# Does your dog sleep on a dog bed?



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I bought a big soft comfy bed for my Bridge Boy Sam when we first brought him home as a puppy. He never used it, didn't like it. He loved sleeping on the brick hearth until he was too large to fit and then he moved to the slate foyer. It was only at the end when he became arthritic that he would lie on rugs and sleep on the old dog bed that we'd saved from his puppy days. Fast forward to Ike and he has followed the same pattern...brick fireplace to the slate foyer. I do have Sam's old bed out in our garage and Ike will lie on it occasionally, but in the house he prefers the hard cool surfaces.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

I know mine wouldn't use it, they prefer the floor because it's cool. They are always hot and they best place is the ceramic tile in the pantry. In the winter they may start on the sofa but will move to either the front door or the sliding glass door. It is cold in those spots but that is where they go, if they get cool they go back to the sofa or Kirby has her x-large hassock (by the window).


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I bought a cushy pillow bed for Jacks. He tore it up. I decided not to buy another. 

He sleeps on my bed during the day. And most of the night. My spoiled baby.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Ranger is super spoiled. He has a bed for almost every room he spends time in - my bedroom, the living room (arranged so he can see into the kitchen too) and the upstairs office. He'll occasionally sleep on the hardwood or linoleum if he's hot but most of the time he prefers his bed(s). His elbow callouses are big enough so I try to encourage him to always go on a bed...

Oh, and it took Ranger about 3 months before he'd sleep on his then-new bed. I don't think he knew what a dog bed was! Then it went all lumpy and he got a new bed. Once again, it took him about 2 months before he'd sleep in his new bed. But now he doesn't look back! He LOVES his new bed and will usually end up there in the middle of the night, even if he starts out on MY bed!


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## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

Tried the bed at first and same as some others it just got ripped up and dragged around. Both of mine sleep on the floor and seem very comfortable, they like to stretch out when they sleep as opposed to curling up.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Tucker has 2 large comfortable beds he uses mainly in the winter months, but the rest of the year he prefers the cool hardwood floor. He has grown more and more intolerant to heat as he has gotten older so I got him a Cool Bed and he loves it. They really do work and are very comfortable.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=79042


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## mcgorman (Apr 8, 2009)

Genny only uses her bed during the winter. In the summer she is very happy with the hardwood floor. It is always available to her but she hardly ever uses it in the summer.


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## xSLZx (Jul 25, 2010)

Well, currently it's just a blanket! Our dog loves to chew up his beds *rolls eyes*, so the last one he had, i gave him a blanket, in the winter i covered him up with it... so it became "his" blanket...and he'd use it to lay on (ontop of his bed). After the recent move, i decided to just throw his bed out since it was all chewed up/stuffing hanging out. Haven't gotten around to getting him a new one! He's just been sleeping on his 'blanket'.


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## katelyn29 (Jul 21, 2010)

When Dakota was a puppy he slept on a bed occasionally, but usually prefers the hardwood floors. He does like to jump on the couch and sleep, but for the most part I think he enjoys that hard surface. He would sleep on our bed every night if he had that option, and I would let him, if there were room. He sleeps on the ground right beside me, there is a bed there, but he usually just sleeps on the carpet.


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

Merlin sleeps on the hard floor year round. Occasionally he'll sleep on his dog bed, or our bed, but it's usually the floor.....upside down.


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## vixen (Jul 26, 2008)

Max has his own bed with a double duvet in his own room. He sleeps in that or in the middle of living room floor. In the summer its his bed orthe kitchen floor.


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## Wimbles (Mar 25, 2010)

Hector has different places for different times of the day.

During the day it's the hardwood floor, at night it's the settee and if he's got a treat or it's OUR dinner time he goes into his XL sheepskin bed.

He isn't spoiled TOO much!


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

The big king-sized mattress attached to a headboard is Toby's bed. He "allows" his Mom and Dad to share it with him. Any other bed is promptly shaken to death by Sir Tobyness....:uhoh:


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

We have 3 large pillows in our bedroom and the dogs do sleep on them.....Reno sleeps on one every night; Austin may start there but usually ends up somewhere else (ie. the futon in my office) and Lincoln may start there but 98% of the time, he ends up on our bed!!! 

We also have a pillow in the X-pen that Lincoln likes to lie on when he's having a snack.......


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

My dogs sleep in my bed, but sometimes one will move onto a dog bed or even the floor if he gets too warm with his long, thick coat.


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## Momx3 (Aug 18, 2010)

Our breeder told us that she used extra tiles from her floor to put in the crates with her dogs because they liked the cold floor so much! Then again, we live in FL.


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## gldnlvr (Jun 21, 2010)

Cash is laying on his as I type. Most often you will find him in the kitchen on top of my heater vent that currently blows cool air. T osee if he would like one try a blanket folded up for awhile and see if he lays on it.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

We have 3 large dog beds and two small ones in our bedroom, two dog beds in the livingroom and they have their very own sofa and recliner in the dining/dog room. They still prefer to share the bed with me. But they move around depending on how hot or cold it is. In the winter they will all curl up together on the dog beds to stay warm.


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## caligal (Jul 28, 2010)

funny you asked this.. I was thinking the same thing as you. Ouch hard floor! Anyway went out yesterday and bought the Kong XXL doggie pillow and brought it home. Davis looked at it and I told him to lie down and he did. He took a nice long nap and then later another. He really likes it, but last night he got off and stretched out on the floor. Early this morning he curled up on it again.
Also, Petsmart said if he didn't like it or tore it up, I could return it.


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## firedancer722 (Apr 12, 2010)

Hmm.. so it seems most people's dogs sleep on the floor rather than a dog bed. I do like the idea of trying a folded blanket to see if he will lay down on it. I guess I should probably just put the money towards his allergy testing, but I want him to be comfortable because we have so few carpeted areas in this house. I guess I'll just wait and see where he spends him time this winter (on the rug or tile floors) and go from there.  

Thanks for all the input!!  

Candace


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

We made a bed for our guy out of expensive memory foam. He sleeps on the floor ):


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## EvilNessCroft (Feb 17, 2009)

Molly prefers her blanket or the couch! :


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

It depends of the weather--or how hot they feel. Sometimes it is cooler and more comfortable to be on the hard cool surface. My beloved Subiaco would spend most of the night in my soft chair in the bedroom in the winter, but if he got too hot, he would go to the hardwood floor. Our new 4 month old either likes to sleep on the tile by the fireplace during the day when it is hot, otherwise he goes to his nice cushy bed in the living room


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

Hi Candace,
We have a bunch of dog beds for Katie as well, and she does use them - but not always or consistently. Like many people have described, she starts on the hardwood floor beside the bed, then at some point she goes onto her bed for an hour or two and then she ends up getting up onto my bed (where I proceed to contort my body to ensure her comfort!!). 
So if I were you, and you wanted to try a bed - maybe buy something cheaper...a walmart brand or costco just to gadge Charlie's interest. That way, if he doesn't use it, it was not a huge expense - and if he does use it, then you can begin to save for something better and more practical for his joints as he ages. Even a folded up duvet or blanket would be a good idea (I think you mentioned that though!!)
During the day, Katie generally avoids her beds, and just chooses the couch or plops herself over the a/c vent or next to the door draft. 

But yea, no matter what you decide, I would not invest a lot at this point - at least until you know whether Charlie would like it! 
I hope you two are doing well 

Kim


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## MittaBear (Mar 9, 2010)

All of my dogs have always loved sleeping on the cold hard floor, especially in the summer. They'll sometimes sleep on their dog beds. Chester has a soft mat in his crate, but he usually ends up just pushing it off to the side and sleeping on the bottom part of the crate.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

My dog has free access to all couches and beds - and yet sometimes, she chooses the floor (cooler, as so many above suggested). So while, like you, I look at her and think, "really? Wouldn't you prefer the bed/couch/foamy bed I bought you/carpet..." I figure she'll do as she's happiest


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## 2DogsN3Cats (May 25, 2010)

Max has a blankie that he carries around the house. I normally just toss it on the floor on my side of the bed where he sleeps but he never sleeps on the blankie he just falls asleep on top of my sandals with the blankie in his mouth. As of last night our bed has been officially vacated by all dogs. Franklin has decided he likes sleeping curled up with Max better. Haha more room for me in bed!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank doesn't. He sleeps on the floor. I bought a dog bed but all he wants to do is chew on it and pull it around the room. I put it up and will try it again when he's older.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Regarding the dragging around comments a few people have made: Ranger only did that with our border collie's bed in the office, but never with his own. My reasoning was that it didn't smell like "Ranger" so he thought it was a toy. Poor old border collie sometimes got dragged IN the bed while Ranger played with it! One time, Ranger dragged it outside (no one saw) and we went out a few hours later to find the border collie sleeping in it outside...I guess he saw it as his way of getting away from Ranger!

When our border collie passed away, I put one of Ranger's blankets from his kennel over the bc's bed...Ranger gradually started to sleep on it and hasn't dragged it around since. It's now "his" bed. And one time I bought a new bed for Ranger, his buddy Blue came over and started rolling around in it before Ranger had even put one paw in it. Ranger never laid down in that bed after that; he just dragged it around and around. I gave it to Blue and bought Ranger a new one and put his blanket in it and he eventually started sleeping in it.


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## Neeko13 (Jul 10, 2010)

Both my boyz have dog beds, they sleep in every nite, I also put one of those bed reading pillows behind them on their bed ...(propped up against the bureau) and they curl up inside it....fits like a glove....:


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