You finally feel it; your dog is excited about it, too: warmer days are coming. With most of us now working from home, whenever there’s a beautiful day outside, it seems like a waste that your dogs can’t go and enjoy it with you outdoors.
Sure, they can lay on the ground, but even grass can get too hot for their sensitive skin. So, what do you do? You invest in the best outdoor dog bed you can find.
But, getting an outdoor dog bed isn’t as straightforward as one might think. You really have to research and see the different options out there to figure out what you need.
To help you out, we’ve rounded the four things your outdoor dog bed needs to have to become a hit. Funny enough, they just happen to be things that our LAY LO beds take into consideration.
1. Water-Resistant Dog bed Cover
Above all, you need a water-resistant dog bed cover that will withstand the elements of being outdoors. It doesn’t matter where you live. You’ll have rain at some point or another. Even if you try your best to bring the dog bed inside during the rainy season, showers happen, you forget, it gets complicated.
When you’re looking for the best outdoor bed, you want to go for the ones with water-repellant, water-resistant, and weather-resistant fabrics that can stand up to the weather. Stay away from covers with “fuzzy” or “plushy” materials. These are breeding grounds for bacteria that can harm your dog.
2. Outdoor-friendly Insert
Now that we have the covers out of the way, let’s look at what’s inside. Even the most amazing water-resistant bed won’t withstand the force of a rainstorm. If water should happen to get in, a great outdoor dog bed will repel water to prevent mold it completely dries. Plastic and foam-based fillings are more resistant to mold and retaining water. Stay away from materials like fleece or cotton that just soak up water and retain it forever.
Of course, even with an outdoor-friendly insert, it won’t hurt to give your dog beds a good dry after a rainy day. You can squeeze the bed’s insert to remove as much excess water as possible. If you can, leave them in the sun for them to dry quickly. Getting a water-resistant or accident-resistant insert will make it easier to dry when it pours vs. a foam mattress with no protective covering at all.
