What to Use in a Dog Pen for Bedding

Whether you have just adopted a dog or have had one for a while, you may be faced with the need to keep your pet in an outside pen. The stay may be only temporary, or perhaps it will be a permanent sleeping place. Either way, you must decide on bedding, either on the ground or in a dog house in the pen. Today's choices range from the store-bought luxuriant to the homemade.

  1. Make Sure Your Pet Is OK Being Outside

    • When you put your pet in a pen for the first time, watch it and make sure it won't get into trouble or have problems when you are not around. Some dogs will soil bedding or trash it. If your dog displays either trait, don't use bedding until those habits are either trained out of the dog or go away on their own.

    What to Look For in Bedding

    • Along with hay and straw, more traditional kinds of bedding, such as indoor blankets or carpet, are not recommended--even in a dog house. That's because they retain moisture; are susceptible to mold and mildew; and harbor fleas, ticks and other pests. Look for bedding that is durable and easy to clean. You can buy many kinds at pet stores or online. Don't buy expensive bedding until your dog has shown it won't eat or soil the material.

    Manufactured Bedding

    • Even if your pooch is an outside dog, it can live the high life with some of today's offerings. One option is an actual bed, or cot, made of steel and a rubberized fabric. It stands a few inches off the ground. Another is made of a waterproof material stuffed with a mix of plastic and cedar chips. Although meant for poolside use, it would do nicely in a pen. Also, look for mat-like bedding that is moisture-proof and durable.

      Cedar shavings can provide temporary bedding spread on the ground, or they can line a dog house floor. Cedar oils repeal fleas and ticks and are fairly durable. However, the oils cause contact allergies in a small percentage of dogs. To guard against that, and with an eye to neatness, find a bed cover with a liner, then stuff the liner with the wood chips.

      Also, a moisture-proof foam pad works well for bedding. It stays dry and is impervious to fleas. If your dog tries to chew the mat, you can cover it with a layer of cedar shavings.

    Make Your Own

    • If you don't want to spend the money or prefer to make your own, try starting out with a base fashioned out of plastic (PVC) pipe. That makes a strong foundation that is easy to clean by hosing it off. It is also chew- and bite-resistant. You can then lay moisture-proof bedding over the pipes.

      A cedar-chip-filed pillow makes for a great outside bed if it is, of course, moisture-repellent and durable.