Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Concord ,NC
Posts: 796

WHAT IS THE BEST BEDDING FOR MY DOG TO LAY ON.I REALLY THINK THE CEDAR SHAVING'S ARE IRRITATING THERE SKIN..

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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 1600

I use hay in the winter. My hounds usually don't want any bedding in the summer.

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: MI
Posts: 207

Good quality oat straw in the winter and pine shavings (not sawdust) in the summer.

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Registered: Apr 2008
Location: havana florida
Posts: 1092

wheat straw it absorbs the moisture better and does not break up as bad as hay . shavings hold very little heat. if you cant get straw hay does work .

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Registered: Jan 2008
Location: Ont. Canada
Posts: 194

Oat straw is the best for the dogs in the Winter. I put a layer of shaving on the bottom to absorb any moisture. Do NOT use Barley straw or you will have dogs with swelled heads due to the burs on the straw.
Hay is ok if you cannot get oat straw but should be a grassy type hay and change it often as has a tendency to rot when wet.

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Registered: Jan 2009
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 2814

I use wheat straw in the winter, cedar chips in he summer. Wet straw will sometimes burn dogs, so you need tokeep it dry.

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Concord ,NC
Posts: 796

btt

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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Cutler, Il.
Posts: 1631

It doesn't break down like a hollow stemmed straw does. If the hay was put up in good shape, your dogs will have that good grassy hay smell to them, instead of that doggy smell. You have to be careful what kind of straw you use, because some kinds of wheat, barley, & rye have what they call beards on the heads, & these beards have little spines on them that will work into a dogs skin & cause an irritation.

But the main thing with any kind of bedding, is to keep it dry, & put a flap over the entrance of the dog house to keep alot of the wind out.

Another thing is that you see alot of people with those big oversized dog houses, that a dogs body heat can't keep the inside warm. I think it is better to have a smaller dog house with a low ceiling in it so the dogs body heat can keep it warmer inside, than one with a high ceiling in it.

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Registered: Feb 2007
Location: mich
Posts: 179

we use straw in the winter and cedar chips in the summer. if you can find somebody that baled up some swamp grass that is about the best to use.

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: Everywhere
Posts: 2708

Straw in the winter, cedar shavings in the summer.

Straw is hollow and holds heat in the winter, great for keeping your dog warm. Keep it fresh and lofty...flat or wet bedding does no good for for keeping dgs warm.

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