# Question about Dog Beds



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Tesia has never had one of those great, round dog beds, with the ledge to rest her head. She has always had my bed, the couch, etc. 

But just now, watching her get up and move from one place to another on the hardwood floor, and slowly letting herself down, I had a pang of guilt. She's on the floor probably because she played a lot of ball earlier - and isn't quite up to leaping onto a bed or crawling up onto the couch. Or maybe she just _wants_ to be on the floor - who knows?

Here's the question: Have any of you introduced a dog bed with success this late in life? She is 11. I tried to introduce an orthopedic bed about 18 months ago - just a flat one that she could lie on to cushion her joints and bones - but she wanted no part of it. But she doesn't have much natural padding on her at all. I'm almost on the verge of going out to buy one - if they'll let me return it if she shows no interest. But I'm interested to hear your experiences. How long might it take her to warm up to it? I really would like her to be comfortable when she's on the floor. And I think she might go for the comfort factor of being surrounded by the ledge and having somewhere to rest her head... 

Thanks. I know it's sort of an odd question.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Yes ,i did, and he loved it, foster and smith, those thick ,large orto, beds, i bought a kuranda,bed a few weeks ago, finally one of my dogs are laying on it, but the others like the foster and smith ones.


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## drloripalooza (Jan 7, 2012)

My brother had great success in introducing a new, cushier dog bed to his older golden, Champie, aged 10. He just took away the old one. I would just make sure I could return it. LLBean, among other stores, has a liberal return policy.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I bought nice orthopedic beds for the senior girls this summer...as Lexi was struggling to get on her chair more and more. 
It took her months before she consented that they are indeed comfy...she will still choose the floor every now and again...but the beds get the nod more and more.


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## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

We have 8 dog beds on our main floor. We just had your typical round/rectangular pillow type beds that all 3 dogs used. We then bought 3 of those round, foam beds (with sides) which they all love....especially Reno. He loves curling up and being all warm and cozy. Last week Austin got mad and decided it would be more fun to rip one of those beds apart than to sleep on it. We replaced that one with a Kong brand bed (no sides, just a pillow type bed).....Reno loves it!!!! It is nice and thick, soft and cushy. If one of the other dogs are on it, he'll go sit on it until they move.

Now that Reno is having trouble jumping up onto the futon, I suspect he'll be using the beds more often.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the input. I've been looking on the LL Bean site - I am looking at the therapeutic dog couch (the one with the ledge) - but it is sold out in both styles. The alternative is the premium dog couch. I wonder how much different the therapeutic one is.

For anyone who has an LL Bean - what size did you buy and how big is your dog? I was going to get Large - she is 55 lbs - but reading the reviews, I'm not leaning towards a Medium... 

I'm going to go investigate Foster and Smith and Karunda.


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## drloripalooza (Jan 7, 2012)

The large LLBean is quite large, but I have an 80 lb Golden. I also have an Orvis bed -- they make nice ones, too.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I swear by the Kuranda beds and our crew loves them. I have several scattered throughout the house. They are great for orthopedic issues, keep them up off the floor, are easily cleaned and disinfected and are pretty indestructible. www.kuranda.com


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Sweet Girl said:


> Thanks for the input. I've been looking on the LL Bean site - I am looking at the therapeutic dog couch (the one with the ledge) - but it is sold out in both styles. The alternative is the premium dog couch. I wonder how much different the therapeutic one is.
> 
> For anyone who has an LL Bean - what size did you buy and how big is your dog? I was going to get Large - she is 55 lbs - but reading the reviews, I'm *now* leaning towards a Medium...
> 
> I'm going to go investigate Foster and Smith and Karunda.


Sorry - the edit function isn't working for me. That was supposed to read, I am NOW leaning towards the medium.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

drloripalooza said:


> The large LLBean is quite large, but I have an 80 lb Golden. I also have an Orvis bed -- they make nice ones, too.


I am so glad to get your perspective. I had swung back to thinking I need the Large. My dog likes to stretch out on her side when she sleeps. But I'm still not sure. And I'm still hesitating because this would be a $200 purchase for something I'm not sure she'll even like - and it would cost me big $$ to return it from Canada.


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

Crumbs you are all lucky, I would LOVE Chester to have a lovely bed but firstly he seems to love being on cool ground even in the cold weather and secondly he tries to make puppies with anything resembling anything padded, slightly padded, cushioned or similar!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Orvis has a very liberal return policy and great customer service.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

LLBean Therapeutic 34x44 - Liberty curled up...








LLBean Therapeutic 34x44 - Tracer stretched out


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Here is the foster and smith bed,we have two.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

my biggest 'complaint' about the LLBean therapeutic bed is that it is like 'bathing a cat' to put the cover on the bed...


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

Since I do not allow Lola up on sofas, beds etc... she has her own soft dog bed- nothing too fancy- Nice and thick- very soft and large enough for her to spread herself out on. She loves it!. The minute I put it down she jumped on it and claimed it hers! In the summer when it is hot- she likes the cool tiles on the downstairs floor.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

This is the kuranda bed,xl.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I made my own doggie orthopedic bed. I bought a memory foam matress topper than cut it down to the size I wanted. I bought fabric and made a slip cover to cover the topper with. Lucky would not use an actual dog bed but he loved his home made beds. Mine are also much thicker than the actual orthopedic doggie beds. Plus cheaper too.

My yorkies are allowed on the furniture (beds, recliners, sofas) at my parents who dog sit for me while at work but Lucky never was and neither is Buddy now. The home made bed for him now is 4.5' x 3.5' I think- Not including his body pillow as a headrest. All 5 dogs fit on it.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Wow - thanks for all the photos! They are so helpful! Your pups all look so happy on their beds! Here is the one I am considering...

Therapeutic Dog Couch: Dog Bed Sets | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean

It is sold out in the Large right now. There are other variations, too - fleece, non-therapeutic. But this is the one I think Tee _might_ like. But _might_ is tough for $200!

LibertytMe: I read that same complaint in a LOT of the LL Bean customer reviews! Hard to put the bolster beds together - and hard to take the cover off and get it back on after washing. 

MikeTallulah: I LOVE the idea of making an orthopedic bed! Especially since it wouldn't cost me $200! Where did you buy the memory foam?


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sweet Girl said:


> Wow - thanks for all the photos! They are so helpful! Your pups all look so happy on their beds! Here is the one I am considering...
> 
> Therapeutic Dog Couch: Dog Bed Sets | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean
> 
> ...


I bought the memory foam at Walmart. That way I can also make the bed to custom fit the area or dog. My parents have a fireplace (rarely used) in their family room so the bed in that room is huge. I think it is like 6'x 5'. Big enough for dogs and human to watch TV in since Buddy is not allowed on the furniture.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

WalMart!! I never would have thought to look there - even though that's where I got the orthopedic foam pad that I cut to fit the back seat of my car for her! :doh:

Thanks for the tip!! I'm definitely going to go see what they have and figure out if my non-existant sewing skills could take on this project!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sweet Girl said:


> WalMart!! I never would have thought to look there - even though that's where I got the orthopedic foam pad that I cut to fit the back seat of my car for her! :doh:
> 
> Thanks for the tip!! I'm definitely going to go see what they have and figure out if my non-existant sewing skills could take on this project!


For a quick bed just sew 3 sides together with sewing machine and then use buttons to keep it together. You could also use the iron on velco strips and have a velco closure. I use a zipper for closure of the 4th side.

No sew method would be cut the edges of the fabric into strips and then tie together. 

Your pups won't care what it looks like.


Your pup won't care what I looks it.


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## Vanfull (Jan 20, 2012)

Maybe you could make one or buy a cheap one just to give it a try before you put out lots of money for one? 

My dogs have a really good quality one with a thick pad and a nice back on it that is big enough for both of them, one that I made cheap with fleece and stuffing, and one that I happened to pick up on clearance at the pet store for under $20. They will use all the beds and don't seem to have any preference. Honestly I think they spend more time on the rug in front of the door than on the dog beds!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Well, I'm definitely grateful to MikaTallulah for the Walmart suggestion! I bought a single bed sized memory foam ($45) and a fitted sheet ($7). Folded the memory foam in half and covered it. My dog has laid on it a few times, but I feel like she's doing it to please me. Last night, she did lie down on it on her own, but she never stays for long. 

Glad I didn't go for the $200+ bed from LLBean!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sweet Girl said:


> Well, I'm definitely grateful to MikaTallulah for the Walmart suggestion! I bought a single bed sized memory foam ($45) and a fitted sheet ($7). Folded the memory foam in half and covered it. My dog has laid on it a few times, but I feel like she's doing it to please me. Last night, she did lie down on it on her own, but she never stays for long.
> 
> Glad I didn't go for the $200+ bed from LLBean!


It took Buddy awhile to lay on the dog bed on his own. Before I rescued him he had never had a dog bed before but would lay on a beat up recliner that I would have put out for the garbage men. He loves it now. After a long hike he practically crawls onto it. Give it time.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

MikaTallulah said:


> It took Buddy awhile to lay on the dog bed on his own. Before I rescued him he had never had a dog bed before but would lay on a beat up recliner that I would have put out for the garbage men. He loves it now. After a long hike he practically crawls onto it. Give it time.


I will definitely keep it for her - I hope she grows to like it. I think it would be so much more comfortable than the floor! She does still choose my bed most of the time, which is fine, but I just like to give her an alternative to the floor.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sweet Girl said:


> I will definitely keep it for her - I hope she grows to like it. I think it would be so much more comfortable than the floor! She does still choose my bed most of the time, which is fine, but I just like to give her an alternative to the floor.


I just can't see spending +$200 on a dog bed. That is a lot of treats, coats, etc.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

MikaTallulah said:


> I just can't see spending +$200 on a dog bed. That is a lot of treats, coats, etc.


I would have if I could have been sure she'd use it - or if it would not have cost me big bucks to return it (which it would have). I know she would have loved the security of the bolsters in the LLBean one; I'm not talented enough to make bolsters on the bed I made her.

Now, she did lie on it last night when I was watching TV... and she even stretched out on her side for the first time. Progress!


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Sweet Girl said:


> I would have if I could have been sure she'd use it - or if it would not have cost me big bucks to return it (which it would have). I know she would have loved the security of the bolsters in the LLBean one; I'm not talented enough to make bolsters on the bed I made her.
> 
> Now, she did lie on it last night when I was watching TV... and she even stretched out on her side for the first time. Progress!


Success


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