Dog Bed

Someone needed a new bed - there have been some flea issues recently, and winter is coming. I've read that raised pet beds help with both fleas (they live on the floor, and can only jump so high) and warmth. Emile seems pretty pleased with it. You can't see his smile in the photo, but I promise he's making happy noises! This bed's a lot easier to clean than his old floor cushion; a quick vacuum to pick up any biting critters, and a blanket that can be popped in the wash.

Here's how to make Emile's bed:

Gather (or buy) some planks. We used bits and pieces of an old futon base.
Scrabble in your toolbox for some screws and nails.
Find a roll of webbing - we used hessian.

Get your dog to sit still, or even better, lie still. Place the planks around him to see how much space he'll need for sleeping. Cut the planks to size. The bed should be around 8 inches high, so cut another 4 planks for the legs: 8 inches long, plus the height of the bed.

Drill holes and screw screws in at the corners, as many as you need to make a sturdy frame. Fasten the legs at each corner with more screws.

Mark the halfway point between each set of legs, then mark off equal spaces on each side of that mark, so you can attach the webbing evenly. Starting in the middle of one side, attach a piece of webbing with nails or a staple gun. Pull the webbing through to the opposite side, under the frame and up over the top. Ask the person helping you to pull the webbing as tight as possible, and attach it to the frame. (It's a good idea to lift the bed to pull the webbing tight, otherwise you might trap it under the frame and think it's tight when it's still slack.) Cut the strip of webbing, and repeat until you've done all the strips in that direction. Turn the bed 90 degrees and repeat for the cross strips. This time, attach one side, weave the new strip through the others, over and under, and then attach to the other side.



We did the strips evenly, leaving spaces between each piece, and then filled in the gaps with the left over webbing to make a more solid centre.

Throw a blanket on top, and recline...



Glue rubber or felt under the legs to protect the floor. (Rubber will also prevent the bed skidding when your dog jumps off; the skidding is apparently a little bit scary....)