Dog Bed Size Guide
You have probably seen what happens when a dog bed is the wrong size: back legs hanging off the end onto a cold floor, a head propped on the bolster at an angle that looks anything but restful, or a small dog curled in one corner of a bed so big it gives them nothing to lean on. This dog bed size guide puts that right with a tape measure, a sleeping dog and centimetres, the way UK listings work.
Getting it right is not complicated. It means measuring the dog you actually have, lying the way they actually lie, and comparing that with the part of the bed they can actually use.
How to measure your dog for a bed
- Wait until they are properly settled in their usual spot, not sitting up watching the tape measure.
- Measure their length from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail while they lie stretched out on their side. Leave the tail out.
- Add 15 to 20cm. That margin lets them shift in the night without ending up half on, half off. The total is the shortest sleeping area worth buying.
- Do the same across their width, from the top of their back to the tips of their front paws as they lie on their side.
- If they curl up, measure across the curl at its widest as well, and check it against the space inside the walls.
- Compare with the sleeping area, not the outside. On a bed with bolsters or walls, the listed footprint includes them. Where a product page gives a sleeping area, use that; where it does not, allow for the walls.
Measure the dog rather than the breed. Two dogs of the same breed can be very different shapes, and a long-backed dog needs length that a weight chart will never show you.
Sizing by how they sleep
- Sprawlers need their full stretched-out length plus the margin, on a surface usable to the edge. Open mattresses are the easiest to size: on Ambleside, Buttermere and Wastwater every centimetre is sleeping area.
- Leaners need their stretched length inside the bolsters, because a dog who starts propped against one side often ends up lying long. On beds with an open front, such as Martindale or Rosthwaite, there is no wall at their feet.
- Curlers need less length but more wall. Measure them curled, then check the inside of the nest, because high walls take a large share of the footprint.
Not sure which one your dog is? Our guide to matching a bed to how they sleep helps you tell.
Outside size versus sleeping area
This is the measurement that is easiest to miss. Here is one of our nest beds, Loweswater, with both measurements listed:
| Size | Outside (cm) | Sleeping area (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 45 × 35 × 20 | 33 × 23 |
| Small | 55 × 40 × 22 | 42 × 28 |
| Medium | 65 × 45 × 25 | 48 × 34 |
| Large | 70 × 55 × 28 | 50 × 42 |
| XL | 90 × 70 × 32 | 72 × 55 |
On the XL, the walls take 18cm off the length and 15cm off the width. A dog who needs 80cm to stretch out will not lie flat on it, even though the outside says 90cm. Chatsworth works the same way: the Large is 70 × 55cm outside and 50 × 45cm inside. Open mattresses do not have this gap, which is why they are often the better buy for a big sprawler.
Dog bed size guide by breed
Use this as a starting point, then measure. The size names in the third column are the labels our own beds use for these breeds, and they show why a single “Large” means very little on its own.
| Size group | Example breeds | Labels you will see on our beds | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toy | Yorkie, Chihuahua, Pomeranian | XS or Small (Kentmere Small; Loweswater XS) | Small dogs often curl, so check the space inside the walls: the Loweswater XS is 33 × 23cm to lie on. |
| Small | Pug, French Bulldog, Dachshund | Small on Elterwater; Medium on Eskdale and Kentmere | Dachshunds are long for their height, so go by length rather than weight. |
| Medium | Cocker Spaniel, Cockapoo, Staffie, Springer Spaniel | Medium on Elterwater, Patterdale and Wasdale; Large on Eskdale and Kentmere | Wasdale's Medium, labelled for these breeds, is 75 × 55cm. |
| Large | Labrador, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, German Shepherd | Large on Elterwater, Patterdale and Wasdale; XL on Eskdale and Kentmere; XL on Loweswater for retrievers | Wasdale's Large is 95 × 75cm. A big sprawler may want more. |
| Giant | Great Dane, Newfoundland | XXL and one-size big beds: Mardale, Longsleddale and Burnmoor at 132 × 104cm; Bowfell at 122 × 91cm | Measure the room as well as the dog. |
Why one bed's Large is another bed's Medium
There is no shared standard for dog bed sizes. Every maker sets its own, and even within one range the labels follow the job the bed does. Our Derwent crate mat comes in a Large of 60 × 45cm, because it is sized to crate and boot floors. Ambleside's Large is 100 × 80cm. Melbreak and Staveley are called Extra Large at 122 × 89cm, Ennerdale's XL is 114 × 89cm, and Brotherswater's XL is a 150 × 95cm deck. None of those labels is wrong; they are simply not comparable. So before you choose, open the size options on the product page and read the centimetres, not the letters.
A few of our beds list sizes without centimetres. Where that happens, message us with your dog's breed and weight and we will tell you honestly which one fits before you order.
Between two sizes?
Size up. A bed that is a little big costs a sprawler or a leaner nothing; a bed that is a little small puts some part of them on the floor every night. The exceptions are the places where the floor decides for you:
- Crates: measure the inside of the crate base, not the outside of the crate. The bed should sit flat with no rucks and leave the door free. Glenridding's three sizes, from 70 × 50cm up to 105 × 70cm, are cut for crate floors.
- Car boots: measure the boot floor, and remember a bed is for comfort; it does nothing to restrain a dog in a moving car.
- Corners and alcoves: Helvellyn's two straight sides are 97cm each, so measure your corner before you measure your dog.
- Small curlers: a bed several sizes too big leaves them nothing to lean against. Size to the curl, with the margin.
Dog bed size questions
What size bed does a Labrador need?
Usually what our range calls Large or XL, depending on the bed: Elterwater, Patterdale and Wasdale call it Large, Eskdale and Kentmere call it XL. Take your own dog's length with the margin added and hold it up against each bed's sleeping area, not its label. A Labrador who sprawls often suits an open mattress better than a walled bed with the same outside size. Our large dog beds are the place to start, and for giant breeds see XL and XXL dog beds.
Should I buy a bed for my puppy's adult size?
For a curler, a bed sized for the grown dog can feel exposed for the first months, with no wall close enough to lean on. A smaller washable bed or crate mattress for the growing months, then a properly measured bed once they are close to adult size, usually works out better.
What if the size turns out wrong?
For most of our beds, that is what the 100 nights are for. Within 100 nights of delivery, if it is not right, we arrange free UK mainland collection and a full refund. One trial per household; damage and other exclusions apply. The exception that matters most for sizing is a personalised bed: it carries your dog's name and is made for you, so it sits outside both the trial and change-of-mind returns. Double-check the size and the spelling before you order one. Outdoor dog houses and day beds have their own terms, a 30-day change-of-mind window with return at your cost.
My dog is a cross. Where do I start?
With the tape measure. A table can point you at a size group, but your dog's own length is the only number that matters. If the figure falls between two sizes, size up.
Know the size but not the shape? The Bed Finder works out the shape from a few questions about how they settle.