Best Dog Beds

We enlisted three of our furry best friends to try out three popular dog beds—and one became their new favorite

Canine dog bed judge Zuzu was not feeling the Casper model at all, though the freebie toy it came with (not shown) was a hit!

By Lisa Fogarty

Your pup has it pretty good—but every day can be even better for them when they find a dog bed that serves as their sanctuary and a place to rest their weary paws and treasured bones and toys. A dog bed may not be a necessary pet product like dog food, safety gates, or even a vacuum that tackles pet hair, but once your dog falls for one, you’ll quickly find there are major benefits to giving your pooch a space of their own (including, just maybe, less damage to your couch and bed). 

Whether you’re brand new to the world of dog beds or searching for your tenth dog bed replacement because your pooch is not above destroying the ones they have no time for, you may be surprised to learn just how many options there are out there.

You’ll find everything from donut-shaped beds and orthopedic dog beds to memory foam platform beds, elevated beds, and crate pads that look a little like meditation cushions. There are even electric heated dog beds to keep your pooch warm and toasty in the winter. If you have a difficult enough time choosing a mattress for your human needs and aren’t sure where to begin when it comes to your pup, we’re here to help.

CR assessed three of the top-selling dog beds—including one orthopedic and one elevated bed—to find out which are the most durable, easiest to set up, and most aesthetically pleasing, since let’s face it, your dog bed is going to be front and center in your living room or other shared spaces in your home. But since no dog bed evaluation would be complete without input from our best furry critics, we recruited Trixie, Zuzu, and Blake—three dogs of different sizes and breeds—who helped us test each bed for “comfort” and durability, and didn’t hold back from un-leashing their opinions.

Meet Our Judges

We put our pups to work assessing each of our three popular dog beds. And we made sure to recruit the most savvy and sophisticated shoppers:

Trixie, Zuzu, and Blake stepped up to do their dog duty as judges.

Photo: Consumer Reports

Trixie, 8-Year-Old Pit Bull, 56 Pounds
Trixie enjoys rearranging any available household blankets and pillows to meet her high comfort standards. When not building nests she strives to kiss every person she meets to fight the bad reputation that some pit bull owners have brought to the breed.

Zuzu, 1-Year-Old Shih Tzu, 11 Pounds
Zuzu enjoys shredding tissues, stealing socks, making friends with literally every dog and human she meets, and watching scary movies with her mom and dad. 

Blake, 4-Year-Old Labradoodle, 36 Pounds
Blake spends his days cuddling his human family and giving death stares to birds outside his window, while his nights are spent clandestinely chewing up everything in his path. He has never met a dog bed he likes.

FurHaven Deluxe Chaise LoungeDog Bed

The FurHaven Deluxe Chaise Lounge Dog Bed costs between $29 and $153 (depending on the size you order) and is pretty much the luxurious chaise lounge of dog beds—it even boasts a soft L-shaped bolster where your pooch can comfortably rest their head. Everything about this bed seems designed with doggy comfort in mind, from its egg crate orthopedic foam base that can help cushion pressure points, according to the manufacturer, to its faux fur sleep surface.

The dog bed cover is removable and machine washable. It comes in sizes that can accommodate dogs up to 125 pounds, and its foam meets CertiPUR-US standards for emissions, content, and durability and is made without formaldehyde, phthalates, mercury, lead, and ozone depleters, according to the manufacturer, though as CR reported in March 2023, a CertiPUR certification does not cover other materials. It comes with 90-day limited coverage against material defects and customers may qualify for FurHaven’s 60-day Worry-Free program. This 60-day warranty replaces damaged dog beds with the same make and model product as long as the customer registers the dog bed within 14 days of purchasing it.

Assembly

Assembly was easy peasy. The egg crate foam base is flexible and can be effortlessly positioned within the fabric cover. Setting up the bolster so that it creates a perfect L-shape took me a few minutes to figure out, but it ultimately “popped” into place and proved to be quite sturdy, creating a sofa-like shape. The cover effortlessly zips all around with two zippers that keep its foam cushioning and bolster in place.

Durability

FurHaven makes no bones about how this bed is “not suitable for pets with excessive teething or destructive chewing behavior.” It doesn’t take much for the faux fur cover to be torn apart by a dog who likes sinking their teeth into everything, something I discovered the hard way when my pup Blake—an aggressive chewer—became bored one rainy afternoon and nibbled a hole in the cover. Once the cover is torn, its egg crate foam is exposed, which proved even more irresistible to Blake. He threw me several salty side glances as I removed his favorite bed ever from the living room.

Comfort

Across the board, this was our dogs’ favorite bed. Trixie took to it right away, according to her owner Dirk Klingner, CR’s business strategy and planning analyst. “She always stayed close to the bolsters and did not use the other half of the bed,” Klingner says. “She liked it enough that she would try to sneak off and go to bed early in the other room.”

Little Zuzu was very curious about the bed once it was placed on the floor and after giving it a good sniff she immediately curled up on it, says Anastasia Signoretta, Zuzu’s owner and CR’s associate director of digital products. “Of the three beds we tested, the FurHaven was the one Zuzu returned to time after time,” Signoretta says.

As for Blake, he immediately draped his body over the FurHaven bed, resting his chin on the bolster. This is the only bed I actually caught him using when I left the room, without any prompting whatsoever. Sadly, it isn’t indestructible enough to withstand Blake’s chewing—this is the only factor that has kept me from buying him a FurHaven of his own.

Aesthetics

This bed’s chaise design looks good, even on your floor. This isn’t a dog bed I’d feel I need to remove from a space when company comes over, and the right shade could blend into your home’s aesthetic. It comes in four colors—Dark Sage, Espresso, Marine Blue, and Stone Gray. “I would consider purchasing this bed for Zuzu, though probably in a different color, as the Dark Sage one that arrived didn’t really go well with my home’s decor,” Signoretta says.

Casper Dog Bed

Casper, the same company that sells mattresses, designed its Casper Dog Bed, which ranges from $139 to $249 depending on size, with two layers of foam construction (including memory foam), a soft nylon-polyester-olefin cover that fits taut over its rectangular cushion, and raised bolsters around all four sides. Whereas our first impression of the FurHaven bed was “soft” and “cozy,” this pick gives off a sturdier and more structured appearance and feel. The cover is removable and machine washable and comes in three sizes to accommodate dogs up to 90 pounds. (Note: We wish it was offered in a larger size to suit really big breeds.) Casper offers a 30-night risk-free trial and one-year limited warranty, so you have the option of returning the bed if your dog doesn’t take to it.

Assembly

Assembly is similar to the FurHaven in that you have to position a cushion and bolsters inside of the cover and zip it up to keep everything secure. But since there are four bolsters to deal with here, there’s a little more effort required to line everything up perfectly. It wasn’t too difficult to assemble, but we didn’t find it to be the easiest, either. One thoughtful feature is a sewn-in pocket where you can tuck away the two metal zippers—this keeps your pup from playing with the zipper and protects hardwood floors if your pooch likes to drag their bed around.

Durability

As much as Blake tried to chew a hole in the Casper Dog Bed—and bless his heart, he’s persistent—he couldn’t manage it. With a little more time I have faith Blake could have found a way to tear the bolster apart, but for the two weeks that I had the Casper out around my home, it stayed in pristine condition. Considering how no plush toy has lasted longer than two days in Blake’s domain, this is saying a lot. Our other testers agreed. “The Casper Bed looked super well-made,” Klingner says. “Very sturdy and durable without being industrial.”

Comfort

Our dogs were willing to try the Casper Dog Bed, but none of them were eager to continue using it. “Trixie and our other dog would use this bed but did not seem to love it,” Klingner says. “The bed was also huge, so it took up a large part of our small rooms, while the dogs would curl up in a corner of the bed anyway with a huge amount of space always open.” Zuzu sat on the Casper a few times, though Signoretta says she definitely chose the FurHaven most often. “The Casper did include a neat waffle toy, which Zuzu loved (more than the bed, actually!),” Signoretta adds. As for Blake, he destroyed the waffle toy in 30 minutes, would lay on the Casper bed when I tossed treats on it, and would then snub it in favor of our couch.

Aesthetics

I found the Casper to be a fine-looking dog bed—like a fancy, stiff couch in your fancy aunt’s home, compared with the FurHaven, which is more like a couch you sank into at your fun aunt’s home. It comes in three earthy tones of Blue, Gray, and Sand. Not all of our testers found it as aesthetically pleasing, though. “I was especially displeased to see that the fabric where the dog is meant to lie doesn’t lie flat or taut; it was wrinkled and looked less sleek than the rest of the bed,” Signoretta says.

Frisco Steel-Framed Elevated Dog Bed

Elevated beds are ideal for puppies or the destroyers—the dogs who would otherwise rip up beds, says Cathy Madson, a certified dog trainer with Preventive Vet. The Frisco Steel-Framed Elevated Dog Bed isn’t warm, fuzzy, cozy, or any other word you’d use to describe a plush bed, but it will put up a solid, sturdy fight against those dogs we know and love who are out to destroy the universe with their teeth and paws (looking at you, Blake).

This bed ($24 to $38, depending on the size) is designed with a powder-coated steel frame and a thick, tough, water-resistant PVC-coated fabric on top. The manufacturer claims that the material is breathable and keeps your dog cool, and it comes in three sizes to accommodate dogs up to 85 pounds, so it’s not the most size-inclusive option. Its cover can be removed and machine washed.

Assembly

Assembling the Frisco dog bed is fairly easy, but it comes with more parts than the other beds—and you’ll need to use the included Allen wrenches. Basically, you set the PVC part upside down and slide each pole inside a sleeve around the perimeter of it before securing the poles with screws. There is no cushion or foam to make fit and the pieces all came together in less than 10 minutes.

Durability

This dog bed is extremely durable and seems elegantly equipped to handle some of the grosser aspects of having a dog—such as constant licking or an occasional accident—thanks to the fact that you can easily wipe its material clean with a wet paper towel. Although Blake couldn’t figure out how to chew this one to bits, Frisco cautions that this bed’s material is not chew-proof. If its fabric becomes damaged, you can purchase a Frisco Replacement Cover for the bed at a cost of between $10 to $18.

Comfort

The Frisco elevated dog bed struck out with all three of our pooches. “She did not like this bed at all,” Klingner reports about Trixie. “Even when we asked her to try the bed, she would leave it to find somewhere else to sleep after a couple of minutes.”

Zuzu didn’t seem impressed, either. “Zuzu was curious while I was assembling it but otherwise stayed away from it; I don’t think she realized it was a dog bed or something for her, particularly because it is elevated and her other beds rest on the floor,” Signoretta says. “It’s also not cushiony or soft like her other beds.”

I wanted Blake to love this bed because it seemed like it would solve all of our chewing issues. But it wasn’t meant to be: Blake had zero interest in it. I coaxed him onto the bed with a treat and he sat there for a few minutes, but barely long enough for me to snap a photo.

Aesthetics

The Frisco looks utilitarian—not like a piece of furniture that adds or takes away from your decor. “This bed might work well for dog owners who would like their pet to sit on something other than the ground outside, maybe while camping or in a backyard, but the design just doesn’t work for indoors,” Signoretta says. Thanks to its water resistance, you can use it outdoors, where it may serve as a wonderful space for dogs who would rather not rest on hard, hot cement. Frisco recommends storing it inside though.

How CR Evaluates Dog Beds

Each of our evaluators received the three beds in sizes that suit their dog breeds. We assembled each bed and let our dogs test one out for one week prior to moving on to the next bed. During this time we observed how often our dogs independently chose to sit or lay down on the bed and how long they stayed there. We observed each bed’s durability—including whether it can withstand our dogs’ attempts to paw at or nibble it—as well as how aesthetically pleasing we found them to be in our homes. We did not run removable covers through the washing machine but noted if any of the beds were more or less difficult to spot clean.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Dog Bed?

Some of the benefits of giving your dog a bed of their own include providing a cushion that supports their body and helps give them relief from health concerns like arthritis, hip dysplasia, and joint issues, according to the American Kennel Club. If you’re a fan of letting your dog sleep on your bed, Madson says there’s nothing wrong with continuing to do so, but some people find it very inconvenient. “Some dogs are very large and take up the whole bed,” Madson says. “Sometimes, though, I do have cases where a dog might guard some space or guard the bed, and that can be dangerous for people. Having a dog bed for those behavioral cases is very important because they need somewhere other than the bed to rest.”

It’s important to note, too, that a preliminary study has found there may be increased risks of zoonotic pathogens that pass from animals to humans when you have intimate contact with your dog or cat, such as sleeping with them, which may be another reason to consider giving them their own bed.  

Even if your dog doesn’t display possessive or aggressive tendencies, Madson says having somewhere cozy for your dog to settle that is their own little place can help them feel safe and reduce their stress. “Just like us, we want somewhere to go cozy up, and a lot of dogs find that calming to have their own place to retreat to when needed,” Madson says. “Also for us, if we don’t want our dogs on the furniture or on our beds for our own personal preferences, well, then we need to give them somewhere else that’s just as enticing to settle on.”

Wondering where to place your dog bed? Madson says dogs are social creatures that prefer proximity to their family, so having their beds as close to you as possible is ideal and can combat their isolation or separation issues. Don’t be surprised if your pooch takes to their new bed so much that they start to guard it and growl when you’re near their space—this is a behavior based in fear of losing that space, according to Madson. 

“If I notice a dog starts to get tense or growling when I pass by them in their bed, then I want to, one, connect with a professional to help them feel better about people approaching,” Madson says. “In the meantime, I do want to make note of that. I tell clients all the time, ‘Don’t push it. Don’t force yourself into their space. If they have a problem with that, respect that.’ Just like for us, if someone kept bugging us when we’re sitting on our couch or in our bed.” Madson also says she recommends calling your dog out of their bed instead of pushing into their space yourself.

Can Some Dog Bed Material Be Dangerous?

CR didn’t assess health risks that certain dog bed materials could potentially have on dogs. But CR’s Senior Test Project Leader Chris Regan, who tests mattresses (but did not test these dog bed materials), says the Casper bed is obviously of higher quality, but that his concern with both the Casper and FurHaven beds is that only the removable covers can be thoroughly cleaned. “The inner foam layers can only be spot cleaned, which to me is a problem,” Regan says. “The FurHaven mentions the use of Certipur foam, without various chemicals. Which is fine, but it’s still the ingestion of the foreign material that would be the issue.”

The Casper bed contains polyurethane-based foams, Regan says, and whether they are more environmentally friendly or not, having a dog ingest the foam could be problematic. “Further, beds like this aren’t designed for dogs that are moderate chewers despite their claims,” Regan says. As for the Frisco Steel-Framed Elevated Dog Bed, Regan says he used a similar one and that the steel frame can rust if used outdoors, the fabric does get dirty, and you’ll need to either disassemble the bed to clean it or scrub it with a nylon brush. “While it’s less likely a dog will chew and ingest parts of this bed, over time the fabric does tear (especially if a dog likes to ‘dig up’ their bed prior to settling down),” Regan says. “Many of these styles of beds at this price point have poor manufacturing quality.”   

A thorough testing of each dog bed’s materials would be required before we could make specific judgments about them, but one takeaway here is that it’s crucial to find a bed that your dog won’t be able to destroy and ingest.

How to Introduce Your Pup to a Dog Bed

So you’re ready to introduce your pup to a dog bed or transition them from their old bed to a new one—how can you get them as comfy as possible with this change? Madson says she always starts with food. “I do lots of like, ‘Hey, there’s a treat that I’m going to drop onto your new bed’ so that at least gets the dog interested and goes over and sniffs the bed, checks it out,” Madson says. “Something positive just happened on this new thing, so it’s creating a really positive association.”

If you have a really small dog, this introduction can be more difficult and Madson suggests placing the bed on your lap and bringing the small dog onto your lap in the bed to create that association and comfort in the bed. “If they’re bigger, you could even sit down next to the bed, on the bed with them, to just build that familiarity and association,” Madson says. “Lots of times I practice just the go-to-bed cue. It’s teaching them, ‘Hey, when you step on your bed, I’m going to toss you a cookie, and then I’m going to teach you that when I say go to bed, you get a cookie.’ It creates this really strong positive association with that space.”

What If Your Dog Hates Its Bed?

What if you’ve tried everything to get your pup to take to their new bed and they refuse to have anything to do with it? Madson says you needn’t stress: If your dog is happy and healthy sleeping on the floor and thriving otherwise, it’s not worth your energy. “We want to make everything cozy and comfy for them. I totally understand that, but your dog is telling you they want to sleep on the floor,” Madson says, adding that she sees this a lot with very fluffy dogs who are hot and prefer sleeping on tile floors to beds. 

When it comes to dogs who have arthritis or mobility issues, Madson says she wants to make sure their joints are taken care of, but if they don’t want to sleep in the bed, she isn’t going to force it. “Instead, I would recommend talking to a veterinarian about other kinds of things, joint supplements or pain medications to help them feel better in other ways, because some things just aren’t worth the time and effort.”

But if you do find a bed that both you and your dog can agree on, be prepared to say “aww” a dozen times a day as you watch them sink into their comfortable safe space for a cozy nap.

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