs have some undesirable habits. Firstly, dogs tends to drool and the saliva would be dripping onto your leather seat of your car. When you do not clean it immediately and the saliva dries up, it would cause a terrible stain mark on your beautiful car seat. It is very unsightly. Furthermore, you have to use a special car leather stain removal product to undo the damage. Hence, it is time consuming and costly if you are going to bring your dog out.

Secondly, dogs sometimes leave their paw prints behind on your seat. That will cause a ugly mark on your car seat too. To make things worse, sometimes the dog moves around in the car and its sharp paws would certainly scratch your car seat. That is permanant damage to your car seat. The only solution is to change your car seat cover and this can cost an arm and a leg sometimes.

Thirdly, if you do not clean your dog before letting him into the car, your dog will bring along mud, grass and dirt from outside of the car and onto your car seat. Can you imagine the time you’ll have to spend vacuuming and cleaning your car seat every time you bring your dog out? And what happens when it is a rainy day? Your car seat will be a huge mess of mud, grass, dirt and rain that is brought in by your dog. It dirties your expensive upholstery or even your brand new leather seat cover that you just got installed.

Not only that, what if you have kids who sit at the rear of your car? They will be exposed to the dirt and germs that are brought in by the dogs.

Fourthly, if your dog is too short to look out of the window, he would find ways to increase his height to see what is happening outside the car. So, your dog may stand on your leather arm rest and scratch the leather in the process of doing so. As you know, once your leather is scratched, there is nothing much you can do but to change to a new one. That is costly as compared to getting dog car seat cover.

Fifthly, when you make a turn or stop at the traffic light, sometimes your dog will slide off the car seat. This may cause unnecessary injury to your dog, and you would spend more money to bring your dog to see the vet. And if your dog suffers a serious injury, it is definitely too high a price to pay for a simple trip with your beloved dog. With a dog seat cover in place, it is safer for your dog as it is unlikely for your dog to slide off the seat.

Dogs are intelligent animals. If your dog had the bad experience of sliding around the back seats when you made a sharp turn, it will learn to find its own grip the next time you make a sudden turn or step on the brakes abruptly. It will learn to grip your car seat with its paws. Thus, it would scratch your car seat and cause permanent marks on the car seats.

If you don’t want scratches or holes in your seat covers, you need to prevent your dog from getting to them with its teeth and nails. But don’t even think of using discarded bedsheets or blankets to cover the seats. These don’t work very well — your dog can easily move them around and more often than not, the sheets will end up in one corner and your seats will be exposed. Use a proper dog seat cover and you’ll never face this problem!

In conclusion, buying a dog seat cover for your dog is good investment for your car, your dog and yourself. You can protect both of your beloved car seat and your dog.

Copyright 2006 Taylor Fox

Taylor Fox is the owner of the Seat Covers for Dogs site. Find all the tips and advice for seat covers for dogs at

http://www.seatcoversfordogs.com

Seat Covers for Dogs is the sister site of http://www.customsheepskinseatcovers.com .

This article is available for reprint in your ezine, website or e-book. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included WITH A LIVE LINK back to our website.

Tags: automobile, car, dog, dog bed, dog carrier, dog food, leather, seat cover, training basics, travelautomobile, car, dog, dog bed, dog carrier, dog food, leather, seat cover, training basics, travel

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