It is no secret that dogs are not always the cleanest of creatures

 

 

It is no secret that dogs are not always the cleanest of creatures. They go outside, they tromp around in the mud, in the dirt, and they roll in smelly things and eat things we humans would not even if we were starving, and they do not self clean. So, is a clean dog bed an oxymoron? Depending on what kind of dog bed your dog has, it might be, but it does not have to be. Consider the following five tips on how you can have a dog and a clean, or at least easy to clean, dog bed.

 

 

1. Types Of Memory Foam Dog Beds

 

Having a clean, or at least easy to clean, dog bed first of all depends on what kind of dog bed your dog has. There are many types of dog beds on the market today, but perhaps it is easiest to break the dog bed market into two basic groups: traditional dog beds and memory foam dog beds. Traditional dog beds are the stuffed dog beds. They are built like a pillow essentially. They have an outer casing and something, like stuffing, inside. Then there are memory foam dog beds. Memory foam dog beds are made of a special type of foam that is designed react to the body heat and body weight of the dog that is sleeping on it. This reaction renders the memory foam bed to be orthopedic. It is important to remember most dog bed owners report that they have to throw out their dog's bed not because the bed was no longer functional, but instead because the bed smelled so bad they could not stand to have it in their house any longer, and washing the bed did not help.

 

 

2. So A Washable Dog Bed Is The Best?

 

Technically speaking, most traditional dog beds are washable. As mentioned above however, washing the beds often does not get rid of the smell. Memory foam beds are not washable; in fact most memory foam dog beds soak up smells better than traditional dog beds. Memory foam beds, however, depending on how they were built, can stay cleaner than a washable bed, even though you can not wash them; they just need to be built correctly.

 

 

3. Memory Foam Dog Bed Liners

 

Perhaps the most important part of a memory foam dog bed, in terms of cleanliness, is the internal liner. Not all memory foam dog beds are built with liners, however. Only high quality memory foam dog beds are made with an internal liner. Such liners are usually waterproof and they are sealed around the memory foam of the dog bed. The liners are not designed to be removed, nor are they designed to be laid directly on by your dog. Instead they are designed to protect the memory foam of the bed from liquids, odors, bugs, and allergens. Some memory foam dog bed manufactures, high quality memory foam dog bed manufactures, make their memory foam dog bed liners to not only be waterproof, but to also be breathable. This sounds like an oxymoron, but it is not. Buddy Beds is one such manufacturer that makes their liners to be both breathable and waterproof. A breathable liner extends the life span of a memory foam bed. Memory foam needs air flow to maintain its loft. Without loft, a memory foam bed cannot retain its, memory, so to say. Without airflow memory foam will cease to react to body heat and weight. What this means is that the memory foam will no longer be orthopedic. It will essentially just be foam.

 

 

4. The Memory Foam Dog Bed Cover

 

As mentioned, the liners in memory dog beds are not designed to be laid upon directly by your dog. As a result memory foam dog beds are designed with an outer cover. This cover is what your dog lies directly on. The cover protects the memory foam from damages that your dog could cause with his claws or anything else. This cover also soaks up the dirt and smells that your dog deposits when he sleeps. Such covers can, unlike the memory foam of the bed, be washed. In fact, high quality manufactures design the covers so that they fit into a home washing machine. You, the dog owner, can simply remove the cover when your dog tracks mud into his bed, and wash it in the house. Some manufactures even make their memory foam dog bed covers with extra large zippers, which aid in the removal and dressing of the cover.

 

 

5. The Price of a Memory Foam Dog Bed

 

It is important to consider price when shopping for the cleanest dog bed. While traditional dog beds are much cheaper than memory foam dog beds, they are harder to keep clean, and as a result need to be replaced more often. You want to consider if you want to replace your dog's bed regularly due to smell or if you want to buy one bed that will last for many years.