Best Dog Beds of 2022 – CNET [CNET]

Give your best friend the coziest possible place with these best dog beds.

Finding a suitable bed for your dog is a process of trial and errors. While you can compare features like design, price and washability, your dog likely gets the final vote on its perfect dog bed. We tested various beds — five budget options (under $150) and five luxury beds (over $150) — with help from three obliging canine testers: Bailey, Halley and Huckleberry. 

Bailey and Huck preferred beds with side bolsters so they could rest their heads or roll around without falling off. Halley liked the flat pillow-style bed with no sides at all. Then again, you might have a dog who, despite having all these beds to try out, prefers to hop on the nearest couch or into the big human bed at night. Along with our dogs’ input, we also considered how easy each bed is to clean, how it looks and its overall value.

Three of the 10 models stood out to us (and our dogs). We’ve compiled the details below on the best beds for the most discerning dogs.

Read more: 13 Necessities for New Dog Owners

How we tested dog beds 

To test dog beds, Molly and I compared a variety of features for each model, weighed against their price to determine the overall value. We considered price, durability, support, ease of install (if necessary), washability, size and design.

Then we let our dogs try out each bed. Molly tested the budget beds with Bailey at her house and I tested the luxury beds with Halley and Huck at mine. We both set out the five beds we were testing and spent time observing how (or if) the dogs interacted with each one. Here are some of the questions we asked during testing: Which beds did the dogs spend the most time in continuously? Which beds did they return to the most? Did they have any trouble getting in the beds? Did the bed sizes as advertised actually fit our dogs? All of those things combined helped inform the value of the bed — and whether it was worth buying. 

A rundown of the other models

The other dogs beds we tested include the Best Friends by Sheri Original Calming Donut Dog Bed, the Barkbox Memory Foam Platform Dog Bed, the Barkbox 2-in-1 Memory Foam Dog Bolster Bed, the Bedsure Egg Crate Foam Pet Bed, the Orvis Memory Foam Bolster Dog Bed, the Casper Dog Bed and the Club Nine Pets Metro Orthopedic Dog Bed. 

• Best Friends by Sheri Original Calming Donut Dog Bed ($30-$150, depending on size): If the algorithms know you own a dog, you’ve likely seen these fuzzy, round dog begs on social media ads. They are popular and oh so soft. While the bed is delightfully fluffy, and Bailey slept on it without prompting, it lacks the supportive bottom memory foam mattress of other models. The entire bed is washing-machine safe, but the large model we tested was too big to fit in my standard washer. It would be much better to wash only a zip-off cover.
• Barkbox Memory Foam Platform Dog Bed/Barkbox 2-in-1 Memory Foam Dog Bolster Bed ($27-$114, depending on size and model): BarkBox is primarily a subscription service for dog accessories, but you can purchase their dog bed without subscribing. We tested both a flat bed and a four-bolster model. Both beds use the same 3-inch memory foam mattress as a starting point, but the bolster model (preferred by Bailey) includes four round pillows you’ll need to assemble by zipping into the provided covers. Assembly isn’t difficult, but we preferred Furhaven’s preassembled bed for easy setup. Both beds included washable covers that felt a bit too heavy duty to be comfortable or inviting, but would likely stand the test of time. 
• Bedsure Egg Crate Foam Pet Bed ($31-$40, depending on size): The Bedsure model we tested is made up of an egg-crate foam pad and a zip cover. This is a very basic option that is budget-friendly with no frills. The convenience of a washable cover is good, but the foam mattress lacked the thickness and support of the other models we tested. As the care tag notes, it isn’t intended to be chew-proof.
• Orvis Memory Foam Bolster Dog Bed ($229-$349, depending on size): This bed shares a lot of similarities with the Orvis Memory Foam Couch Dog Bed. It has bolsters on three sides, four size options, including, small, medium, large and extra large — and 10 color options. That said, it wasn’t as sturdy as Orvis’ Couch Dog Bed, which has an extra thick cushion and supportive bolsters. 
  
  
• Casper Dog Bed ($125-$224, depending on size): We liked this bed’s four-bolster design and firm support. That said, the bed arrived unassembled in six parts — the bed cover and five cushions (the mattress and the four bolsters). It wasn’t difficult to put together, but the bolsters were a little tricky to zip into the liner. That modular design also means that you can entirely remove the cover to wash it and spot treat the individual cushions, as needed. Even though the medium bed ($149) is designed to fit dogs up to 60 pounds, Huck barely fit in it. It was a much better size for Halley, who weighs 40 pounds. 
• Club Nine Pets Metro Orthopedic Dog Bed ($191-249, depending on size): Club Nine Pets make a wide range of modern luxury dog beds. The Metro Orthopedic dog bed truly looks like a mini dog-sized sofa. It’s cute, but not as functional as some of the others we tested. The back support was difficult to secure in place, and, despite having armrest-style bolsters on either side of the bed, Huck didn’t rest his head on them (like he did with the other bolster-style beds). Again, like much of the bed, the armrests were more cute than functional. Halley never got in this bed, possibly because it was taller than the others. 

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