Three dogs sleeping in two velvet pet beds in teal and fuchsia velvet placed under a wooden kitchen island in a modern home

How to choose the perfect dog bed

Charley Chau's guide to choosing the perfect dog bed

Experts in canine comfort since 2010, Charely Chau is an award-winning British business with happy canine customers in over 60 countries around the world.

Here's our guide to choosing the perfect bed for your dog from size and shape, to styling and specialist use scenarios. We don't just sell dog beds, we are specialists in keeping dogs in the comfort that all dogs deserve.

The right shape

From a dog's comfort perspective, shape is simply driven by how they like to sleep.


Choose a round beds for dogs that love to curl up, and rectangular beds for dogs that love to stretch out.


From a practical perspective in the home, round beds take up slightly less space on the floor as there are no sticky out corners, and can work well in corners of the room, or next to furntiure such as sofa or armchair where people may walk by frequently.

Rectangular for space to stretch
Rectangular for space to stretch
Round for dogs that love to curl up
Round for dogs that love to curl up

Bed sides - with or without?

If your dog loves to nestle their back into something soft, or rest their chin on the side of their bed, a bed with cosy, deep sides is a must. Deep sides on a bed offer comfort and a feeling of safety and security for many dogs.


For dogs who love to stretch and hang off their beds, choose a simple mattress style bed with no sides.

If the bed is in a room that can be cold or draughty, opt for a bed with sides - many dogs keep warm by nestling their backs into cosy bed sides.

Italian Greyhound dog lying on a dark gray high-wall pet bed against a white background.
Deep, cosy sides to nestle into & lean on
Stretch out mattress with no sides
Stretch out mattress with no sides

Deep-filled mattress or slimline travel pad?

The mattress is key to comfort in any dog bed and for maximum support we recommend a deep-filled luxury mattress for any dog bed that your dog will spend significant time in, e.g. the bed they sleep in overnight.

Travel Pads are slimline mattress and are handy for occasional beds or when placing the pad on a soft surface e.g. a sofa.

As the name suggests, Travel Pads are also brilliant for travelling when you need a dog bed that is not so bulky and more easily portable.

The photos show the two different thicknesses of mattress in the same outer cover.

Dog lying on a beige luxury dog bed mattress against a white background
Deep-Filled Mattress
Dog sitting on a beige travel dog bed cushion with a white background
Slimline Travel Pad

Specialist dog beds for specific requirements

There are times when a dog needs a bed designed for specific sleep requirements or specific use scenarios ... Snuggle Beds for burrowers, bedding for dog crates, Memory Foam Dog Beds for orthopaedic support, hypoallergenic dog beds, Anti-microbial Waterproof Liners to protect from moisutre and bacteria, scrabble resistant dog beds, stain-resistant dog bed covers, and many more. Charley Chau has all these scenarios covered and more!

Cosy Crate Dog Bed
Cosy Crate Dog Bed
A Dog Snuggle Bed made specifically for dogs that scratch at their beds as part of their nesting ritual. The top of the bed has an insualted duvet cover to keep your dog calm, cosy and content.
Designed for Burrowers

The right size

Always allow enough room for your dog to stretch out fully in their bed. whilst lots of dogs like to curl up, it's not good for their joints if they are not able to stretch out when they want to.

Stand your dog on all fours in a relaxed position.

Length: measure from the tip of the nose to base of tail

Height: measure from top of skull to the floor

Then scale-up the height and length to choose a dog bed - we recommend using a multiplier of 1.25 to allow for extra room to stretch out giving your dog the option to curl up tiny or stretch out like a starfish.

Example: if the length of the dog is 40cm and height is 35cm, we recommend a bed that has a sleeping area of at least 50 x 44 cm.


illustration showing how to measure a dog for a dog bed
illustration showing how to measure a dog for a dog bed

Explore all dog beds by design

two italian greyhound dogs sleeping inside a snuggle dog bed with a stitched in blanket top.
Snuggle Beds >
Fawn Italian Greyhound dog lying in a dark grey-blue high-wall dog bed with deep, cosy sides and the head poking up above the sides of the bed in a modern kitchen setting with wood floor.
High-Wall Dog Beds >
Faen coloured Italian Greyhund dog sitting on a red and orange velvet dog bed cushion in a room with a brick wall and a window, and wooden floors.
Dog Bed Mattresses >
Dog lying in a metal dog crate on a grey dog bed cushion and soft bed bumpers around the side of the crate, with a pale oyster colour fleece blanket rolled up.
Beds for Dog Crates >
Dog lying on a jade green memeory foam mattress style dog bed in a room with a white wall and hessian floor.
Memory Foam Dog Beds >
Dog Bed Mattress with a beige waterproof bed liner on it being unzipped, on a wooden table with a rustic background.
Waterproof Dog Bed Liners >
Person putting an orange dog bed cover into a washing machine in a laundry room.
Spare Dog Bed Covers >
All by design >

Here to help

e: hello@charleychau.com
t: +44 (0)161 848 8702


Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need any advice on how to choose the perfect bed for your dog.