Beds, Pet Carriers and Car Seats for Dachshunds

Choosing beds, pet carriers and car seats for your dog can be a bit of a minefield, as there are so many options on the market, it’s hard to know which is best or which one your dog will prefer using.

We found our dachshund is quite picky with which beds he does and doesn’t like using - both for sleeping and travelling - and he has been known to attempt to destroy those ones he’s not taken with. Below are some of my personal favourites - none of these are sponsored, purely recommendations of things we have had good results with.

Dog beds for your dachshund

We have had mixed experiences with different dog beds for our dachshund boy, finding that as a puppy he liked to chew his beds (a lot!) so we got through a few different beds in our quest to find one that he would like using. 

The current bed we are using for our dog is the Pets at Home Teddy Oval Dog Bed in the medium size. It has a removable cushion and a really soft lining which our dog loves to snuggle down on. The cover of the bed is also removable and can be machine washed.

Previously we have also used the Pets at Home Linen Oval Dog Bed which was very similar in design to the above bed, also with removable covers that can be machine washed.

We have used both of those beds with a crate. The decision on whether to crate train a dog or not is often a controversial discussion point, with some people believing very strongly for and against using a crate with their dogs. We chose to crate train our boy from the very beginning, as we felt it would give him a safe space to go to at his own choosing and also mean that should he ever suffer from a back injury or IVDD, which is so common with dachshunds, it would be much easier to cope with long term. We have never used crating as a means of punishment and he’s never shut away for long periods of time. We have also found he loves to go there at points during the day to sleep and chill.

Dachshund car seats

After having tried various different seats, seatbelt straps and beds for the car, most of which Rocky absolutely hated, we decided to invest in a more secure carrier for the car, which could also potentially double up as a travel bed.

We bought the 4pets Caree car seat travel system, which was on the expensive side for a dog car seat, but is so much more secure and safer than any of the beds and straps we had tried before, and has been fully crash tested. If your car has ISOFIX points, it is rated safe for dogs up to 8kg, and is super quick to clip in and out of the car. For slightly bigger dachshunds, it can also be secured with a seatbelt for dogs up to 15kg. The bedding is removable and machine washable which is really handy, as our dog car seats often get quite dirty when out for muddy walks. 

Pet carriers and dog bags

I recently also bought Rocky a Teddy Maximus Luxury Dog Carrier as I was looking for a portable dog bed and carrier that we could use when taking him into places such as pubs, restaurants and cafes, to give him a safe space to relax as he can get quite nervous.

We recently used this while out and about on our trip to the New Forest and it was great to have somewhere he could feel safe while we were in busy restaurants and pubs. Inside it has a safety strap which can be connected to a collar or lead to secure the dog into the bag and has a full length zip along the top.