1yr old dog.. Is it worth buying a dog bed

[Boltonlass1972]

When our dog was a pup we had a plastic dog bed with cushion which he did lie in some of the time. Since he's grown too big for it he now sleeps anywhere.. Sofa, floor etc. Although I have washable throws on the sofa, the carpet starts to smell doggy. Is it worth buying the next size bed up or will it be a waste of money do you think? Dunno how he would respond to keep being put in his bed etc. He is home alone whilst we are at work so I'm guessing in those times he would just sleep where he jolly well wanted. What are people's experience of dog beds?

Yes, buy a really expensive dog bed for the dog to ignore and then get a cat to lie in the dog bed

..err, take that as a no then lol?

Mine sit/sleep on it during the day but at night they're always in bed with us. I'd get one, unless you don't mind him on the sofa with you all the time.

I'd say yes, because I know that my dog likes to have 'her' spot and is restless if her bed isn't available in the evening. Having said that, she's currently taking up half the bottom of our bed, with 5yo dd in the middle, singing songs!

Mine loves her bed to the point we've had to buy two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs as she was trying to drag the first one around with her otherwise.

It's nice for them to have a space that's just theirs. I would go for a soft bed rather than the plastic outer type ones, and to encourage the dog to use it, try giving them a daily treat or chew in the bed.

yes- nice for them to have their own space. My 10 yo has used one on and off over the years. TK Maxx always seem to have loads.

I have three even though he sleeps on my bed/sofa. He loves them all, they are incredibly useful for certain situations and he is trained to go to your bed and stay - useful when wet etc.

yes , mine has 3 and uses them all the time

My dog chewed up beds when he was a puppy so he just had a pile of blankets on the floor , he also sleeps on sofas / beds . However he likes to sit in the conservatory so last year ,when he was 5, we bought a dog sofa bed for the conservatory and a snuggle cushion bed for the lounge and he uses them loads . He now has a very large cushion bed in the lounge and he actually chooses to sleep on it rather than the sofa .

do get the most comfortable dog bed you can - bearing in mind the breed/size and ease of washing (if he is an active dog. )
the ones with the raised sides are best as they can hang their head over the side to look pitiful.

It is also a good idea to have bed in a quiet/safe corner without too much passing traffic where the dog can 'go to' under orders when you have lots of activity and visitors.
I have two beds for my lurcher so that if one gets wet he has a dry place to lie or in case of accidents one can be in the wash but he still has a comfortable bed to lie on.
Unless you are happy with doggy smells on furniture I would always opt for a dog bed.

these are very good beds and easy to wash the covers (which zip right off)
www.wolfybeds.co.uk/
other dog beds are available

One of mine doesn't need one as she'll happily bed down on an old duvet.

The other one constantly gets himself in a pickle raking duvets up, fiddling around with them... He has a heavy memory foam bed to prevent this.

So I guess depends on dog. I think some beds can look v nice in a room too.

agree about old duvets -they start off looking fine and at the end of the day (depending on the dog) can look like a heap of old rags!
a nice dog bed (home to a nice dog even if he is lying legs akimbo) can enhance any home environment

I win! My dog has 6 beds

In my defence, they are in different rooms of the house as she likes to keep me company whichever room I'm in!