The Columbus Dog Connection rescue group has a spiffy tutorial on how to make your own elevated dog bed out of PVC pipe like the beds listed in this post on how to keep your pets cool. (Be sure to check out the Columbus Dog Connection too!) This would make an incredible project for students, scouts, etc.!
There are plans for small or large beds. It has great tips on sourcing your materials so you save money—like looking for outdoor fabric in the second or remainders section of your fabric store, or checking with local companies that make awnings for businesses or boats to see if they have scraps. There are also invaluable tips to make sure you make a strong, durable bed. Sweet!
The tutorial includes clear instructions on how to sew the cover for the bed. And a spreadsheet for mass production if you plan to make beds to help your local shelter—they often want elevated beds to keep dogs off the cold, hard concrete floors in their facilities.
As an aside, Columbus Dog Connection looks like a remarkable group. Besides generously sharing such a great tutorial, it looks like the group is very busy. Check out the page on beds they’ve made for underfunded shelters—lots of volunteers and so many beds. Someone behind the scenes is doing great work. It takes an outstanding leader to organize so many volunteers and sponsors. Every rescue group should be so lucky!
And now they have a video tutorial! Columbus Dog Connection is awesome!!
Unfortunately the fabric wrapped around the outside is easily chewed by the dogs. Kuranda’s special design tucks the ends inside the frame which lasts much longer. They have discounts/donations for shelters http://www.kuranda.com.
Looks good but alot like the petcot bed. Also with the fabric on the outside of the pipes it can easily be chewed by shelter dogs which are usually pretty high strung.
I prefer the Kuranda Dog Bed, the fabric is inside the pipes so the dogs can’t chew on it. This design would get chewed up in a hurry in a shelter. Kuranda has good deals for shelters as well.
Maybe kuranda is good for shelter dogs, but what about pet owners???? My dogs don’t chew, and they work great, and they aren’t 100 dollars each either!
THANKS!!! Columbus Dog Connection
these work good for cats in shelters too. When we get excess towels we usually make cage hammocks with dowels but I’m planning a smaller scale version of this for some of the colony cats!
The design and instructions are fantastic! The 3 screws on the corners would prevent any type of chewing but I am not worried about this for my dog. Going to buy materials today!
Yes, Kuranda has a good deal for shelters…but look closely at their sizes, we have standard size crates for our rescue & they consider them “toy” and our rescue dogs aren’t “toy size” (15+20lbs). They don’t have a bed to accomodate the standard size crates we buy from Petsmart, Petco, Walmart, etc.
Awesome instructions! I have three dogs and usually two of them are on the exta large raised dog bed that I got for outside at the same time. Now with this blueprint I can make custom beds for each of them without spending an arm and a leg. They’ll probably still curl up on the big one but at least now they’ll have more options and I can make it look how I want. Thanks a lot!
Its good to find a source of information that can be useful, especially when looking for something to occupy me,thankyou for your help and being of assistance, there’s a good wealth of information here. When you have more i’ll be happy to view it.
I also think this is a good option for pet owners for less cost. I liked and can use this for my dogs who I do not have the problem of chewing with. Plus I can adjust it to fit my decor easily… I like ideas like this where you can save money for basically the same thing and you have the pride of knowing you did it yourself.. thanks for sharing. I also made a dog bunk bed in true bunk bed style by repainting a table upside down fitting it with fabric covered pillows and finials on the top. Curtains on the sides and my dogs are living large in style… be creative and have fun — plus save money!!
So Why not put the PVC pipe on a tablesaw and cut a lengthwise slit in it, put a “pocket” on each edge of the cloth and put dowel / rod inside the pocket to keep it from pulling through the slit? Seems like a good way to make a bed.
Rob…same idea I had. About to try it out
So…Rob and Destiny
How did the great idea work out?
Rob … Destiny … did you idea about the dowel rods work? Sounds like it would be a great alteration on an already good design. Hope it worked… I may have to give it a try. I too have one chewer and one non-chewer and will try to build one for each. I’m opening a boarding kennel soon, so I’m looking for comfortable & cozy alternatives for my guests (dogs & cats). Something washable…. Thanks for all the great suggestions and ideas.
Rob, Destiny, JMacaroni – that sounds like a good design idea – I think the longitudinal strength of the PVC with slit + dowel will be the challenge, especially for medium and large size dogs.
I have been researching this for over and year and am finally underway! I teach at a prison and the inmates in the Vocational Department are going to build 100 beds which we will donate to local shelters! I am still fundraising and purchasing materials at this point. I am involving as many different community members as possible. The canvas is even being purchased through an Amish Tarp Shop! I have donations from family members from Georgia, Florida, and California, even though the beds are being built in Western New York! Here’s hoping that it all comes together (and that they don’t fall apart)! I’ll update when we are finished!
Thank you! These beds are so inexpensive to make and allow you to be creative with the design, you aren’t stuck with a square. You can easily slit the pipe with a router, hem the fabric, insert in the slot, then slide a dowel or other rod larger than the slot through the hem inside the pipe to hold the material tight and presto nothing to chew on. Still seem rather over the top for an animal bed. You know they spent thousands of years sleeping on the bare ground, outside….
Susan – you sound great and good luck. Please do publish your results.
Our rescue in MD is going to try to make 60 or so of these, so thanks for the info. The dowel with the slit sounds great. I will go to amish, since we are near PA for fabric, too. A thought for sturdiness of slit pvc – how about putting an extra support leg in the center of each long side of the bed, attached with a T connector – maybe more cost, but if the bed holds up better and longer, they would be well worth it. Also a thought. I have found some, not a lot, but some pipe and connectors on Craigs list a lot cheaper – left over building supplies.
Awesome!! I made two for my dogs!! They have been using them for a couple of weeks and are not chewing the fabric. Seems like the comments complaining about this are moot, and are also probably posted by a Kuranda employee because you’re offering a much lower cost solution for pet owners which cuts into their bottom line.
You can also find pvc and connectors at Habitat-for-Humanity’s Re-stores for pennies on the dollar of original cost!!!AND you’re helping Habitat at the same time.
Thank you for showing how to make the elevated dog beds I have 9 dogs all are going to have one got 2 mad so far got to go get more pipe. making one for my mothers dog too
Can’t you publish a list of supplies/materials and where you can get materials from? Cant’s seem to easily locate that on your site.
Thanks so much
Elise
I didn’t get to watch this with audio so I have no idea what she is saying, but for those of you curious about putting the slit in the PVC and adding dowel rods this is what they use or at least a suggestion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPpy6heDl1k
If this link doesn’t work search “Kuranda Dog Beds Features and Assembly” on youtube.
I have a quilting frame built like this- It has a second length of pvc that has about an inch slit cut out and fits over the fabric covered length- I guess it would have to be a thinner pvc to be flexible enough, but it would encase the fabric
I’m sorry but what type of material can I use for the bed?
noticed you web and volunteer for out animal shelter in lancaster,tx and do not have money so i want to build some beds with my friends, so where do you get corner pvc pipe please and thank you
dog and cat beds nothing fancy but durable
Having trouble finding out where you said we could get the corners for the beds. I went over to your website and could not find the company to purchase these from. Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hi Lauren, I searched for “pvc 3 way corner” and it looks like you can get these corner pieces a number of places, including:
—FORMUFIT http://www.formufit.com/
—Lowes http://www.lowes.com/SearchCatalogDisplay?N=0&langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&Ntt=PVC+3way+elbow#!
—Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=3%20way%20pvc%20elbow&sprefix=3+way+pv%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A3%20way%20pvc%20elbow
—US Plastic http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=25005&catid=904
—ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=3+way+elbow&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=3+way+elbow+pvc&_sacat=0
—Northern PVC (Canada) http://www.northernpvc.com/index.php?cPath=1_9
What kind of fabric would be best to use, and where is the best place to get it?