A bed has an easy life under a ten-pound dog who naps on it twice a day.
Put a ninety-pound dog on it, or a dog who now spends most of the afternoon lying down, and the same bed is doing a very different job.
Big dogs put more weight on a bed. Older dogs tend to put more hours on it. Plenty of dogs do both. Weight and hours are what wear a bed out, which is why these dogs ask the same four things of it.
1. It has to hold its shape
Weight pushes through soft filling. Hours give the filling no time to recover. Together they are hard on a bed.
You can check any bed in ten seconds. Press your fist into the middle with real weight behind it. If you feel foam pushing back, the bed is working. If you feel the floor, your dog does too.
What to look for:
- Solid foam in layers, not loose fill or egg crate foam.
- A firm, high-resilience layer at the bottom that pushes back under a heavy dog.
- A warranty that names flattening and gives a measurement.
For the full list of what to check inside a bed, see what to look for in a dog bed.
2. It has to be easy to get onto
A dog who uses their bed many times a day should be able to walk onto it.
Many bolster beds have a rim all the way around, so the dog steps over a wall every time. A bed with bolsters on three sides and an open front lets them walk straight onto the mattress.
Check the underside as well. A big dog stepping on, turning around and pushing off will move a light bed across a hard floor. A non-slip base keeps it where you put it.
3. It needs room, and a place for a heavy head
Big dogs are longer than most people guess, and many beds are sold by their outer size.
Measure your dog from the base of the neck to the base of the tail while they are standing. Compare that number to the bed's inner sleeping area, not its outer dimensions, and leave a few inches to spare. Then measure the floor where the bed will go.
The bolsters matter here too. Many dogs like to rest their head on a raised edge, and a large dog's head is heavy. Bolsters filled only with fiberfill sink under it. A foam or foam-blend fill keeps a rim worth leaning on.
4. It has to be easy to keep clean
More hours on the bed means more hair, more drool and more of whatever came in on four paws. A bigger dog means more of all three.
What to look for:
- A cover that comes off completely and goes in the washing machine.
- A waterproof liner between the cover and the foam, since foam cannot be washed.
- Replacement covers you can buy later, so the bed stays in use on wash day.
The four checks at a glance
| What the bed needs | Why weight and hours make it matter | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Holds its shape | Soft fill gives way and gets no time to recover | Layered solid foam with a firm base |
| Easy to get onto | The bed is used many times a day | Open front, non-slip base |
| Room and a headrest | Long body, heavy head | Sized by sleeping area, foam-blend bolsters |
| Easy to keep clean | More use, more mess | Removable washable cover, waterproof liner |
How the VersaTails bed is built for both
Here is how the VersaTails® Orthopedic Dog Bed handles each of the four.
- Shape: three solid foam layers, with a High-Resilience Support Base at the bottom for steady support. The foam core is covered by our 1-Year No-Flatten Warranty against flattening of more than two inches.
- Entry: bolsters on three sides and an open front for easy entry, on a reinforced Oxford non-slip base.
- Room: the Large has a 30.7" x 30.7" sleeping area and the XL-Giant has a 39.7" x 32.5" sleeping area. The bolsters are filled with 70% shredded memory foam and 30% fiberfill.
- Cleaning: a removable cover that machine washes on a gentle cold cycle and air dries, with a waterproof TPU protector around the mattress.
Not sure about size? Our Size Guide walks you through measuring.
FAQ
What size bed does a large dog need?
Go by length, not weight. Measure from the base of the neck to the base of the tail and compare it to the bed's inner sleeping area, with a few inches to spare.
Are bolsters a good idea for a big dog?
Yes, when two things are true: the front is open so your dog can walk in, and the bolsters are filled with something that holds up under a heavy head.
My dog is not big, but they are on their bed most of the day. Does this apply?
Yes. Hours wear a bed the same way weight does. The same four checks apply at any size.
