They help a great deal if you move the bed regularly and do nothing at all if it lives in one spot, which makes handles one of the few bed features whose value you can predict before you buy. Dog beds with handles solve a problem most buyers do not know they have until the bed is already in the house and they are carrying it twice a day.
Mine has carrying handles on the bottom. They keep the bed sturdy and they stop it moving, which is two jobs from one feature, and the bed gets carried up at night and back down in the morning.
That daily trip is a task I did not anticipate when I bought it. Our roundup of dog beds for small dogs covers the models themselves.
What Handles Actually Do
Quick Answer
Handles let you lift a bulky bed cleanly instead of bear-hugging it, which matters most if you move it between rooms or floors. Bottom-mounted handles double as a grip surface that reduces sliding. If the bed never moves, the feature is dead weight and should not affect your choice.
Key Takeaways
- Handles pay off in proportion to how often the bed moves.
- A bulky bed is awkward to carry rather than heavy.
- Bottom-mounted handles can add grip as well as a lift point.
- Stitching quality decides whether they last.
- They do nothing for a bed that stays in one place.
- One bed you move beats two beds you do not.
| Your Situation | Handles Worth It? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bed moves daily | Yes, clearly | You lift it hundreds of times a year |
| Bed moves between floors | Yes | Stairs with a bulky armful is the hard case |
| Bed moves for cleaning only | Mildly | A few lifts a month |
| Bed never moves | No | Pay for the bed, not the feature |
| Bed slides on hard floor | Maybe | Bottom handles add grip |
| Very large or heavy bed | Yes | The only practical way to lift it |
Carried Up and Down, Every Day
Her bed is a plush cushion bed and it is the best purchase I made for her. It is the item she uses most, and she lays on it all day.
It took one to two weeks to go from ignoring it to claiming it, which is the number worth having if you are waiting on a new bed to earn its place.
The handles are on the bottom and they do two things. They keep the bed sturdy when I pick it up, and they stop it moving once it is down.
The carrying is the part I would tell a buyer about. It gets carried up at night and back down in the morning, and that is a small daily task I did not anticipate when I bought it. It is the honest cost of having one bed rather than two.
What I cannot compare is a bed without handles, since this is the one I have. Everything below about handleless beds and about strap designs is how those work rather than something I have carried.
Why a Dog Bed Is Awkward Rather Than Heavy
Most beds weigh very little. A plush cushion bed for a small dog is a few pounds at most, so strength is not the issue.
Bulk is. The bed is wide, soft, and has no rigid structure, which means an armful of it obscures your view and shifts as you walk.
That is what handles fix. You carry it at your side like a bag instead of in front of you like a load, and you can see where you are going. Our guide to whether to move your dog’s bed around covers the wider question of one bed or several.
The Second Job: Grip
Handles mounted on the underside sit against the floor, and on a hard surface that fabric or webbing behaves like a small friction pad.
The effect is modest and real. It will not anchor a bed a large dog launches off, and it does take the edge off the slow creep a bed does on hardwood.
If sliding is your main complaint, treat handles as a bonus rather than a solution. Our guide to stopping a dog bed from sliding covers the fixes that address it directly, and what goes under a dog bed covers the layer underneath.
What to Look for in the Handles Themselves
Stitching into a seam, not into the face fabric
A handle sewn onto a panel tears out of that panel. One stitched into a structural seam carries load the way it should.
Webbing over decorative straps
Flat woven webbing distributes force. Thin cord or a fabric loop concentrates it and frays.
Position that matches the lift
Two handles on opposite sides let you balance the bed. A single handle on one edge folds the bed in half as you lift.
Washability
Handles on a removable cover go through the wash with it. Handles on the inner base do not, which matters if the bed gets dirty. Our guide to cleaning a dog bed covers the difference.
The Alternatives If Your Bed Has None
- Use the cover as the handle. Gather the zippered cover at two corners and lift by that, if the seams are sound.
- Add webbing straps yourself. Sewn into the base seam, not the face panel.
- Carry it on your forearm. Fold once and balance rather than hugging it.
- Put it on a tray or a mat you can slide. Works on hard floors, not on carpet.
- Buy a second bed instead. Removes the carrying entirely and costs more.
Our roundup of dog gear that travels between rooms covers the wider set of items that get moved daily.
When Handles Should Not Sway the Decision
If the bed lives in one corner permanently, ignore the feature. Fit, firmness, and whether your dog will actually lie on it matter enormously more.
Getting a dog to use the bed at all is the first problem, and no hardware helps with it. Our guide to getting your dog to use their bed covers that, and whether a dog bed is worth it covers the case for buying one in the first place.
Handles also do nothing about size. A bed your dog cannot stretch out in is the wrong bed whether or not you can carry it easily.
Recommended Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Do dog beds with handles actually help?
Yes, if the bed moves regularly. Handles turn a bulky armful into something you carry at your side and can see past, which matters most for a daily trip between rooms or floors. For a bed that stays put, the feature is irrelevant.
Are handles strong enough to lift a full bed?
When stitched into a structural seam, yes, since most beds weigh only a few pounds. Handles sewn onto a face panel are the ones that tear out. Check where the stitching lands before you trust it on stairs.
Do bottom handles stop a bed from sliding?
They reduce it on hard floors, because the webbing sits against the surface and adds friction. It is a modest effect rather than a fix. A rug pad or a grippy base does far more.
Can you add handles to a bed that does not have them?
Yes, with flat webbing sewn into the base seam. Avoid sewing into the face fabric, which will tear under load. Two handles on opposite edges beat one.
Is it better to buy two beds instead of moving one?
It removes the carrying and costs more, and some dogs use a second bed far less than the first. Moving one bed keeps the familiar bed in play wherever your dog is, which is part of why it gets used.
How long does it take a dog to start using a new bed?
One to two weeks is realistic for a dog who ignores it at first. Putting it where your dog already wants to be does more than anything else. A familiar blanket on top helps.
Do handles get in the way when the bed is in use?
Bottom-mounted ones do not, since they sit under the bed. Side handles can catch on furniture legs and occasionally give a dog something to chew. Position matters more than presence.
What matters more than handles?
Size, firmness, and whether the bed goes where your dog already chooses to lie. Handles are a convenience feature for the owner. Nothing about them makes a dog more likely to use the bed.
