Filling for a Dog Bed?

maxfox426

My dog tickles my soul
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Okay, so the last time I was asking what materials to make a dog bed out of. This time, I am trying to decide what to fill one with.

Is there any real benefit with using cedar chips? Or any problem with it? I read somewhere that it naturally repels fleas and whatnot. I don't know how true that may be, though. I have seen dog beds filled with cedar chips before, though not recently, so I just wanted to be sure that there isn't a bad reason for that.

The other option is pillow stuffing. Or something like it. Soft and fluffy. I am kind of leaning for the cedar chips, because I like the smell, but this is my backup plan. :)

The bed that I've made has an inside lining to stuff, and then an outer cover. Just FYI.

Thanks!
 
Completely cedar would be really smelly. I have a spare bed that I'm going to fill with packing peanuts, so I'll let you know how that goes. We just filled one with foam (it had cheap padding that got ruined in a few months) from the store. My mom got it for 50% off, but it still cost a fortune... $10 per yard for 2 inch thick foam. Yeesh. At least we only needed a yard and a half. Middie and I both love it, and it's very very comfy. But it's for a very square, flat bed, anyway - foam wouldn't work for everything.
 
Completely cedar would be really smelly. I have a spare bed that I'm going to fill with packing peanuts, so I'll let you know how that goes. We just filled one with foam (it had cheap padding that got ruined in a few months) from the store. My mom got it for 50% off, but it still cost a fortune... $10 per yard for 2 inch thick foam. Yeesh. At least we only needed a yard and a half. Middie and I both love it, and it's very very comfy. But it's for a very square, flat bed, anyway - foam wouldn't work for everything.

Hm... I hadn't thought of packing peanuts. I'll have to think on that. I like that idea better than going with pillow stuffing. Morgan is tough on beds, so regular stuffing tends to bunch up and get lumpy pretty quick. Thanks for that idea!

I did think about foam. I even checked it out at my fabric store, but (as you said) it's a bit on the pricey side compared to other options. Maybe next time, though. I am planning to make a few more beds because I had a LOT of fun with this one! :D
 
I made a dog bed cover and filled it with 2 standard size pillows. I bought the pillows at Walmart for only $2.50 each and used a twin flat size sheet to sew the cover with. The whole bed only cost me $10. When it gets dirty, I remove the cover and wash the cover & pillows in the washing machine and then dryer.
 
One of our dog beds has some cedar in it, and the dogs always smell like gerbils when the sleep on them :D
 
I made a dog bed cover and filled it with 2 standard size pillows. I bought the pillows at Walmart for only $2.50 each and used a twin flat size sheet to sew the cover with. The whole bed only cost me $10. When it gets dirty, I remove the cover and wash the cover & pillows in the washing machine and then dryer.

Barb, thanks for the idea! I've already sewn a cover and lining to fit Morgan's crate, so I am not sure that just using pillows would work... I don't think they would fit inside the cover right. Maybe two of the king-size pillows would? I will have to check that out. :)


One of our dog beds has some cedar in it, and the dogs always smell like gerbils when the sleep on them :D

Is it stuffed completely with cedar? If not, what is the other part of the filling in the bed? Just normal fluff stuffing? I love the smell of cedar, but as Nolu pointed out, it may be a bit overwhelming to fill the bed completely with it. Just looking for what you think of your cedar bed. :)
 
Completely cedar would be really smelly. I have a spare bed that I'm going to fill with packing peanuts, so I'll let you know how that goes...

Packing peanuts work great. I used them over 20 years ago in our GSD/Siberian's bed. Back then, everything you ordered came in a box filled to the hilt with packing peanuts, and I couldn't just throw them away. They don't compress as much or quickly as those little styrofoam beads they used to put in dog beds. I'd be careful with cedar- I know it's bad for the respiratory system of small critters like mice, rats, rabbits, etc. I thought I read somewhere the same thing about dogs. No matter for me- it makes me stuffy and gives me a headache so I don't use it.
 
Packing peanuts work great. I used them over 20 years ago in our GSD/Siberian's bed. Back then, everything you ordered came in a box filled to the hilt with packing peanuts, and I couldn't just throw them away. They don't compress as much or quickly as those little styrofoam beads they used to put in dog beds. I'd be careful with cedar- I know it's bad for the respiratory system of small critters like mice, rats, rabbits, etc. I thought I read somewhere the same thing about dogs. No matter for me- it makes me stuffy and gives me a headache so I don't use it.

I know that cedar is not good for small pets... I haven't read anything about it being bad for dogs, but that is why I asked here first! :) I am going to research the packing peanuts idea. I haven't received anything with packing peanuts recently, but I am sure I can find them somewhere.

Thanks everybody for the thoughts and suggestions!
 
Chip arrived with a cedar bed ....totally soaked from being out side , so I replaced with new . Ollie is using it 8 years later . ( when he's not on my bed! )
 
Is it stuffed completely with cedar? If not, what is the other part of the filling in the bed? Just normal fluff stuffing? I love the smell of cedar, but as Nolu pointed out, it may be a bit overwhelming to fill the bed completely with it. Just looking for what you think of your cedar bed. :)

Its a Costco bed, and according to the website it is also polyester fibrefill (whatever the heck that is....)
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11220745&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US

I like them, they aren't too expensive, and seem to last a long time ~but neither of my dogs have ever been bed-killers (ok, now that I've said that, they will likely take 'em apart next time they are home alone!) :lol-sign:
 
Totally not what you're asking, but somewhat on topic ;) I have a crib mattress in my living room as a dog bed. My aunt sewed some covers for it that are like pillow shams so the opening is under the mattress. It is nice because the mattress is plastic coated and accidents are a breeze to clean up. My dogs (and cats) just gravitate towards the critter beds when they are going to puke for some reason. I'll admit it does look a bit silly when the min pin claims it all for himself. One tiny dog on this huge dog bed LOL!
 
Totally not what you're asking, but somewhat on topic ;) I have a crib mattress in my living room as a dog bed. My aunt sewed some covers for it that are like pillow shams so the opening is under the mattress. It is nice because the mattress is plastic coated and accidents are a breeze to clean up. My dogs (and cats) just gravitate towards the critter beds when they are going to puke for some reason. I'll admit it does look a bit silly when the min pin claims it all for himself. One tiny dog on this huge dog bed LOL!

Mick's bed in the computer room was a crib mattress. I wrapped a piece of an egg crate foam bed topper around it, then covered it with the fitted and flat sheet from an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bed set. He had a pillow cover stuffed with shredded paper in the matching pillow case, too. In the winter I put the matching comforter on the bed.
 
The crib mattress sounds like a great idea. :) I hadn't thought of that.

I've already assembled one bed on my own (pictures in another thread), but in the future I'll keep that idea in mind. That would probably have been a lot simpler!
 

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