Memory Foam Dog Beds

A memory foam dog bed is for the dog who circles, lies down with a heavy sigh, and an hour later gets up and shuffles, because the bed underneath has packed into ridges and the cold floor is coming through. Memory foam moulds around them as they settle and holds its shape where polyester filling packs down. Every bed here uses it, though not all in the same way.

How a memory foam dog bed actually works

Memory foam contours to the dog lying on it, so a hip or shoulder settles into the surface instead of pressing on one hard spot. What differs between beds is how the foam is built:

• Crumb memory foam, in Chatsworth's base and Elterwater's lift-out cushion, moulds around them as they settle. Chatsworth is our lowest-priced memory foam bed.
• Memory foam over egg-crate foam, on Martindale, Rosthwaite, Watendlath, Skelwith, Mardale and Longsleddale: one layer to contour, one to support.
• Memory foam over a firmer base, on Ambleside, run right to all four edges so there is no soft rim to roll off.
• Gel memory foam, 24cm deep, in Ennerdale: more than twice the depth of the 10cm Buttermere mattress.

Our guide to what is inside our beds sets the foams side by side.

Choose the shape, then the depth

Foam decides how a bed feels; shape decides whether they use it.

• If they sprawl: open foam. Buttermere is 110 × 85cm with nothing to climb over, and Wastwater is 127 × 91cm with a raised head built into the foam. More flat shapes are among our dog mattresses.
• If they lean: an arm. Grasmere and Haweswater are memory foam dog sofas, and Kendal wraps cushioned bolsters in corduroy.
• If they curl: walls. Borrowdale has a border on all four sides, Elterwater deep bouclé ones.
• If they hesitate before stepping in: Coniston keeps a chin rim but sits low.

Covers, liners and the guarantee

Memory foam should never be washed or soaked, so the cover does that job, following its sewn-in label. Coniston, Borrowdale and Wastwater add a waterproof liner between cover and foam, and Elterwater a waterproof layer beneath its cover: the part that stops one bad night ending a foam bed. Most of these beds also carry a 5-year no-flatten guarantee on the foam core, subject to the guarantee terms; check the product page, which says so where it applies.

Memory foam is about comfort, not treatment: if they are in pain or struggling to move, keep talking to your vet.

100 nights to decide

The test is simple: does the sigh-and-shuffle stop? Every bed here except the Whinlatter car seat comes with 100 nights from delivery to find out. If it is not right, we arrange free UK mainland collection and a full refund; one trial per household, and damage and other exclusions apply. The Whinlatter is a travel accessory, and its page says the trial should not be assumed, so check its returns eligibility before ordering. Standard UK delivery is free on orders over £40, and the trial page sets out the terms.

Memory foam questions

Is a memory foam dog bed the same as an orthopaedic one?

Often, but not always. Our orthopaedic dog beds also include profiled egg-crate builds such as Nocturne and Newlands, and the shape and height of the entry matter as much as the foam.

Can a memory foam dog bed go in the washing machine?

The cover can, where its label allows. The foam never should: take the cover off, wash it, air-dry it fully and refit it.

How deep should a memory foam dog bed be?

Deep enough that they do not reach the floor through it. Buttermere is 10cm, the XXL Mardale and Longsleddale 20cm, and Ennerdale 24cm. A heavy dog on a single thin layer is lying on your floor through a bit of fabric.

Not sure which shape they need? Let the Bed Finder match a memory foam bed to how they sleep.