How to Introduce Your Dog to a New Dog Bed

Introducing your dog to her new bed seems straightforward enough: You just plunk the bed down and your dog will immediately curl up on it, right? But sometimes dogs need some encouragement. For instance, if they’ve never had a bed before, they might not understand the idea right away. Here are our top strategies for introducing dogs to their new bed:

• Make the new bed smell like home

  Try rubbing your hands on the new bed, or putting an old shirt on top of it. Your scent will help your dog feel comfortable with the bed. Similarly, you can try putting one of your dog’s blankets on top of it, so he will know that the bed is his.

• Make the new bed a happy place

  Toys, treats, and praise can help your dog warm up to her new bed. See if you can catch her trying it out, and tell her what a good dog she is!

• Move the bed to a familiar location

  Even if you eventually want the bed to end up in a particular spot, you can try getting your dog acclimated to it by putting it where he usually likes to nap.

• Try taking off the bed’s legs.

  Sometimes dogs are wary of their new bed’s texture or the raised design. If your dog isn’t sure about his new Kuranda bed, try a tip from our customers: Take the bed’s legs off. Once your dog is comfortable with the bed closer to the ground, put the legs back on. This really works!

Once your dog understands that this new bed is a cozy place just for her, she’ll use it all the time! And since with Kuranda you don’t have to worry about exploding dog beds, you won’t be bringing home another new dog bed for a long, long time… unless of course you get another dog!