Should I get a dog bed or a crate bed?
Though there is enough gray area between the two
that crate beds and dog beds are generally interchangeable, there are still
differences in size and expectations that will lead you to needing to make a
decision. Should you get a mattress/bed for the inside of your dog’s crate,
or should you get a generic dog bed that you your dog can sleep in during
the day. To help decide, let’s review some of the benefits of each.
Crate Beds
·
Make sleeping in a crate more
comfortable.
·
Cool down the dog on hot days when
stuck inside the crate.
·
Make the crates a possible source of
comfort even while home.
Dog Beds
·
Make sleeping on the floor more
comfortable.
·
Cools down dogs on hot days, but
optionally.
·
Reduces hair and dirt that spreads when
your dog sleeps all around the house.
·
Gives your dog a place in the house to
call its own.
Comparing the Two
Though crate beds have a few less benefits, he
values are not relative. Making your crate more comfortable for your dog is
vastly more important for its well being than making the floor more
comfortable. Crates are vital for proper house training, keeping your dog
safe while you’re away, and giving your dog a place to go where it can feel
comfortable. Crate beds improve this by making the crate a source of greater
comfort.
Still, when your dog is not in their crate, they
are going to be sleeping all around the floor, and this could contribute to
messes and dirt. They may sleep in their crate, but they may not. It should
also be noted that larger dog beds – beds that will be thicker and more
comfortable – would never fit in the crate, so for luxury purposes dog beds
are more comfortable when they are the style that don’t go inside of the
kennel.
Finally, remember that crate beds and dog beds are
somewhat of the same thing, at least on the basic level. There are
considerably more dog beds than beds that fit in crates, but most standard,
inexpensive mats will fit in both places. In fact, crate beds are simply dog
beds that are cut rectangular, and are still often sold as “dog beds.“
Overall, however, it is probably more important
that you get a small, inexpensive mat/bed for your crate first. These last a
long time and are useful for puppy training, especially if your dog is not
completely crate trained. But afterward, a dog bed is still quite a good
purchase. They are going to be far more comfortable and are much more useful
when your dog is sleeping outside of the crate. Ideally you should be able
to get both, but feel free and make the crate bed as inexpensive and simply
as you like, and save your money for the standard dog bed which can and
should be fancier and far more plush.
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