making your own dog bed

Every dog loves to feel welcome and comfortable in their home. How about building your dog their own dog bed to sleep in. Your dog or puppy will love the effort you put in, and they may even hold the hammer for you. You can easily make a good dog bed out of the things already in your home.

The first thing you'll need to do is find an old pillowcase that you're no longer using. Fill it with fiberfill, which you can buy at any fabric or craft store, and fill it as full as you think will make your dog comfortable. As a rule, bigger dogs will require a firmer mattress, which means you'll need to stuff more filling into it. Alternatives to fiberfill that you might prefer include shredded newspaper, cedar chips, or the kind of shavings used as pet rodent bedding.

Next you'll need to seal the open end of the pillowcase. You can use liquid thread or a similar type of fabric adhesive that you can find at craft or sewing stores. When the bed gets soiled, all you have to do is cut the pillowcase open, remove the filling, and wash the case. Then stuff it with fresh filling and seal it up again.

For a fancier DIY dog bed, get a nice piece of fabric and cut it to the size that you want. Glue the top and bottom together, and leaving a gap along one side so you can stuff it. Use the same technique for stuffing as above. You may want to get some velvet, suede or other plush fabric that will be soft and comfortable for your puppy to sleep on. You can also use fabric paint on the pillowcase to decorate or personalize the bed. Your dog will sleep in comfort and style!

Your dog will prefer their own bed, as long as its comfy, instead of sleeping on your own bed. If you get kicked out of bed by your wife, then you can easily hunker down beside your dog. Just make sure you don't roll over to their side of the bed.