Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Let sleeping dogs lie
A comfortable bed is important for your dogs, so it is worth letting them try a few out to see which they like best, says David Tomlinson
A FAVOURITE SUBJECT for debate in the gundog world is whether working dogs should be kennelled or kept in the house. I don’t think dogs mind much either way, as it depends on what they get used to.
I know of dogs that spend the day indoors but at 11pm queue up at the back door waiting to go back to their kennel. We may prefer the warmth of a centrally heated house but we don’t wear fur coats all the time, so a dog’s perspective is radically different.
My spaniels are indoor dogs. They have a kennel but they don’t go in it often, though it is useful to have if we don’t want them in the house. If I had more than two dogs, I would give serious consideration to kennelling, but there’s plenty of room indoors for two spaniels.
There are strict house rules, as the dogs are not allowed to sit on furniture, though occasionally one tries its luck. I’m prepared to forgive, as they often stay with friends where such crimes are allowed, so they would presumably plead confusion.
Many years ago, I interviewed a couple who had, if I remember rightly, 22 golden retrievers, all of which lived in their bungalow. I never visited the property, though friends who had done so said it was an interesting experience, as each dog had its favourite chair. Quite where their owners sat was a mystery.
Golden retrievers are notorious for shedding their lovely golden locks, so keeping a house like this hair free would be a challenge for even the best of Mr Dyson’s products.
However, I transgress. This article isn’t about where dogs sleep, but what they sleep in. Dogs will generally accept what you give them and they will just as readily adopt a piece of Vetbed in the corner of their kennel as a luxury dog bed in front of the Aga. My first spaniel puppy slept in a series of cardboard orange boxes, supplied by the local greengrocer. The boxes were lined with an old towel, with one side removed for easy access.
Eventually she grew out of orange boxes, which were replaced by a beanbag bed, bought at the Game Fair. This was an instant success and my dogs have had beanbags ever since. They certainly find them comfortable, while they are light,
“My first spaniel puppy slept in a series of cardboard orange boxes lined with a towel”
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