How To Choose A Bed For Your Old Dog To Get The Best Sleep?

When choosing a bed for your senior dog, the first factor you need to focus on is the support the product provides. It is one of the most crucial factors to consider. You may want a soft bed, but it should not be one your baby sinks in because your dog has joint issues.

Hence, fluffiness would not be an ideal option. It is better to go for a firmer dog bed. It would provide them with great support. Older dogs would find it easier to get into and out of it. If the bed has fillings that may move inside, that product is not appropriate for your baby.

In such cases, the filling could get pushed around rather than under them. It may clump with ease. Both are undesirable situations for sure.

The bed should be able to adapt to all the positions – and not just their most preferred positions. If the bed does not spring back, every dog changes their position. Hence, they would have to readjust the bed.

How to Choose a Bed for Your Senior Dog

The bed must be accessible

When the dog ages, it will not hop out of it first thing in the morning. It is probably in the best interests of your older dog to choose an accessible bed. It is pretty common for older dogs to have stiff joints.

If they leaped out of bed first thing in the morning, they would suffer from pain. It is applicable if they are lifting their legs too high. It is not something they want when tired. If your dog is not as agile as it used to be, it could cause injuries.

It is especially true when the floors are slippery. The best way to ensure that no such situation pertains is to keep it simple. It means your baby’s bed should be on the ground.

Never place it at any height. It must not be surrounded by walls or railing as such. It will ensure they do not have to step up, step down, or step over to get in or out of their bed.

The bed must be of the ideal temperature

This is one of the primary factors in your senior dog’s sleep. It is also one factor that tends to break their sleep a lot. It happens when they get warm. Some materials are known to retain heat. It makes them difficult and uncomfortable to sleep on.

This is where you need a bed made using thermo-neutral materials – these do not retain heat. These beds can provide your dog with uninterrupted – and better – sleep. Some materials like wool and fleece may appear to be soft.

However, they have a higher chance of retaining heat. Your dog would feel warmer than it would be comfortable with at such an advanced age. Cotton is a much better option as it is a breathable fabric, thus ensuring it does not retain the heat of your dog’s body.

It is much better than the denser and thicker fabrics. If your dog is now having bladder issues, getting a cool, waterproof, and washable cover would be better. Even if they have those accidents, it would not be much of an issue.

Getting the location right

At this stage of their lives, it could be a great idea to have beds at several locations throughout the home. You may think your laundry room is a good and secluded location for your dog’s bed. Remember, these are loud machines that we are talking about.

Your dog would ideally need a quiet place where it can rest peacefully. If you have several stories in your home, it would be ideal to have the bed on the ground floor.

This way, they would not have to navigate the stairs first thing in the morning when they wake up. The problem becomes greater when they get old. They may not want to climb all those stairs when tired and looking to rest as soon as possible.

This way, they may not use the bed if they cannot access it easily. Even as they grow older, they need to go potty more frequently. At the least, they would want to do so often. It would be better if you could place their bed closer to the door.

Giving them a sense of security

Even wild dogs do not sleep out in the open. It is one instinct that dogs still have even after millennia have passed since they were domesticated for the first time. They feel the safest when they are in enclosed and quiet spaces.

However, that does not mean you have to get a crate for them. Just get them a nice, quiet corner in your home, which should be good enough for them. If you decide to get a kennel for them, ensure its doors are always open.

That way, it would be a safer and happy place where your dog would be willing to spend its time. You must never use the crate or kennel to punish your baby. At a basic level, your dog is still a pack animal.

For them, their pet parents are members of the pack. For them, you offer a sense of security that nothing else in the world can. The place they feel the safest is by your side. So, if you can, place their bed in your room.