My dog, Mac, spends about 10-12 hours at night in his kennel (it's OK - he likes it) - so I want it to be a comfortable place for him to be. Mac's old dog bed was getting a bit frazzled, and instead of dumping a bunch of money into another one that would have a limited life span due to questionable design and materials, I decided to build him one structured more like a piece of furniture - one with a durable, washable, replaceable cover that could handle the occasional sickness and accidents without showing much wear and tear. I never have understood why pet beds are made of fuzzy or soft fabrics - most pets (that you'd be building a bed for) are likely covered in fuzzy, soft, material already and probably can't tell the difference.
I also wanted to build the bed out of scraps and found materials - along with some supplies I had lying around - i.e. I didn't want to have to buy anything to make it. Now, I realize that very few people are going to have most of these supplies "lying around" (what can I say? I'm a pack-rat) - but they would be readily available from most upholstery supply shops. I buy a lot of my supplies from here: http://www.rochfordsupply.com as well as from local suppliers.
Total cost, if you were to buy everything, would probably be around $100 - which is half what I've spent in the past on beds that didn't last much more than a couple of years. In addition, this bed can be easily cleaned (most can't) - and if the need should arise it can be recovered for about what a cheap dog bed would cost.
Supplies:
I also wanted to build the bed out of scraps and found materials - along with some supplies I had lying around - i.e. I didn't want to have to buy anything to make it. Now, I realize that very few people are going to have most of these supplies "lying around" (what can I say? I'm a pack-rat) - but they would be readily available from most upholstery supply shops. I buy a lot of my supplies from here: http://www.rochfordsupply.com as well as from local suppliers.
Total cost, if you were to buy everything, would probably be around $100 - which is half what I've spent in the past on beds that didn't last much more than a couple of years. In addition, this bed can be easily cleaned (most can't) - and if the need should arise it can be recovered for about what a cheap dog bed would cost.
Supplies:
- 1000-Denier, urethane-backed Cordura - I picked up some on clearance a few years ago (hence the cammo pattern). It's waterproof, abrasive resistant, and tough - and was pretty inexpensive.
- 1/2" Dacron batting
- Scrap 2"x4" lumber for the frame
- Scrap 1/2" or 3/4" plywood for the bolsters
- Elasbelt Webbing - like very strong elastic - used as a replacement for springs in furniture
- Urethane Foam - good furniture-grade foam will last a lot longer and be more comfortable
- 1" Hook and Loop fastener - about 6 feet should do it
- Staples, Foam Adhesive, Screws
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Signing UpStep 1: Build the Frame
While it IS possible to use lumber as-is, I find that taking the time to true/dimension lumber pays off in ease of construction and accuracy - so I do it. The final dimensions on the frame sides is 3" x 1-1/4" and the stretchers are 1" x 1-1/4".
This frame is assembled entirely with screws - no glue. If you have a pocket-hole jig, this would be a great use for that as well.
The goal here was a strong, square frame that could handle the continuous tension of the webbing as well as the weight of Mac.
Be sure to drill pilot holes for your screws - Why? Because pine is notoriously easy to split. The only time I don't drill pilot holes is if I'm using a self-drilling screw like a "Spax" brand screw - which I used to install the corner braces.
As for the rest of the description, I'll let the pictures do the talking.....
This frame is assembled entirely with screws - no glue. If you have a pocket-hole jig, this would be a great use for that as well.
The goal here was a strong, square frame that could handle the continuous tension of the webbing as well as the weight of Mac.
Be sure to drill pilot holes for your screws - Why? Because pine is notoriously easy to split. The only time I don't drill pilot holes is if I'm using a self-drilling screw like a "Spax" brand screw - which I used to install the corner braces.
As for the rest of the description, I'll let the pictures do the talking.....
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I guess I am used to females (being a female myself)--I know you guys can hold it longer!
Has your dog ever asked to go out while still in his crate? And if he is crated at night, why is he crated?-- or should I ask, is he locked in his crate for all night, and if so, why? is he especially destructive or something? Once our dogs are house trained, they got run of the house, ( and some were biggies, up to 90 lbs or so, female all).
Jus' wondering. . . ;-) We had kittens that we had to crate at night because they would get on counters and knock all sorts of stuff off. They were just too kittenly-destructive to be allowed to race the house at night (and we needed our sleep!).
There have been times when he's whined a little at night (he's not very vocal) to get out, and there are times I've heard him "circling" so those are his way of saying he wants to go outside - but it's rare - maybe once or twice a year.
Our dog thinks she wants to sleep with the big dogs (us) and tries to hog the bed, but the big dogs win! My sister says she wants to sleep in a big dog pile with us, but ah needs mah sleep.
You could still put a blanket or towel over this kind of mattress - or even a crib pad of some sort, I would think. The Cordura "grips" towels and other materials pretty well. The nice thing is that this mattress can be hosed off outside, or, in the bathtub when it's too cold out.
I am thinking about making something to fit in the passager seat of my pickup truck for my dog she is always slipping and sliding
But I can sew and I used those skills to make my own dog bed about 6 months ago. Like you, I gave up on store-bought pet beds. I constructed one for my 11 pound terrier from a standard size bed pillow. I also made a velcro-close "pillow case" from sturdy, washable fabric. I compacted the pillow stuffing because it was too lofty and I reduced the footprint to fit inside the kennel. My dog was very much a puppy when I made this so I wanted to be able to throw every component into the washing machine. That is why I made a removable slipcover and why I used a human's bed pillow. So far, mine has held up well but that's only because my dog is small. Beds for bigger dogs like yours will be much more durable if you build them more like a piece of furniture just as you did.