Measure your dog from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail while they are lying down, then pick a bed whose sleeping area is at least that long. That one number settles most size questions. Their weight is a handy cross-check for which size they will feel at home in. Everything below is about getting those two numbers right, and what to do when your dog sits between sizes.
Start with how your dog actually sleeps
Before you reach for a measuring tape, watch your dog nap for a week. Most dogs are one of three types.
- Curlers tuck into a tight ball, nose on tail. Maltese, shih tzus and many cats do this. They need less floor space but like a raised edge to press their back against.
- Sprawlers flop on their side with all four legs out, or flat on their back with paws in the air. Frenchies, corgis and retrievers on a cool tile floor are classic sprawlers. They need a sleeping area longer than their nose-to-tail length, because the legs add a lot.
- Leaners sleep with their chin or whole head propped on something: the sofa arm, your foot, the edge of a cushion. A bolster bed gives them that headrest without the furniture.
Hot afternoons change the picture. A dog who curls under the aircon at night will sprawl on the floor at 2 pm. If you have only one bed, size for the sprawl.
How to measure in two minutes
You need two numbers.
- Nose to tail base. Wait until they are lying in their usual position, then measure from the nose to where the tail joins the body. Do not include the tail. If they will not stay still, measure them standing and add a hand's width.
- Weight. Stand on the bathroom scale, then stand on it holding your dog, and subtract. For a large dog, use the scale at your vet or the one at many pet shops.
Compare the length with the bed's sleeping area, not its outer dimensions. Bolsters eat space. A bed advertised as 71 cm might have a 50 cm flat sleeping surface, which is a big difference for a 55 cm dog.
Length picks the size; the foam does the rest
Length tells you whether your dog fits, so let it decide the size. Weight is only a cross-check. What keeps a bed comfortable for years is the foam inside it, not which size you pick. Soft polyfill beds feel plush in the shop but can flatten with use, so the dog ends up lying on a thin pad with the floor pressing through. Look for a bed that names its foam, and treat a bed that only says "soft and comfortable" as a cushion rather than a mattress.
Every Mitodo Kumo size uses the same high-density support foam under the same cooling memory gel layer, so a Small holds its shape under a stocky dachshund just as a Large does under a 30 kg Singapore Special.
Singapore's common breeds, sorted into sizes
These are typical adult sizes. Individual dogs vary, so measure anyway, but this gets you in the right neighbourhood.
| Bed size | Weight | Nose to tail base | Breeds we see most in Singapore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Under 8 kg | Up to about 50 cm | Toy poodle, maltese, shih tzu, pomeranian, maltipoo, chihuahua, yorkie, mini schnauzer (bigger ones may need a Medium), most cats |
| Medium | 8–18 kg | Up to about 70 cm | French bulldog, corgi, shiba, beagle, cocker spaniel, cavapoo, whippet, large cats such as Maine Coon and ragdoll |
| Large | 18–45 kg | Up to about 90 cm | Golden retriever, labrador, Singapore Special, standard poodle, husky, samoyed, dalmatian, border collie |
Two breeds deserve a note. Corgis and dachshunds are long in the body for their weight, so go by the tape rather than the scale; they often need one size up. Singapore Specials vary a lot in build, from fairly small to big and sturdy, so measure them before you assume Large.
When to go one size up
If your dog sits on a boundary, bigger is almost always the better mistake. A bed that is slightly too large still works. A bed that is slightly too small gets ignored, and your dog goes back to the cold tiles. Size up if any of these are true:
- They sprawl, especially in the heat.
- They are long for their weight, or close to the top of the length range for their size.
- Two pets share the bed. A cat and a small dog can share a Medium happily; two dogs who both want the bolster will not.
- They are a puppy of a breed that grows past 8 kg. A puppy golden will outgrow a Small in a few months, so buy for the adult and let them rattle around in it for now.
- They are a senior who has started to sleep stretched out rather than curled. Some older dogs find stretching out more comfortable, so give them room. If your dog's sleeping position suddenly changes, or they seem stiff getting up, mention it to your vet.
The one exception is a very small, anxious dog who wants to feel enclosed. A toy poodle under 4 kg in a Large can feel like a child in a double bed. A Small with a bolster to press against feels safer.
Will it fit the flat?
A bed that fits the dog has to fit the room too. Decide where the bed will live before you order, and measure that spot. In most HDB flats and condos, the usual places are beside the sofa, at the foot of your bed, or in the corner of the living room nearest the aircon. Outer dimensions are what matter here, not the sleeping area. A Large bed at over a metre long takes real floor space in a three-room flat, so check the walkway you are giving up.
Think about the floor as well. On smooth tiles, vinyl or wood, a bed without a grippy base slides when the dog hops in, which some dogs dislike enough to stop using it. And keep it out of the afternoon sun from the window, which heats any bed, foam or not.
Why we size the Mitodo Kumo orthopaedic dog bed the way we do
We built the Mitodo Kumo Orthopaedic Dog & Cat Bed in three sizes because we kept seeing the same dogs in Singapore homes, and three well-chosen sizes cover nearly all of them. Our own dogs are the test cases: Waffle, Mantou and Brownie tested the beds for a year before we put them on sale. The sleeping areas are the flat memory foam surface inside the bolsters, rounded up slightly, so if your dog's nose-to-tail number is within a few centimetres of a size, go one size up.
| Kumo size | For dogs | Sleeping area | Outer size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Under 8 kg, up to about 50 cm | 50 × 30 cm | 71 × 51 × 16 cm | S$159 |
| Medium | 8–18 kg, up to about 70 cm | 70 × 40 cm | 89 × 61 × 18 cm | S$209 |
| Large | 18–45 kg, up to about 90 cm | 90 × 50 cm | 107 × 71 × 24 cm | S$259 |
Every size has the same construction: a cooling memory gel foam layer on top to cushion pressure points, a high-density support foam base that holds its shape under weight rather than flattening, bolsters on three sides and a low front so short-legged and older dogs can step straight in. The Large stands taller, at 24 cm to the top of the bolsters, and the bed is rated for dogs up to 45 kg. Over 45 kg? That is either a very big dog or a human. Humans are welcome, but measure first.
If your dog sprawls or sits between sizes, go one size up. If the foam ever sags, our Lifetime Foam Warranty sends you a replacement foam insert, for the life of the product, so sizing is the only decision you really need to get right.
Tonight, when your dog settles down to sleep, grab a tape and measure nose to tail base. Write the number on your phone next to their weight. With those two numbers, the table above gives you the answer, and if you are still torn, go bigger.
Shopping for a bed? See our orthopaedic dog beds in every size and colour.