Dog beds (UK): what survives a chewer, what suits an old dog

Most “best dog bed for chewers” lists promise something indestructible. The small print on the product pages takes it back.

Here is the care and safety note on the KONG Ultimate Raised Waterproof Dog Bed at Pets at Home, a bed sold on toughness, with reinforced seams and a brand built on chew toys: “No pet bed is indestructible or completely resistant to chewing, scratching or damage.”

That is the most useful sentence in this whole category, and it changes the question. If no bed is chewproof, the sensible buy for a chewer is something cheap to lose, with nothing dangerous inside, that fits the dog well enough to get used for sleeping rather than shredding. Older dogs need a different answer, and the two get mixed up because the same beds are marketed at both.

The short answer

For a chewer, buy a bed with no stuffing: a pile mat like Vetbed, a hard plastic basket, or a raised cot on a steel frame, and treat the chewing itself as the real problem. For an older dog, buy a bed it can step into without climbing, long enough to lie flat in, with foam you can see the depth of, and give it a second bed somewhere else.

First, the test most beds fail

The RSPCA’s guidance on choosing a dog bed starts in the right place, which is watching the dog sleep. Dogs lie curled, stretched out, on their backs, and “even on their belly with their legs stretched in opposite directions like Superman!” The bed, the RSPCA says, “should be large enough for them to be able to lie comfortably in all these natural positions,” and it asks the question most product pages avoid: the bed might be big enough to curl up in, “but can they also stretch out their legs if they want to?”

I ran a kennel in Rio, and the rule we used there is the same one in different words: a dog should be able to lie on its side with its legs stretched out. It is the same test I use for crate sizing, and beds fail it more often than crates do, because bed sizes are quoted on the outside and the dog lies on the inside.

Look at how much of a bed is wall. These are the published numbers:

Bed	Outside size	Where the dog lies
Omlet Bolster, Large	105.5 x 71.5cm	82 x 50cm inside the bolster
Omlet Bolster, Medium	87.5 x 55.5cm	70 x 43cm inside the bolster
Silentnight Orthopaedic, Large	95 x 69cm	smaller: padded side walls take up the edge
Ferplast Siesta Deluxe, XX Large	93.5 x 68cm	inside the plastic rim; rated to 30kg
zooplus Rectangular Memory Foam, largest	121 x 74cm	the whole mattress, no walls

To measure your own dog, wait until it is asleep on its side and measure from the tip of the nose to the end of the back paws. Omlet’s own size guide for the Bolster works from nose to base of tail, and puts dogs of 61 to 90cm in the Large. That is a sensible starting point for a curler, and a tight fit for a dog that sleeps stretched out, because the legs and the head do not stop at the base of the tail.

The flat mattress is the honest shape here. With no walls, the size on the label is the size the dog gets.

Chewers: why the bed is getting eaten

Dogs Trust lists “digging in beds or sofas” as one of the common forms of destructive behaviour, and its list of causes is longer than most owners expect: pain or illness, puppy teething and exploration, boredom, stress or separation anxiety, comfort and nesting, and plain instinct. Its first line on the subject is that chewing, digging and scratching “are normal dog behaviours” and not naughtiness.

The ages matter. Blue Cross’s leaflet on chewing puts teething at three to seven months, and then a second wave, adolescent chewing, at seven to twelve months, as young dogs explore. That second wave is the one that catches people out, because it arrives just when they have decided the puppy is past it and bought a proper bed.

My Boxer, Bóris, had his big growth spurt between eight and ten months. That window is also the middle of the adolescent chewing window, which means the bed you buy at six months can be outgrown and chewed at the same time. Neither problem is solved by spending more.

So the order is:

1. Find out which kind of chewing it is. If the bed only gets destroyed when the dog is left alone, Dogs Trust calls that a separation-related behaviour, “likely caused by fear, frustration or boredom,” and the fix is company and gradual training, not a tougher bed. If chewing starts suddenly in an adult dog, Dogs Trust’s advice is a vet check first, because pain is on its list of causes.
2. Give the dog something it is allowed to destroy. Dogs Trust is direct about this: “If they’re really into destruction, find appropriate things for them to destroy.” Blue Cross suggests giving a chew when you want the dog to settle, such as before you leave. Teething toys are cheaper than beds.
3. Then buy a bed that fails safely.

Chewers: the beds that fail safely

With a chewed bed, the bigger risk is what comes out of it. Stuffing, foam crumbs and zips are things a dog can swallow, and Dogs Trust’s advice is to seek veterinary help immediately if a dog has swallowed a non-food item. A bed for a chewer should have as little inside it as possible.

A pile mat (Vetbed and similar). No stuffing, no zip, no seams to find. The Petlife Vetbed Wool Blend at Pets at Home is £22.50 at 66 x 51cm, £33.50 at 91 x 51cm and £67.50 at 137 x 76cm, with a non-slip back and a machine-washable pile. The Vetbed Original at zooplus is £43.89 at 100 x 75cm. zooplus’s description says it can be cut to any size, which makes it the natural lining for a crate or a plastic basket. A determined dog can still chew a corner off, and then you have lost the corner of a mat.

A hard plastic basket. The Ferplast Siesta Deluxe at Pets at Home runs from £12 (Small) to £30 (XX Large), with a perforated base, a low front and a chin rest. Pets at Home’s size guide rates the XX Large for dogs up to 30kg and names the Border Collie as an example, so it stops short of a Boxer or a Labrador at the top of its weight range. Put a Vetbed in it and you have a wipeable bed for well under £60. Ferplast’s own warning is worth taking literally: replace it once it shows wear, “particularly if any damaged or worn materials could be ingested.”

A raised cot on a steel frame. Nothing to chew on the sleeping surface but a taut mesh, and the frame keeps the dog off a cold or wet floor. The Gen7 Cool-Air Cot at Pets at Home is £79 (Medium) or £104 (Large), with a powder-coated steel frame, and it is rated for dogs up to 27.2kg. It is marked as a last-chance line, so check it is still there before you plan around it. A cot is a poor choice for a dog that likes to curl and nest, and for an old dog that finds stepping up awkward.

The tough fabric bed. The KONG Ultimate Raised Waterproof Dog Bed is £65 (Medium), £80 (Large) or £95 (X Large) at Pets at Home, with reinforced seams and waterproof covers. It is a reasonable bed for a dog that has stopped chewing. It is the one carrying the warning that no bed is indestructible, and it is still a cushion with padding inside, so it is not where I would start with a dog that is actively shredding things.

Older dogs: what actually helps

Here the UK charities say more, and they agree.

PDSA’s advice for dogs with arthritis is to “give your dog a choice of comfortable beds”, letting them choose between snuggling in an enclosed bed or stretching out on a flat mattress, and it adds that memory foam beds “are kind to joints.” It also suggests a heat pad under the bed on cold days, and covering slippery floors with rugs or anti-slip mats, because weak muscles make slipping and getting up harder.

The RSPCA says older dogs, or dogs with aches or joint problems, “might benefit from an orthopaedic or memory foam bed that they can get in and out of easily.” Blue Cross’s leaflet on caring for the older dog is shorter still: “Provide a soft bed and consider putting a ramp over your steps.”

All three put choice and easy access ahead of any particular foam.

That matters because “orthopaedic” is a marketing word, not a standard. Two examples, both on sale in October 2026:

The Silentnight Orthopaedic Pet Bed is £55 (Small), £70 (Medium) or £80 (Large) at Pets at Home, and its page says “For Arthritis & Joint Pain.” The materials list says the seat pad is 100% polyurethane foam, with a contoured layer. There is no memory foam listed. That is not a reason to rule it out (it has a dropped front for easy access, a non-slip base and a washable cover), but the label is doing more work than the foam.

The zooplus Rectangular Memory Foam Dog Bed is £41.99 (72 x 50cm), £78.59 (100 x 65cm) or £114.49 (121 x 74cm), and it publishes its layers: about 3.5 to 4cm of memory foam on top of 5 to 5.5cm of firmer PU foam, with anti-slip studs underneath. It has no walls, so the whole mattress is lying space, and it is about 10cm high, which is a low step.

That is the kind of detail to look for. If a page will not tell you how deep the foam is, assume it is not much.

Omlet’s Bolster bedad sits at the top of the price range: £89 (Small), £139 (Medium) or £199 (Large), with a memory foam mattress, a water-resistant liner and covers that go in the machine. Omlet says the design makes climbing in and out easier for older and larger dogs. The catch is the one in the table above: the Large lies on 82 x 50cm inside the bolster, so measure your dog lying flat before you pay for it.

Two things to add for an old dog, whatever bed you choose. Put the bed somewhere warm and draught-free, as the RSPCA puts it. And put a rug or anti-slip mat in front of it on a hard floor, because PDSA’s point about slipping applies to the moment of getting up, which is exactly where the bed is.

Puppies: buy cheap now, buy properly later

A puppy will outgrow a bed, and it will probably chew one. Both happen inside the first year. The sensible first bed is a Vetbed in the crate or pen, or a cheap washable bed you are prepared to lose, and the proper bed waits until the adult size is clear and the adolescent chewing has passed.

The puppy checklist puts a bed or crate in the first six things to buy, and the same rule applies there as here: big enough to stretch out in, and washable.

More than one dog

The RSPCA’s rule is “a minimum of one bed per dog” to avoid competition, plus an extra one big enough to share if your dogs like sleeping together. I have four dogs, two of them mixed breeds, plus a Border Collie and Bóris, and three of them are rescues. That line is the one I would underline. One big bed for everyone means one dog decides who sleeps in it.

The RSPCA also suggests two locations for a single dog: one bed somewhere quiet and one in the room where the family spends time. That is a cheap way of giving PDSA’s “choice of beds” to a young dog as well as an old one.

Who should skip this purchase

If your puppy is under a year old and chewing everything, skip the expensive bed. You are buying it to be destroyed, and the second wave of chewing runs to about twelve months.

If your dog only destroys bedding when left alone, a bed is the wrong purchase entirely. That is a separation problem, and Dogs Trust offers free advice through its behaviour team.

If your dog is young, fit and sleeps well on what it has, you do not need an orthopaedic bed. Memory foam is a comfort upgrade, and the charities recommend it for dogs with aches and joint problems, not as a preventive.

If your dog sleeps stretched out and is big, skip any bed with high walls unless the inside measurement passes the legs-out test. A flat mattress, or a Vetbed on the floor, will often be the better bed at a lower price.

What to do next

If the bed is going inside a crate, the crate size guide gives the dimensions to cut a Vetbed or buy a crate mattress to.

If the dog in question is a puppy, the first night guide covers where it should sleep, which decides whether you need a bed, a crate or both.

---

Sources: the RSPCA’s guidance on choosing a dog bed; PDSA’s advice on arthritis in dogs (comfortable beds, warmth and slippery floors); the Blue Cross leaflets “Caring for the older dog” and “Chewing and how to control it”; Dogs Trust’s guidance on destructive behaviour. All read October 2026. Product details and prices were checked at Pets at Home, zooplus and Omlet in October 2026 and change often (zooplus prices rechecked on 20 October 2026; the Omlet page showed no prices that day, so its prices are as earlier in October); the Omlet link is an affiliate link, which does not change the price or what we say about the bed. Nothing here is veterinary advice — if your dog’s chewing starts suddenly, or an older dog is struggling to get up or lie down, speak to your vet.