Friends of mine have just become new puppy owners. As would be expected, the first thing they did was go shopping for all the new equipment that is required for a new puppy. Leashes, collars, toys, sweaters, booties, etc. They bought a cage for crate training their new puppy, but they just weren't sure about whether they should get a dog bed along with the cage.
My advice to them was that if they are using a crate for puppy training, then buying a bed at this point really isn't necessary. When the puppy is up, he will be playing and sitting with them. When it is nap time or bed time, then he really should be in his crate, so a puppy bed wouldn't be used all that much, and might even be confusing for her. I said that I expected they should wait until the puppy has grown up to their final size - usually 12 to 18 months, although larger breeds will keep growing for a little longer.
Once the puppy has grown up and you've made the decision to let your dog choose a different sleeping spot away from the crate, this is the time to choose a dog bed. Getting rid of the crate isn't a necessity - if you and your dog both like the crate, keeping a routine that is working is probably better than introducing new things. A crate actually provides a lot of security for dogs, and functions as their own little condo where they can feel like they have their own safe space.
But you've decided that it's time to get a bed for your dog, so you need to know how to go about choosing the proper bed size. Before figuring out how big to get your bed, you want to choose whether your dog would be more comfortable in a curl up bed, or a stretch out bed. Dogs are typically one or the other when it comes to sleeping, so watch the shape your dog takes over the next few days, both during the day and at night time. There are sorts of different dog bed shapes - cushions and beds which let the dog spill over the edges, or basket type beds where they are tightly enclosed and supported.
After figuring out whether your dog prefers to curl up against a wall, or whether they prefer more leg and paw room, you now need to find the size range that suits your dog the best. Again, watch your dog when they sleep, and this time take measurements of the space they occupy when they sleep. Do this at different times to see whether it changes - if in doubt, take the larger measurement. You can always add a cushion or two to take up extra room, but you dog won't be comfortable if the bed is too cramped. Once you have the final length and width sizes, add a few inches to each measurement, and take this shopping.
Now that you have determined a proper size for your dogs new bed, you will suddenly be faced with a number of new decisions, such as style, shape, material and quality. These factors warrant their own article in themselves, but be happy in the fact that once you find a bed that looks like the perfect fit for your dog, you will know that you really are getting the perfect sized dog bed.
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