Your Questions


Choosing the right dog bed can be a minefield, with so many products to decide between.  Our advice pages are a great place to start, as well as the reviews from our testers.   We’ve also posted some of our readers’ questions here with our answers.  If you have something else we could help with, use the ‘contact us’ form to get in touch and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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Dog Bed Advisor – real reviews?

We’re a small team of enthusiasts with 8 dogs between us. We've also got a much wider team of other dog-owners with experience to share in trying dog beds and offering advice on all sorts of dog problems and needs.
We’re run by a little company called ‘Advisor People’ - again a small team, who pride themselves on trying to cut through advertising, sponsored reviews or fake reviews on the web to give honest advice and opinions on products. Our other websites specialise in bedding (for humans!) with www.pillowadvisor.co.uk and www.duvetadvisor.co.uk. We’ve also got a small team who are passionate about hairdryers - www.hairdryeradvisor.co.uk.
Our reviews show the best dog beds we’ve tried and tested. These hopefully cover most needs and are from a wide range of retailers, so we’re not biased towards any particular make or brand. Providing good advice and real opinions is what is important to us, and hopefully useful for our readers.

Puppy Sleep

We have found that in those first few weeks, the best dog beds for puppies are those that are warm, cosy and make them feel secure (preferably with sides rather than a mattress) as they will be missing their Mum. A waterproof, or washable dog bed is essential and one that is indestructible is great when they are 6 months plus and pretty boisterous. If you have the budget we would suggest buying a cheaper cosy bed for the first few months and then go for a tougher dog bed when your puppy has settled in to your home and started chewing!
For more advice on vet beds (useful for little puppies) and crates, read our advice page on Types of Dog Beds.

Types of Dog Beds

Hi Tracy,
It honestly depends what you're looking for. Many dog bed manufacturers offer good quality or good value dog beds without the brand name tag. What we have found though is the well-known ‘brands’ tend to go the extra mile on the aesthetics. For example, Joules offer a navy dog bed with a pretty floral print that is unlike any sold in Pets at Home and may look particularly good in front of the fire in your living room. Barbour offer their classic British style beds, not dissimilar to their coats.
For us though, if it is robust, washable and big enough for your dog to stretch out then the rest is down to personal taste.

Older dogs

As our dogs get older, they tend to slow down and can struggle with a number of different ailments. Common issues are joint problems, arthritis, Hip dysplasia and incontinence. Therefore, we would recommend beds that provide good support and those that are waterproof.
Memory foam or orthopedic beds are particularly supportive and we recommend you read some of our reviews of these beds here. We would suggest you think carefully before buying a raised bed or one that they need to climb in, as this will be more difficult for an elderly dog with mobility issues.

Dog beds, pet beds or cat beds?

Hi Harry,
Yes, sure you can. Essentially it’s just labelling - they are all really 'pet beds' and in the same way, a cat bed could also be very suitable for a small dog. It’s not uncommon for dogs and cats in the same household to share a bed. Many small or toy breed dogs have similar bed needs to a cat.
We have found that cats prefer the cosy, warm beds rather than anything more practical but certainly some of the igloo / cave type beds we have reviewed here would be purrfect for your puss.

More than one dog bed?

Hi Jasmine,
There's a few reasons you might want more than one dog bed. If you've got more than one dog that's obvious but honestly if your dogs are happy to share a bed, then we can’t see why sharing would be a problem if the bed is big enough. If one dog is more dominant though, it may be wise to get them a bed each to ensure that both dogs get the space and rest they need to stay fit and well.
If you only have one dog, you still might want an additional dog bed for travelling - either to put in the back of the car or crate, or when you're away. We've looked at a few good options for travel and we've put the reviews here: Dog Bed Cushions, Dog Bed Crates and Vet beds for crates and cars too.

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