Just like people, our furry friends need a clean place to live in order to be happy and healthy. Keeping our pets’ space clean helps keep diseases and parasites away. It also makes our furry friends less likely to get hurt or run into other problems. It’s hard to imagine a dog or cat doing well if they spend their time in a place where dust and parasites have gathered.
Our pets depend on us to give them a clean and safe place to live, and you can make sure they get one with just a few extra steps in your normal cleaning routine. We’ve listed the most important things you can do to keep your pets healthy.
What can I put in my dog’s house as bedding?
If you want your dog to be as warm and comfortable as possible on cold nights, you should give her a warm, weatherproof dog house.
But even the best dog houses can be pretty cold (especially in the winter), so you’ll want to take a few more steps to make sure your dog is as comfortable as possible.
One of the best ways to do this is to give your dog a good bed. This will help her feel more comfortable on the floor and keep her a little warmer.
Does a dog house need to have bedding?
Bedding probably isn’t a strict requirement in all cases. Plenty of dogs have lived for a long time without any bedding at all. But I’m willing to bet that you’re aiming for more than just survival; you want your dog to be warm, comfortable, and cozy in her house.
This means you should put good bedding in your dog’s dog house. Your dog will love it, and it will help keep her warmer and more comfortable than if she had to sleep on the ground or cement.
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The bedding also helps keep the floors of dog houses from getting scratched or worn down. Your dog may not care how nice the floor of his doghouse looks, but this type of damage can cause the house to rot quickly.
Also, it’s important to know that some states require owners to provide bedding, so check the laws and rules in your area.
How to Choose Good Bedding for Your Dog’s House
Over the years, people have used many different things to make dog beds, and some have worked better than others. Some materials that have stood the test of time are:
Linens
Your dog can sleep on a good blanket, sheet, or towel, which is easy and works well. Linens provide some cushioning, don’t make as much of a mess as particulate beddings like wood chips, and don’t make it as easy for bugs to hide.
Now, you don’t want to use your favorite duvet as your dog’s bed because she will wear it out pretty quickly. Instead, look for a durable, dog-friendly blanket that you won’t feel bad about throwing away after a few months (or years). Try to wash the blanket every so often so that it stays as clean as possible and so that it doesn’t start to smell.
Keep in mind that spiders, snakes, and other creepy crawlies can hide in blankets, so it’s a good idea to take it out and shake it hard once a week or so to avoid these kinds of problems. Also, check the blanket often to make sure your dog hasn’t torn the seams apart or chewed through the material. If a dog eats the filler material, even by accident, it could cause health problems.
Rugs
A nice, fluffy rug can be a great place for your dog to sleep. Rugs have many of the same benefits as linens, and most of them have a rubberized backing that keeps them from getting wet and keeps them from moving around. But your dog can’t scrunch up a rug the way she can a blanket, so they aren’t as good for very cold weather.
If your dog is well-behaved and doesn’t like to chew on things, you may want to choose a rug with a long or high pile (long fibers) because it will be warmer and more comfortable. Chewers, on the other hand, should be given beds with short piles to stop them from pulling out the threads.
You can just use a regular rug, like the kind you’d put in front of your door or in your bathroom, but an indoor-outdoor rug that is made to withstand the weather will last longer.
Dog Beds
A dog bed is one of the more expensive ways to keep your dog warm and comfortable in your house, but it is also by far the best way.
Your dog will love the comfort of an orthopedic mattress (the Big Barker is a good choice for those who don’t mind the price) or the warmth of a heated winter bed, which can be self-heating or powered by electricity.
Even though there are some good beds for dogs, not many of them are made to be used outside, and cheap beds will fall apart quickly if they are left out in the elements for a long time.
If you want your dog to use the bed for more than one winter, you should choose something sturdy. Cheap stuff won’t do. You might also want to buy a waterproof cover for the fabric to protect it.
Chips of wood
Most dogs can also use cedar or pine wood chips. Cedar and pine chips will keep fleas and other bugs from making your dog’s house their home. They will also keep your dog warm and comfortable.
Pine and cedar chips also have nice smells. But the volatiles that give the scent its pleasant smell may be irritating to dogs with sensitive noses or respiratory systems. Watch for signs of irritation, like sneezing, in the dog’s nose or lungs.
Note that some cedar and pine beddings are made of small chunks or blocks of wood, while others are made of thin shavings. The shavings are better because they are much softer and more comfortable for your dog. No one wants to lay on a bunch of chunks of wood.
Wood shavings should never be used on females who are pregnant or nursing, and they should never be used in dog houses with puppies. Wood shavings can have bacteria in them that don’t usually bother adults but can make puppies very sick.
Not the Best Bedding for Your Dog’s House
People have found some good bedding over time, but they have also found some that don’t work so well. Hay and straw are two of the worst of these kinds of choices.
Hay and straw are often good bedding for animals, but they are not good choices for dogs.
Hay and straw are good places for fleas and other bugs to live, like the mites that cause sarcoptic mange. They are also often contaminated with bacteria. Since many of these products come from farms, they are often exposed to diseases and other pathogens that can spread from animals to humans.
Most hay and other similar materials also rot quickly when they get wet, and they don’t have any of the benefits that wood shavings and other beddings do.
Hay and straw, on the other hand, can be used to add insulation outside and under a dog’s house, but we don’t recommend putting any inside.
Saw Dust
Sawdust isn’t often used as bedding for dogs, which is a good thing. However, it is sometimes used for livestock, and I’m sure more than one dog owner has wondered if it would also be good for their dog.
Dog Bowls
Keep your dog fed and hydrated with bowls made from sustainable materials that can be used at home or on the go.
Even when you’re on the go, your dog needs a bowl to eat and drink from. So, we have a wide range of high-quality dog bowls that you can use for every meal and drink. You can choose from bowls that fold up, bowls that don’t slip, and more. And they are all from trusted brands like Ruffwear, West Paw, and Arcadia Trail.
Toys.
There are a lot of things that can make or break a toy, and some of them depend on your dog’s size, activity level, and tastes. Another thing to think about is where your dog spends most of its time. Even though we can’t say for sure that any particular toy is safe, we can give you some guidelines.
Most of the time, the things that dogs like the most are also the ones that are the most dangerous. Remove string, ribbon, rubber bands, children’s toys, pantyhose, and other things that dogs could swallow from your home.
Make sure the toys you buy for your dog are the right size. Too-small toys are easy for your dog to swallow or get stuck in its throat.
Watch your dog when it plays with squeaky toys. Your dog may feel like it needs to find and destroy the source of the noise, which means it could eat it if you’re not paying attention.
Remove any ribbons, strings, eyes, or other parts that a dog could chew off and eat from toys that aren’t “dog-proof.” Toys should be thrown away when they start to fall apart or are torn. Check the labels on stuffed toys to make sure they are safe for children under 3 and don’t have any fillings that could hurt them. Nutshells and polystyrene beads are problematic fillings, but even “safe” stuffings aren’t completely digestible.Keep in mind that soft toys can be broken, but some are more durable than others. Soft toys should be able to be washed by machines.
The trash cans
Whether you’re cleaning your dog’s litter box or an artificial grass pad, the tips are pretty much the same. Before you can use litter boxes, you’ll need to get rid of used pee pads.
The next step is to use an enzyme cleaner like this one. Why a cleaner with enzymes? because regular cleaners don’t get rid of the bacteria that are making the smell.
Now we’ll talk a bit about science. Urine has living things in it, like bacteria, that need to be broken down by enzymes that eat bacteria. If these enzymes are allowed to do their jobs, they will turn this bacteria into water, which then evaporates. There are no bacteria or odors!
But the most important thing to remember is that you need to cover the area with the enzyme cleaner and then let it do its job. The spray-and-wipe method won’t work because the cleaner hasn’t had enough time to eat the bacteria, which should take between 8 and 12 hours. Here’s what you should do:
Pour a lot of the enzyme cleaner on large, hard plastic surfaces, and make sure it covers the whole surface, even places you might not think urine would be. With your rag, spread the cleaner over the surface gently so that every inch is covered. Let it air-dry.
For smaller things, like small grass pads, rinse the area in the sink or tub. Then, pour warm to hot water into the sink or tub and add 1/4 cup of Kinderbean No Stress Mess Eraser. Let it soak overnight. In the morning, wash everything well and let it dry in the open air.
The enzyme cleaner will get rid of the smell, giving your dog a clean place to go to the bathroom again.
Other things for the house Do you remember when you got your dog or cat? Before they came, you made sure your house was safe for pets. Since then, a few years have passed, and there may be some extra stuff here and there. But what could have been dangerous back then could still be dangerous now. Now is a good time to check and do the following:
Pets aren’t the only ones who benefit from a clean environment. Everyone, including the people who live there, will feel better in a cleaner space.
Conclusion
Just like us, if we want our pets to be happy and healthy, they need a clean place to live. Putting bedding in your dog’s house is one of the best ways to keep it clean and healthy. Some states require dog owners to give their dogs bedding, so make sure you know what the rules are in your area. A good blanket, sheet, or towel can be a good place for your dog to sleep. This is easy and works well. Linens provide some cushioning and do not create as much mess or attract as many bugs as particulate beddings.
Rugs are like linens in many ways, and their backs are often made of rubber. Few dog beds are made to be used outside, and if you leave a cheap bed out in the weather, it will fall apart quickly. If you want your dog to use the bed for more than one winter, you should buy a strong one. Cheap beds won’t do. Most hay and similar materials rot quickly when they get wet, and they don’t have any of the benefits that wood shavings and other beddings do. Sawdust, on the other hand, can be used to add insulation outside and under a dog house, but we don’t recommend using it inside.
Toys that aren’t “dog-proof” should be cleaned of any ribbons, strings, eyes, or other parts that a dog could chew off and eat. When toys start to fall apart or are torn, they should be thrown away. Machines should be able to clean soft toys. Spraying and wiping won’t work because the cleaner hasn’t had enough time to eat the bacteria. What you should do is this:
On all large, hard plastic surfaces, use a lot of the enzyme cleaner. Wash everything well in the morning and let it dry in the open air.
