Best Dog Bed for Chihuahuas: Cave Beds, Orthopedic and Washable

If you share your home with a Chihuahua, you already know the best dog bed for Chihuahuas is, according to your dog, your bed. Under the duvet, pressed against your legs, with only the tip of a nose showing. A good dog bed won’t fully compete with that, but the right one comes close, and it gives a small, cold-prone dog a warm place of its own.

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Why do Chihuahuas burrow?

It isn’t a quirk. A Chihuahua carries very little body mass to generate heat and has almost no insulating fat, so warmth leaves its body fast. Burrowing traps that heat. We go deeper into the signs and temperature thresholds in do Chihuahuas get cold.

The other half is security. Many dogs choose enclosed spots to rest, and Chihuahuas, who spend their lives being the smallest thing in the room, seem to value it more than most. A bed with a hood, a cave or a built-in blanket gives them both warmth and that den feeling.

What to look for in a Chihuahua bed

What size bed does a Chihuahua need?

Watch your dog asleep. Most Chihuahuas curl into a tight circle, and a bed should be that circle plus a few inches. For a typical adult of 3 to 6 pounds (1.4 to 2.7 kg), that’s a round bed of roughly 18 to 24 inches across.

Bigger is a common mistake. A Chihuahua in a bed made for a Beagle loses the enclosed feeling and the warmth that made the bed appealing, and goes back to your sofa.

The beds worth considering

JOEJOY cave bed: for the dedicated burrower

JOEJOY hooded cave bed with attached blanket (Small, 23 in)

★4.5 · 3,499ratings

A donut bed with a hooded blanket attached, so your Chihuahua can tuck in and pull the cover over without you arranging anything. The 7-inch walls give head and neck support, the faux fur holds body heat, and the non-slip bottom keeps it from skating across hardwood floors.

Heads-up:Get the Small (23 x 23 x 7 inches); the Medium is too roomy for a Chihuahua. It arrives vacuum-packed and needs about two days to puff up, and the maker recommends hand washing and a low-heat tumble dry, not air drying. A share of reviewers report seams coming apart after a few washes.

Check the JOEJOY bed on Amazon →

Best Friends by Sheri Cozy Cuddler: the hooded classic

Best Friends by Sheri Cozy Cuddler, Small (24 in)

★4.7 · 5,451ratings

The same idea as the cave bed, from the brand behind the well-known calming donut beds: raised bolsters to curl against, an attached blanket to burrow under, and a soft faux fur interior. The whole bed is machine washable, which matters with a dog who sleeps in it every day.

Heads-up:It only comes in one size, 24 inches, rated for pets up to 25 pounds, so a 3 or 4-pound Chihuahua will have plenty of spare room. Reviews on size are mixed for exactly that reason. There's no removable cover, so the entire bed goes in the wash; plan on a backup spot for laundry day.

Check the Cozy Cuddler on Amazon →

Bedsure orthopedic sofa bed: for seniors and sore knees

Bedsure orthopedic dog bed, Small (24 x 18 in)

★4.6 · 36,055ratings

An egg-crate foam base that doesn't flatten under a sleeping dog, bolsters on four sides to lean on, and a lowered front so an older Chihuahua can step in instead of hopping. The Small is sized for pets up to 10 pounds. The cover zips off for the washing machine and has a waterproof layer, useful for seniors with the occasional accident.

Heads-up:It's egg-crate foam, not memory foam, and some reviewers find it thinner than they expected. It's also an open bed with no hood, so for a burrower add a small fleece blanket on top.

Check the Bedsure bed on Amazon →

When does an orthopedic bed matter?

For a young, healthy Chihuahua, a plush cave bed is enough. Things change as they age. A senior Chihuahua sleeps far more, and stiff joints or a sore knee feel every hard surface. Our guide to senior Chihuahua care lists the bed as one of the six things worth changing after age ten.

A second reason is the knees. Patellar luxation is the most common orthopedic problem in this breed, and a dog with a slipping kneecap shouldn’t be jumping into high-walled beds. A low entrance helps, and so does a bed on the floor rather than on furniture. If your dog sleeps on your bed or sofa, read our guide to dog stairs and ramps for Chihuahuas before the next jump down. More on the condition itself is in Chihuahua luxating patella.

How to keep a Chihuahua bed clean

A bed your dog sleeps in every day collects hair, skin oils and the occasional accident, and a covered bed holds moisture more than an open one. A simple routine keeps it fresh:

1. Shake it out or vacuum it weekly. Short-haired Chihuahuas shed more than people expect.
2. Wash the cover or blanket every one to two weeks, on a gentle cycle with a mild, unscented detergent. Strong fragrances can irritate a small dog’s skin and nose.
3. Follow the drying instructions. Plush and faux fur beds often need a low-heat tumble dry to fluff back up; air-dried, they can come out flat and matted.
4. Keep a backup. A second inexpensive bed or a folded fleece blanket means your dog isn’t left on the cold floor while the main bed dries.

A bed with a zip-off cover is the easiest to live with. A bed that goes into the machine whole is fine too, as long as your washer is big enough to take it without cramming.

Mistakes to avoid

1. Buying by the breed label. “Small dog bed” often means 15 to 25 pounds. Check the inches.
2. Putting the bed in a draft. Near a door or a cold window, even the best bed loses. Pick a warm corner away from doors and windows.
3. A heating pad under a hooded bed without supervision. A tiny dog under a cover can overheat.
4. Skipping the wash. Cave beds trap warmth and moisture, and get musty faster than open beds.
5. One bed for two very different dogs. A senior and a youngster often want different shapes. Two small beds beat one big one.

Our take

In our house the two dogs make the case for both kinds of bed. Romeo, at eleven, sleeps most of the day, and what he wants is somewhere warm and soft he can step into without effort. Lorenzo, at two, wants to vanish under something and pop his head out every time a door opens.

Your Chihuahua will tell you which one they are. Watch how they sleep for a few nights, then buy the bed for the dog you have.