Dog Accessories

lostinrates

34 inches is too small. Sadly. . Dogs can curl up small, and that's fine on a cold winter night, but what about when they want to stretch, or the weather is warmer, and I have asked them to stay 'on the bed'. We have never tried the plastic beds because they have not been big enough, but I have two dogs now who would fit in them, but then.....I can buy big enough beds for them of the soft type!

pawsies

lostinrates wrote: »

34 inches is too small. Sadly. . Dogs can curl up small, and that's fine on a cold winter night, but what about when they want to stretch, or the weather is warmer, and I have asked them to stay 'on the bed'. We have never tried the plastic beds because they have not been big enough, but I have two dogs now who would fit in them, but then.....I can buy big enough beds for them of the soft type!

Your dog needs a sofa/duvet. It's the only solution, she'll thank me for it

RovingJohn

lostinrates wrote: »

34 inches is too small. Sadly. . Dogs can curl up small, and that's fine on a cold winter night, but what about when they want to stretch, or the weather is warmer, and I have asked them to stay 'on the bed'. We have never tried the plastic beds because they have not been big enough, but I have two dogs now who would fit in them, but then.....I can buy big enough beds for them of the soft type!

Wow! There are ones that are like 41" but they don't have sides (What's better with having sides?). I guess it's probably hard to find them because the bigger the bed, the thicker and bigger the sides are, which makes them heavy so they'd collapse quicker.

I guess this is your only solution:

pawsies wrote: »

Your dog needs a sofa/duvet. It's the only solution, she'll thank me for it

!

_Andy_

Yes I would (and do) buy online. However you're going to really struggle unless you have a good amount of money to invest in SEO and/or PPC (whilst you're new if you really want to generate income you will need PPC), social, etc.
You also need to think what exactly your business will offer that's different from your competitors.

lostinrates

pawsies wrote: »

Your dog needs a sofa/duvet. It's the only solution, she'll thank me for it

She has a three seater leather sofa and a kingsize duvet....(between them they have a pair of them) but she wants a bed like the others have!

There really is no pleasing some pets!

lostinrates

RovingJohn wrote: »

Wow! There are ones that are like 41" but they don't have sides (What's better with having sides?). I guess it's probably hard to find them because the bigger the bed, the thicker and bigger the sides are, which makes them heavy so they'd collapse quicker.

I guess this is your only solution:



!

What's better about having sides? Draught protection I guess in a draughty old farmhouse, the sides certainly seem to trap in the warmth from their body heat, so maybe its that too. Maybe it just feels nice to them, they all like it.

I also notice my dogs like to use 'pillows' often using soft toys or cushions to support their spoiled little heads with.

RovingJohn

lostinrates wrote: »

What's better about having sides? Draught protection I guess in a draughty old farmhouse, the sides certainly seem to trap in the warmth from their body heat, so maybe its that too. Maybe it just feels nice to them, they all like it.

I also notice my dogs like to use 'pillows' often using soft toys or cushions to support their spoiled little heads with.

My dog does that too, if I put a pillow under his head when he is laying down (laying down but with his head in the air) he will put his head down and go to sleep on it :O

Welshwoofs

RovingJohn wrote: »

With people talking about large beds, have you looked at plastic beds? I have seen ones up to 34" which is fairly big (considering when your dog is curled up he is a bit smaller). They've got rigid sides and there is sides all the way around (although the front one is lowered a little). You can stick a mat/flat bed in them and it's good.

The biggest bed i've listed on my website (which isn't up and running so i'm not trying to sell it to you here!) is around 34- 36" with sides. It'll set you about around £50 and there are a few different designs.

Unfortunately 34-36" is tiny if dealing with giant breeds and on top of that, giant breeds often don't curl up.....they spawl out! To give you an example; my dog's current bed is 60" x 40" and half the time he falls asleep with his head hanging off one end.

The other issue is the base of them - with a giant breed, most bases will end up as flat as a pancake in a couple of weeks because you're dealing with dogs that weigh as much as a large human!

lostinrates wrote: »

I also notice my dogs like to use 'pillows' often using soft toys or cushions to support their spoiled little heads with.

Ha ha, mine too! On a cold night he also likes to have a fleece blanket put over him. I think this is because he actually slept in my bed (laying vertically with his head on a pillow between my partner and I...just like a human) until he was 6 months old, at which point we ousted him as he developed a habit of turning over and kicking one or the other of us out.

lostinrates

Ww, it's so right about the weight. My giant officially weighs far, far too much for breed (heavier than dh) but she condition scores pretty perfect. Every time we go out in the car I consider our tyre pressure to be right if it's at the 'fully laden" pressure. You can't just scale things of the same thickness and density up, it's not sufficient. Buying a mattress equivalent for a heavy man is different to the needs of something that weighs a mere twenty to forty kilos!

cathwood

I've bought some amazing dog products online. My favourite buying place has to be ebay - mainly because of the price.

There was a raised bed for £38.00 from Australia - 'Coolaroo' which is probably the best beds I have ever bought my dogs. There was also the Dogaids harness which again is not sold in too many shops and this was just a truly amazing product to help my dog to walk again. And then there was of course, one of my dogs which i found on the internet. Most retail shops seem to also be setting up an online shop in addition to their high streets.

I think you're pretty safe selling on the net, however its what you do to get out there that matters - like SEO and Adwords.

Good luck with your shop and well done for trying in these gloomy times:T