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Dog beds can be simple or fancy, expensive or homemade, and everything in between.

How do you pick the right dog bed for your pup when there are so many on the market? Does your pooch even need a dog bed? Should you spend a lot of money when your dog is just as happy lying with you in your human bed or on the couch?

Does Your Dog Need A Dog Bed?

Even if your dog is allowed to sleep with you in your human bed, every dog should have a bed of their own — or two or three or four, actually.

There are plenty of benefits to having dog beds. They can be used for napping during the day and sleeping in at night.

Unlike the floor, a bed will keep your dog warm, support arthritic joints, and prevent calluses. And unlike a couch or human bed, dog beds are spaces that pups can have all to themselves.

And if you’re allergic to your dogs, then it’s best if they sleep somewhere besides your bed.

Dog beds can also be taken with you when you travel so that your dog feels comfortable and is able to sleep somewhere familiar. They’ll rest easier and feel less anxiety.

Dog pet beds are also usually easy to wash, which makes life easier if your dog has accidents, gets infested with fleas or mites, or just rolls in something stinky.

A dog bed shouldn’t be used as a place for punishment or confinement. It’s a place of security that belongs only to that one dog, and they should always feel safe in it.

A bed makes a crate more comfortable, but that doesn’t mean a dog can spend twelve hours a day in a crate just because it has a bed. It’s a place dogs should be able to go and relax without feeling trapped or anxious.

All dogs could benefit from having a place where they can feel calm and de-stress during the day or night.