Dog bed words, in plain English.

Paw.com’s name for the core of its AirX Outdoor Bed: a breathable, open-cell 3D lattice that water drains straight through, so it dries in minutes after the rain or the pool.

See also Open-cell foam

See the AirX Foam™ Outdoor Dog Bed

A thick, tightly woven nylon first made for flak jackets in the Second World War, and now for luggage, packs and the toughest dog beds. American Dog makes its Armor™ beds in 1680D ballistic nylon.

See also Denier, Chew-resistant

Shop Armor™ beds

A soft sack of loose beads that shift and settle round a dog as they lie down. Fatboy’s Doggielounge Outdoor is a bean bag for dogs, and its beads can be topped up.

See the Doggielounge Outdoor

One of the six sleeping styles. On their back, paws in the air. Needs a wall on each side, so they don’t roll out.

Read the belly-up guide

The finish on DGS Pet Products’ Chill Kuzzi beds. DGS says it takes in your dog’s body heat and reflects it back as far infrared, with no wires or heating elements.

See the Chill Kuzzi Round Bed

A firm, stuffed wall along the edge of a bed, for a dog to lean against or rest a chin on. A bolster bed has one on some sides or all the way round.

See also Donut, Raised edge, Lounger

Shop bolster beds

A fabric woven from looped yarn, which gives it a soft, nubby surface. The word is French for curled.

Shop bouclé beds

A bed with high, soft walls that wrap round a dog like a den, which brands make for anxious dogs. We call a bed calming only when its brand does.

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A bed with a cover over the top, like a roof, for dogs who like to burrow.

Shop canopy beds

A soft, fuzzy upholstery fabric with a raised pile. The word is French for caterpillar, which the yarn looks like.

Shop chenille beds

Made to stand up to chewing better than most beds: tough fabric, hidden zippers, strong seams and nothing loose for teeth to grab. No bed stands up to every chewer, so we use the word only when the brand does.

See also Ballistic nylon

Shop chew-resistant beds

See Raised edge

Fabric that feels cool to the touch and doesn’t hold on to heat, for dogs who run hot.

See also Gel memory foam

Shop cooling beds

A raised bed built like a camp cot: a taut fabric top on a frame, on short legs. 4Legs4Pets’ Elevated Cot Bed is open-weave mesh laced onto steel bars, 5 inches off the floor.

See also Raised bed

See the Elevated Cot Bed

The fabric outside of a bed. A removable cover zips off so it can go in the washer, which is how most dog beds get clean.

See also Liner, YKK zipper

A thin, flat pad sized to the floor of a wire crate, often with ties to hold it in place.

Shop crate pads

One of the six sleeping styles. Pressed up against you, or anyone nearby. Needs a bolster to snuggle into.

Read the cuddler guide

How heavy a fabric’s yarn is: the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of it, written as a number and a D. The higher the number, the thicker and tougher the fabric, and 1680D is a heavy one.

See also Ballistic nylon

1. A round bed with a bolster all the way round, to curl up in.
2. One of the six sleeping styles. Curled in a tight ring, nose to tail. Needs a wall to press their back against.

See also Bolster

Shop donut beds Read the donut guide

A dip in the bolster at the front of a bed, so a dog can step in instead of climbing over: kind to older dogs and short legs.

Cycle Dog’s fill: recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles, which it stuffs into its Barrier™ beds by hand.

See the Barrier™ Nestle Bed

See Raised bed

Man-made fur, usually polyester: long, soft and plush. Faux is French for false.

Shop faux fur beds

Fluffy polyester fiber that stuffs bolsters, cushions and pillows. High-memory fiber is made to spring back after it’s squashed, and siliconized fill is coated to stay fluffy.

See also High-loft

One of the six sleeping styles. Belly down, front legs forward, back legs out behind. Needs the full length, with nothing in the way.

Read the flyer guide

Memory foam with cooling gel in it, as beads or a layer, to hold less heat than plain memory foam. Bowsers’ Oslo Ortho Bed has cool gel memory foam, and Paw.com’s PupChill™ beds a quilted cooling gel layer.

See also Memory foam, Cooling fabric

Shop cooling beds

Fill that’s fluffy and full of air, so it sits tall and soft. Modern Beast’s POD Bed has a high-loft core.

See also Fiber fill

See the POD Bed

See Fiber fill

A fabric bag between the fill and the cover. A waterproof liner keeps accidents and spills out of the foam.

See also Cover, Waterproof

One of the six sleeping styles. On their belly, chin resting on their front paws. Needs a plump cushion that’s easy to hop on and off.

Read the lion guide

A bed with bolsters round a cushioned middle, often lower at the front, made for lounging as much as sleeping.

See also Bolster, Easy-entry front

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A flat, rectangular bed with no walls, like a small mattress, for dogs who stretch out.

Shop mattress beds

A dense foam that softens with body heat and slowly molds to a dog’s shape, then springs back. It spreads their weight, which eases pressure on the joints. It was first developed for NASA in the 1960s.

See also Orthopedic, Gel memory foam, Shredded memory foam, Open-cell foam

Shop memory foam beds

Fabric woven from very fine synthetic fibers. DGS Pet Products’ Dirty Dog microfiber is plush and absorbent, the same fabric as its doormats.

Shop Dirty Dog beds

A very soft, short-pile polyester fleece, the kind used for baby blankets. American Dog tops its Furvana™ beds in it.

Shop Furvana™ beds

A grippy bottom, or grippy strips on it, that keeps a bed from sliding about on a hard floor.

A tough synthetic fiber, made from polypropylene, that shrugs off water, stains and mildew, which is why it’s used for outdoor furniture. Fatboy’s Doggielounge Outdoor is covered in it.

See also Outdoor bed

See the Doggielounge Outdoor

Foam whose tiny cells open into each other, so air moves through it: it breathes and holds less heat. Bowsers’ Isotonic mattress is open-cell memory foam.

See also Memory foam

See the Isotonic Memory Foam Mattress

A fabric woven with tiny gaps between its threads, so air passes through it and it hoses clean. 4Legs4Pets makes its cot covers of vinyl-coated polyester mesh.

See also Cot bed

See the Elevated Cot Bed

Built to support bones and joints, with memory foam or thick, firm foam a dog won’t sink through to the floor, for older and bigger dogs especially. Our orthopedic beds are the ones with memory foam, or that their brand calls orthopedic.

See also Memory foam

Shop orthopedic beds

A bed made for the porch, the patio or the yard, in fabric or foam that stands up to sun and damp. We call a bed outdoor only when its brand makes it for outdoors.

See also Olefin, Sunbrella®

Shop outdoor beds

A big, plump cushion with no walls, to flop onto.

Shop pillow beds

See Fiber fill

A bed on a frame, up off the floor, usually with a mesh or fabric top that lets the air through underneath.

Shop raised beds

A low, plump rim on every side of a bed: a chin rest all the way round, with room to stretch out inside. American Dog calls its version the Cloud.

See also Bolster

Shop raised edge beds

A low, flat bed made to look like a rug, so it sits in a room like one. Paw.com’s PupRug® beds put memory foam under the rug.

Shop rug beds

Memory foam in small pieces instead of one slab, so it shifts to a dog’s shape. American Dog’s Armor™ beds mix it with prime foam.

See also Memory foam

One of the six sleeping styles. Flat on one side, legs stretched out. Needs room for their legs, with no bolster in the way.

Read the side sleeper guide

A brand of outdoor fabric made to stand up to sun, damp and wear. Bowsers makes outdoor loungers in it.

See also Outdoor bed

See the Outdoor Urban Lounger

A soft layer that sits on top of a bed. Paw.com’s PupLuxe comes with a two-sided topper: faux fur for warmth, cooling fabric for warmer months.

See the PupLuxe™ Bouclé 3-Bolster Bed

Stitched through the fill at intervals, like the buttons on a sofa cushion, so it stays spread out evenly through every wash. Bowsers tufts its cushions.

Fabric made for sofas and armchairs, heavier and harder-wearing than bedding. Bowsers covers its beds in it.

Holds water off for a while, but lets it through when soaked: not the same as waterproof.

See also Waterproof

Water can’t get through it, thanks to a waterproof fabric, liner or shell: good for accidents, drool and muddy paws.

See also Water-resistant, Liner

Shop waterproof beds

A zipper from YKK, the Japanese company that is the world’s biggest zipper maker, known for strong, smooth ones. A hidden zipper tucks away from curious teeth.

See also Cover