Primo Pads

Dog Beds, the Conundrum:

I happen to think that one of the most difficult things to purchase for a husky is a bed that they don’t consider to be a giant squeeky-less toy to rip up. You either end up with a room full of torn up fluff or a bed that is never been touched. They either hate them or love them so much they don’t live.

Practical or Stupid:

Another issue that I have with most beds is that they do indeed come with a washable cover, but the fact that they are made out of foam, and the washable cover is in no way water or liquid-proof, you can wash the cover all you want, the liquid soaks into the actual foam and reeks. Another festive part of washing the washable cover is that they usually shrink and won’t go back over the foam. The downy top of the cover is fantastic for collecting mounds of dog hair. If you do throw it in the washer, I hope you have a filter in your washer to collect all of that fur.

Cost:

Dog beds are EXPENSIVE. The “orthopedic” versions that we have in our bedroom cost $70. Our dogs have managed to squish them down just by laying on them so I can’t imagine they can be very supportive or orthopedic at all at this point. Once again, its a removable cover that covers foam, nothing special actually.

Other, cheaper dogs beds have met violent fates, especially if they were left laying vulnerable on the floor somewhere. Invariably it would go ignored for a long time and then suddenly it must have made a threatening move because it would end up in pieces all over the living room.

Use:

Since my dogs hog the bed at night with us, and we had the two orthopedic beds on both sides of our bed (and you have no idea how tempting it is for me to just move down there and get more room than I do on the bed) the real challenge was finding a bed that would fit in their crates that wouldn’t be destroyed. Sam is infamous for destroying beds in his crate, although after surviving his spine surgery and subsequent recovery spent mostly in his crate, he will now keep a sheepskin pad in his crate without destroying it. Meeshka and Loki will rip anything to shreds that’s in their crates and not edible.

I also wanted to find something that would give the dogs more support than the slippery hard plastic crate liner. Nobody seemed to sell a comfortable, non-slip crate liner type of pad, which is very handy when traveling with a dog in a crate. If you’ve ever transported a dog in a crate with just the liner, you’ll recognize the skittering, scratching noise of them sliding all over the crate with each turn or stop. This was a HUGE concern for us when we were transporting Sam to therapy and vet appointments after his spine surgery.

Lo and behold some members of Sibernet had found Primo Pads and were brave enough to give them a shot. The following review is based on my and other husky owners’ experience with Primo Pads. While the manufacturer guarantees the Primo Pad, that in no way should be interpreted as “indestructible”.

Stand Alone Type of Bed

Those who purchased Primo Pads and used them out in a room as a regular bed found, for the most part, that they were either ignored, or summarily ripped to shreds. In one case, the owner decided to wait and present the new Primo Pads to her dogs for Christmas and left them in their shipping container. Her huskies found the cardboard container, ripped that to shreds and chewed through the corners of the Primo Pads.

If you have VERY destructive huskies, or would like a stand alone type of bed, we don’t recommend Primo Pads.

Crate Bed

Those of us who have purchased Primo Pads to use in the crates of our huskies have absolutely nothing but praise for the product. I purchased three Primo Pads for three 28X42 Midwestern crates. The pads are a perfect fit for the crates, sitting on top of the plastic tray liner and is level with the top of the tray liner. The pads are very supportive and soft, they also provide great footing for the dog when they enter and exit the crate.

A very welcome added benefit of the Primo Pad is the fact that they are completely waterproof. Any accidents on these pads are easily sopped up, and then wiped clean. I use Simple Green as a cleaner for the pads if there is an accident. Another benefit is the fact that fur does not stick to it. A simple white with a paper towel will clean fur off.

It is quite apparent that the dogs prefer their crates better with the Primo Pads, as they’ve taken to napping in their crates, which is something only one of them ever did before I purchased the pads.

Indy's owner reports that Indy needs to be bribed before he'll come out of his crate now that he's got Primo Pads. As we see in the picture to right, Indy enjoys his Primo Pad so much that he hates to leave his crate and runs back into it if he “has” to get out of it.

Cost:
I paid $30 a piece for the 28X42 sized pads, plus $10 for shipping for three waterproof, easy to clean, and guaranteed Primo Pads. Considering that I paid over $140 for two orthopedic beds that aren't waterproof, are virtually impossible to clean if they are soiled with stinky liquid and collect fur like crazy... a great price and well worth it.

Customer Service

I can’t say enough good things about Gary, the owner of Primo Pads. The instructions on the site said that if you wanted to order more than one pad then e-mail for better shipping rates, which I did. I e-mailed on a Sunday morning and almost immediately I received a real response from Gary asking for my number so he could take my order. We exchanged numbers and finally got ahold of the other and had a very pleasant conversation about the pads and the guarantee.

If the pad is ever damaged by every day use, the owner simply has to send a picture of the damaged pad to Primo Pads and a replacement will be shipped out. Remember, they guarantee it for every day use... don’t throw one in a wood chipper and expect a replacement.

After placing my order on Sunday, I received the pads on Wednesday by noon and paid minimal shipping, thanks to Gary. The dogs immediately checked out their new beds and I left them with their usual afternoon kongs and returned to work, hoping I wouldn’t come home to pad carnage upon my return. No such thing, they were fast asleep on the pads when I returned and seemed a bit hesitant about coming out, which is unusual for them.

Other Reviews

Susan H writes:

I love them!! They are after all "crate pads" - not dog beds! They are fantastic in a practical sense - east to clean, durable, cushy. Many vets are now using them in their clinics. I talked to the owner of the company at the Cleveland shows last week. He even suggested not letting your dog see you put the pad in the crate. He stated that many show dog owners and handlers have discovered that this helps keep down on the chewing corners. Our breeders have used them for over a year with great success. I have a friend with Gordon Setters who have destroyed all the plastic crate trays she could find - they are doing fantastically with the Primos. Honestly, if used properly, I think they are tops! And Gary, the owner, manufacturer of the company is sincerely interested in providing the best customer service anywhere. You might want to e-mail him with concerns and get his response. I guarantee you that he truly cares about his product and stands behind everything he sends out.

Julia M writes:

I would definitely give them a paw 4, not a 3. You have to take into consideration that some of our sibes might be more destructive than others. And for one person who has two sometimes destructive dogs (depending on what the material is), my two are sleeping like babes at night and during the day! Unusual for them. Spirit still likes to re-arrange things in his run, but that may be more looking for treats under the pallet. Can't be sure! But while he moves the primo pad, he has not chewed it or done anything destructive to it. We are highly impressed with how long and well they sleep, which is unusual for these two. When we leave and come back, they don't have their noses pointed out the window when they hear the car drive up. They are asleep and don't wake until we open and slam the doors. They 'used' to wake up when we drove up! Seems like small things, but they are big things for these two dogs! They love those pads!

Nancy P writes and includes a picture as evidence:

Remember last June when we got Max and learned he was a crate hater? (crate screamer, he surely was about to die in there :-)

Well, we keep a webcam in the boys' room when we leave them home alone - and last night we caught Max sleeping in his crate with the Primo Pad! The photo isn't very good (it was a webcam *and* at night)... but you can see Max in the back crate rolled up on his red Primo Pad, and Cisco up in the left front crate on his purple Primo Pad.

Conclusion:

Once again, if you have major shredder huskies or want a stand alone type of bed, the Primo Pads will probably not be for you.

If you are looking for a great crate pad that is comfortable for the dogs, waterproof, easy to clean, tough, and provides them with solid footing, we HIGHLY recommend the Primo Pads.

When used as a crate pad, we give the Primo Pads: