Advice on dog bed for cocker spaniel puppy

[m0therofdragons]

We pick up our pup in a few weeks and I’ve realised I’ve no idea what size bed or what type would be best. Once fully grown and litter trained I plan to buy a good bed but assume he’ll feel lost in a big bed and likely to have accidents so best to get a smaller puppy size one. Washable and not too pricey. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Many thanks

Are you using a crate? If yes buy some vetbed ... its soft, can be washed and will last the destructive puppy stage.

... something like this can be cut into smaller beds so you have some spare for washing!

www.amazon.co.uk/Marbled-Slip-Rubber-Backing-Machine/dp/B01I02XPVU?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Flattish cardboard box (the sort fruit and veg comes in) with a blanket or vet bed to give him somewhere cosy? Or borrow/buy (often come up secondhand) a small plastic bed and pad it with vet bed?

The cardboard box will probably get shredded and need replacing, but it was free so...

Or just ask the breeder what they recommend (and if you can give them a piece of vet bed to get the litter scent all over, to comfort the puppy on his first night in his new home.

We had a 30” crate for ours. We got the Ellie Bo one which has a divider to make it smaller when she was teeny. We got the cushion which went with the bed. We’ve got rid of the crate now but she still sleeps on the cushion. Well kind of on it!!

Fabulous Dog Crate For Your Baby

@BlackSwan I love those but £85 is what I’ll spend once he’s toilet trained. Before that I’m thinking cosy, washable and cheap.

What I really recommend is that you buy a crate and some vet bed gold to fit the base. It's hot machine washable. Get enough for a spare too. The gold one is fleecy and very comfy. And you may find that actually he's likely to instinctively know not to soil his crate.

Vet bed gold

We have a cocker spaniel puppy. We have two pieces of vet bed for his crate, one to use and one to wash. We'll get a bed when he's outgrown the crate.

For our cocker I made a den for him by covering his crate with a blanket or old curtains so it was dark and his own private space. Like others here, I used vet bed, as well as a cheap fleece covered washable bed from the market pet stall that wouldn't matter if it got chewed or wee'd on.

We used a really cheap bed from B & Ms. It was great as we just shoved it in the washing machine plus it. Once older we got him a couple of beds for different rooms. One is a big plastic oval one that's has a cushion in it, the other a flat rectangle one. I've seen some gorgeous beds but a big requirement for us was that it had to be able to go in the washing machine which you cant do with all beds.
I would get pup something cheap until he has grown. Not all dogs like dog beds and some prefer different styles to others.

Take a dog blanket to the breeder so it can gain a familiar smell and then bring it home with the pup.

Crates are great with vet bed (even if you do not want to shut the door)

Cardboard boxes will encourage chewing, and if they do chew a plastic bed it can damage their mouths. And not get if ingested.

So a metal crate will be safer. They may chew the vet bed but loads of dogs don't although they may make holes in it.

When she is bigger I love the hi9 beds

Toppings to suit the dogs personal way of sleeping, cool in summer, warm in winter, really easy to clean and can be folded up if travelling.

We used vet bed at the beginning, it really is great. Dog doesn’t use a bed anymore, we tried different ones but she wasn’t interested.

Fab I’ll get a vetbed then. I wondered if he’d need the comfort of sides but I’m guessing not. I have a blanket to give the breeder when we do our first visit.

Don't judge me... but we had the bumper from lords & labradors with the vet bed in the crate. He still uses the cushion...

I'm actually wondering what we did with the bumper, must be one of the things sitting in our loft waiting for the ebay fairy to turn it into cash.

I bought a lovely Barbour dog bed for my cocker pup. It lasted 6 days until she chewed it to ribbons and pulled the wadding out. Definitely get something cheap and cheerful at this stage.

@BlackSwan I can completely see how that could happen! I’ve been toy shopping already and we haven’t even chosen our pup yet. It’s one of 3 and we get first choice. I’m dying to meet them!

@AlexandPea oh no! At least it wasn’t your sofa.

motherofdragons You can't make a wrong choice! I know the wait is long before you meet your little one.