Pet Accessories

Since your dog spends a good chunk of his life turning around three times then sleeping, the right bed is important for his comfort and well-being. There are many choices of dog beds out there, from frou-frou to functional. Picking the right type of bed is necessary to ensure your dog gets the most benefit from his rest time. First is to observe your dog while he’s asleep so you can measure him. Measure him lying down then add 12 inches to give him plenty of room.

Thick orthopedic mattresses, filled with medical-grade foam or even a box spring, are just the ticket for older dogs. Some even come heated. Little dogs like to burrow in and nest, so small round pillow-type beds are the best. There are also tons of cute novelty beds available, from glamorous slipper-shaped cushions to leopard-spotted faux-fur pillows. If you are going green, there are several eco dog beds now available. But more than anything else, your pet’s comfort should always be your major concern.

New parents know that swaddling a baby is important to keeping them warm and making them feel secure. Babies can’t regulate their body temperatures until a couple weeks after their born, so swaddling helps prevent hypothermia and discomfort. Puppies have the same issue. It takes a few days for them to get warm on their own.

Small dog beds are a good way to make sure your puppy grows up to be happy and healthy. In many cases a puppy are kept warm by their mothers’ bodies, but for myriad reasons this is not always possible. When I adopted a labradoodle puppy, I found that a small and comforting dog bed was the perfect thing to keep it content at night. Of course, as they get older you will want to invest in large dog beds to accommodate their increasing size.

Dogs, like people, need a comfortable place to sleep.  A well-rested puppy is a well-behaved one. If you feel like simply placing discarded towels in a laundry basket, you may want to rethink this idea.

A rested puppy will not only behave well, but will be easier to train and will generally be a bit friendlier; after all, you would be much friendlier yourself with a full night’s sleep, as opposed to four to five hours. Giving a dog a comfortable place to sleep is above and beyond tossing blankets on the stained end of a couch. If you want to make your pup feel truly at home, dog beds will be the way to go.

People often go to great lengths to keep their dogs off the furniture in their home, but unless well trained, most dogs will still jump and sleep on the furniture when their owners aren’t looking. Part of the reason dogs do this is because they’re attracted to the lingering scent of their owners, but it’s also because they often don’t have a place to sleep of their own. It’s quite possible to train a dog to sleep in a specific location, and much easier than training them to keep off the furniture.  For a little bit of fun, consider a sofa pet bed.  These beds are shaped much like their larger human counterparts, but are designed to be a bit smaller for dog. Owners can find dog sofas available in all different sizes for dogs ranging from Chihuahuas to Great Danes.  Most pets will take to sleeping on their own sofa after just a short while.

Make sure to place your sofa pet bed in an open location where the dog can feel like part of the family. Dogs won’t use their pet bed if it’s off in a corner or at some location where the rest of the family seldom frequents.

I know that dogs are designated man’s best friend, but my brother takes the canine-owner relationship to a completely new level. Some people may be satisfied to purchase a simple doghouse and bed for their canine companion, but not him. Since he’s living the bachelor life, he has transformed the extra bedroom in his condo into a sanctuary for his pooch.

The room is outfitted with a variety an assortment of dog décor, and there is even an automatic feeder setup in one of the corners. His dog doesn’t simply have a dog bed, but there are several pieces of specialized dog furniture, including a dog couch and sofa. My brother thinks that these accommodations for his dog are normal, but I’ve suggested scaling it back a little if he ever wants to stop being a bachelor.

Let’s face it: we all prefer a bed that has comfortable padding, extra pillows, and warm blankets to a cot and a sleeping bag, and dogs are much the same. No dog wants to sleep on a cold hardwood floor when they could be relaxing in style on a designer dog bed. There isn’t a specific characteristic that identifies one dog bed as being ‘designer’ over another, but in general, the designer label is taken to mean luxurious. Designer dog beds often have extra padding, and might include pillows or other objects. In addition, these designer dog beds are often crafted in the image of human beds, sofas, or even lounges. Tired pups are guaranteed to wake up more rested and stir less when sleeping in a designer dog bed that meets their needs for comfort. There’s nothing worse than a restless dog at night!

You can find designer dog beds at most of the same places that sell standard dog beds.  Despite having the moniker of “designer”, most designer dog beds aren’t all that much more expensive than a regular dog bed.

There have been several sightings of wild coyotes in Central Park NY these past few weeks. Early morning joggers, families and even dog walkers have seen at least one, and the suspicion is that there are probably several living in the park. Although in the middle of a major city, Central Park is quite large and supports much wild life, including raccoons which probably makes the coyotes very happy! I think there is no need to worry, all of our land originally started as wild habitat and so far these coyotes have not made any trouble for anyone. I say let them be, if they can fend for themselves without hurting anyone, so be it. After all, they don’t have a nice cozy dog bed to come home to at the end of the day, give them a break.

What is it about snow that brings out that puppy spirit? Jumping and digging, sliding and burrowing, all of it is massive fun for the good- hearted soul of a dog. The winter doldrums become obsolete after a good snowfall and what better pastime than trying to catch a snowball in the mouth? We all could learn how to take things in stride and find joy in the storm, bracing in the cold white stuff. It makes the indoor warmth with hot chocolate, (or a snuggly dog bed), that much more enjoyable. All too soon, spring will be here!

I’m sure you’re as tired as I am of placing upturned laundry baskets and heaping pillows on the couches at night so the dogs don’t sleep up there. It’s a pain in the neck to clean couches, and even despite my best efforts to keep the dogs clean, they still leave a lot of dirt and grit wherever they sleep.  Then I found a website selling a dog couch.  I thought it was kind of an outlandish concept, but if I had to shampoo the couches one more time I was going to pull my hair out.

So I bought two dog couches and put them in the living room near mine. After a few more nights of upturned laundry baskets and heaped pillows, the dogs slept on their own couches and didn’t want to sleep on mine anymore!