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Outdoor Dog Beds – With or Without Dog Houses?

Monday, October 15th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Many dogs would rather spend their time outdoors than inside the house, particularly German Shepards.

Sometimes, it can be really hard to persuade your pet to come indoors at night.

Or perhaps you have a dog who likes to lie out on the patio during the day.

Either way, you’ll want your dog to have a comfy outdoor sleeping mat, dog bed or dog house.

Whether you feel the need to get a good dog house for your best friend will depend on a huge variety of things, and we cover some of the pros and cons of deciding on a dog house in another article.

In this article we’re just looking at comfy dry places for your dog to snooze, either by day or at night. Whether you want to get a weatherproof dog bed, or a sleeping mat for inside a dog house, or just a the doggie equivalent of a patio lounger, you’ll find several options discussed in the BestDiscountDogBeds.com Reviews of Outdoor Dog Beds.

Weatherproof Materials in Outdoor Dog Beds

Ideally, of course, you will place your dog’s outdoor dog bed in a dry, sheltered and quiet spot. But you may not have a choice. And your dog may not give you a choice. Mine positively enjoys lying on wet paving stones, and I have the devil’s own job keeping him free of rheumatics!

For these reasons, it’s sensible to pick an outdoor dog bed which is made with weatherproof materials. Many are available in a variety of durable materials, like PVC.

But there’s a downside to this too. You don’t want your dog lying on PVC, it’s too uncomfortable and may interfere with natural sweating – and it’s very important not to mess up your dog’s sweat pattern, because dogs dehydrate much faster than people.

So it’s best to choose an outdoor dog bed or sleeping mat made from a mixture of materials, sprinkled with a little common sense in choosing where you put the bed.

Heated Outdoor Dog Beds

Again, you have to look at both sides of the equation. You want your dog to be comfy and warm, but you don’t want poochie to be too hot! Ideal materials are the kind that your dog can ‘nest in’ – the doggie equivalent of a beanbag.

Some outdoor dog beds come with a self heating feature, either built in and thermo controlled, or else warmed by a separate warmer, which is usually a kind of heating pad that you put into a slot inside or under the dog bed mattress. Another kind of pad is also available which you pre-heat and then it holds the heat for a long time.

Heat-retaining pre-warmed pads obviously cut down the potential for fire risk, and so you may prefer that option. On the other hand, if you get a self-heating bed which is designed to be used outdoors and are careful to comply with the manufacturer’s instructions, then it ought to be pretty safe.

Another thing to watch for with outdoor dog beds is to make sure that you put them in a spot where your dog has plenty of space to move off the dog bed if he gets too warm.

Taking the time to get these things right in the beginning will mean that you and your dog will enjoy a restful night’s sleep, you in your cosy bedroom, and your dog in a cosy outdoor dog bed.