It's a familiar scene: a lovely new bed in its corner… and the dog stretched out on the tiles two meters away. Your dog isn't being fussy. There's usually a specific reason, and it can be fixed.
1. The spot is badly chosen
By far the most common cause. Dogs are pack animals and sleep where their people are. They won't use a bed in the hallway, in an empty room or on the terrace, however comfortable it is.
Where it does work:
- In the room where you spend your time, usually the living room.
- Against a wall or in a corner. Dogs need to feel their back is covered to fully relax.
- Out of the way, not in the middle of the traffic flow of the house.
- Away from the front door (every noise puts them on alert) and away from the radiator.
If you have a big house, two beds in two different spots solve far more than one perfect one.
2. The bed isn't the right type
Watch how your dog sleeps when nobody has put anything down for them. That posture tells you which bed they need.
- They curl up into a ball. They need high edges to rest their head on: a donut-style or round bed with a raised rim.
- They stretch out completely, legs out. Edges get in their way. A flat, rectangular mattress, and a roomy one.
- They crawl under blankets or furniture. This is a dog who looks for a den. They'll love an enclosed bed with a roof; they'll never use an open one.
- They're older or have joint problems. They need a firm mattress, not one that sinks, and low edges so they can get in without jumping.
3. The size has come up short
Measure your dog lying down and stretched out, from nose to the base of the tail, and add 15 to 20 cm. If the bed forces them to scrunch up when what they want is to stretch out, they won't use it. When in doubt, always go for the larger size.
4. It smells like a shop, not like home
A bed fresh out of the plastic smells like a factory, and to a dog that's a strange object. Put an old, unwashed t-shirt of yours inside, or the blanket they already used. In two or three days the bed will start to smell like their own territory.
How to teach them to use it
- Reward them every time they go in on their own. Even if it's just to sniff around. A small treat, with no big fuss, so you don't get them excited.
- Feed them near it for the first few days, or leave a chew toy there.
- Never use it as a punishment. If "go to your bed" means they've done something wrong, the bed becomes an unpleasant place.
- And don't bother them when they're inside. No petting, no pulling them out of there. Let them learn that nothing bad will happen to them in their bed.
And if what they want is the sofa
That decision is yours, but be consistent: either they can always get up, or they never can. A dog who is sometimes allowed and sometimes sent off doesn't understand the rule and will keep trying every day. If you don't want them up there, put their bed next to the sofa, not on the other side of the living room: what they're after is being with you, not the cushion.
In our dog beds and rest section you'll find donut beds with raised rims, enclosed den beds and flat mattresses, with the measurements on each product page.
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