To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.
To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories China Designer Chair
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
AT WIRED, WE really love our dogs. We also love each other’s dogs, whether they’re adorable little nuggets in New York City apartments, pit mixes in the country, or loyal heelers that spend all day, every day, within 6 inches of my left foot. For the past few years, my colleagues and I have been trading tips, tricks, and gear. These are the best dog accessories we’ve bought or tested for our very, very good boys and girls.
Don’t forget to check out our Pet Supplies for Newly Adopted Cats and Dogs, Best Dog Beds, and Best Cat Toys and Supplies guides for more.
Updated January 2023: We’ve added the Furbo 360, RifRuf Caesar 1 Dog Sneakers, and WagWear Monkey Fleece Jacket.
Adrienne So, Julian Chokkattu, and Scott Gilbertson contributed to this guide.
It physically pains us to recommend a $50 water bowl. But before our tester, Adrienne So, got it, she probably spent as much on mats and stands to keep cheaper water bowls from being kicked, stepped in, and splashed all over the kitchen. Yeti’s bowl is capacious and heavy enough to not get kicked over if you walk too close to it. It holds eight cups of water and has a nonslip base. You can also throw it in the dishwasher when it gets grody.
My Frenchies have next to no neck, making it tough for them to reach a regular bowl on the ground. A dog bowl that has some elevation helps alleviate strain on the neck, allowing them to safely eat and digest their food. Laura Robinson, a veterinarian at Antonio Animal Hospital in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, says, “If you think about the anatomy of their mouth going down into their esophagus and then into their stomach, [a raised bowl] makes more sense.”
I’ve used JWPC Bulldog Bowls with my pups, Winston and Parmesan, for a little over two years now and have had zero issues. We’ve used them for everything from kibble and fresh food to the ever-so-elegant boiled-chicken-and-rice meals. The bowls are just high enough off the ground for the dogs to comfortably reach them, plus they have a slim profile and are dishwasher-safe.
Getting a dog bed from a mattress company may sound like Too Much, but investing in your pup’s care and comfort helps keep them happy and healthy. I got the Casper Dog Bed for my 25-pound French bulldog in 2018, and he absolutely loves it. The foam is supportive without adding much height to the bed. It’s perfect for any dog, but especially those with little legs or with arthritis or other joint and muscular issues. Lisa Mausbach, a licensed veterinarian, says, “Stepping onto a bed that’s high isn’t necessarily great for an arthritic dog who can’t necessarily get in and out of those very easily.”
The Casper Dog Bed comes in three sizes (small, medium, and large) and colors (blue, sand, and gray). The foam inserts are fully removable, so you can easily toss the cover into a washing machine. The downside? There are five foam inserts, which can at times be frustrating to fit back into the cover.
My dog Winston loves to sunbathe, but I worry about heat exhaustion and heat-related injuries. Limiting your pet’s time outdoors in hotter months is the best way to protect them, but if they insist on braving the elements, Jamie Richardson of Small Door Veterinary says raised platform beds lift off the ground and allow air circulation underneath the pet. We used the Coolaroo for a couple of years, and the only reason we recently got rid of it is that my pups just peed on it too many times. (I’m looking at you, Parmesan.) It was otherwise durable, survived the weather, and only started to rust at the metal joints after years of use.
The Furbo 360 Dog Camera (9/10 WIRED Recommends) has spun its way to the top—it's our favorite pet camera right now. It's nearly identical to the original Furbo, except it rotates 360 degrees. Gone is the static perspective in favor of a rotating view of the whole room. Not only can you manually turn the camera from the app, but Furbo's Auto Dog Tracking feature follows your pup wherever they wander in a room. Checking in after dark or in a poorly lit space? The 1080p camera has color night vision, so you can better see what's going on.
You'll still get all the barking alerts, two-way talking, and treat-throwing functionality that made the original so great. Furbo also has a Dog Nanny subscription service if you want to add a little extra to your monitoring experience, offering a broader set of activity notifications and also capturing your dog’s day in a cloud-based diary entry. It can even send alerts about intruders or smoke alarms.
This Instagram-famous backpack (8/10, WIRED Recommends) hails from the owner of Instagram-famous Maxine the Fluffy Corgi. It comes in two sizes, the smaller of which worked best for WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu’s 17-pound dog. Loading your pet into it can be tricky—your pup will need some coaxing and encouragement—but once they’re in, they’ll be securely affixed to your back. That frees up your arms to carry groceries (or, let’s be real, a latte). Be prepared for the sudden increase in attention from passersby.
This backpack won’t work for every dog. (Talk to your vet if you’re concerned.) If your dog is 35 pounds or more, you likely don’t want all that weight on your back. Little Chonk also recommends limiting the amount of time your dog is in the bag to 50 minutes. In our testing, we found the backpack arm straps were hard to tighten, and one of the straps started to fray. The company says it’s making tweaks to fix these issues.
★ A shoulder bag: If a backpack won’t work for your pup, the easier option is a shoulder bag. Chokkattu also has good things to say about Roverlund’s Out-and-About Pet Tote ($149), which he’s been using for more than a year. There’s plenty of room for his pup, and the base is stable and soft. The straps are thick and stay on your shoulders better than most bags, though you’ll still want to hold them in place for extra security. His only gripe is the abnormally tiny pocket on the side. You can fit some extra poop bags or treats and not much else. There is a built-in carabiner—handy for attaching a dog leash.
What’s worse: your stinky dog or your dog’s stink eye? If your answer is both, then you’ll like the Aquapaw Pet Bathing Tool. It can connect to your showerhead via an included adapter (or to a garden hose). The showerhead adapter has a blue and black button to divert water from your showerhead to the tool—blue means the water will come out of the Aquapaw, and black means it’ll come out of your showerhead. When it’s time to bathe your dog, just clip the sprayer/scrubber to your palm and press the On button. It cuts bath time down significantly and is less wasteful. My dog Winston wasn’t doing his sad shiver since there was a constant stream of water keeping him warm. (Plus, now he smells great!)
Your dog may have a fur coat, but that can only do so much when it’s blisteringly cold outside or pouring rain. Ruffwear’s Stumptown Quilted jacket quickly became WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu’s go-to for his dog. You’ll need to measure your pet to buy the right size. It’s made of 300-denier polyester ripstop with a DWR finish to make it water-repellant, and the inside is recycled polyester insulation for warmth. It’s not a hassle to secure at all, taking only a few seconds with the side-release buckles. Some extras include a reflective trim for extra visibility and a little cutout on the back to hook your leash to a harness underneath. When it gets dirty, just toss it in the washing machine.
I (Adrienne) also wrangled Ruffwear’s Cloud Chaser jacket over my dog, and he didn’t seem to mind it. It fits snugly, with the fleece-lined lower half trapping heat and the upper protecting him from rain (and eventually, snow).
★ A snuggly, sleeved option: Anyone who doesn't have a backyard knows that walks often require a lot of wandering before any “business” is done, temperatures be damned. While my (Haley's) dogs will walk 500 miles and 500 more if they could, I worry about them getting too cold just going around the block. When it's not snowing or raining, the WagWear Monkey Fleece Jacket is a cozy alternative with sleeves that keeps their little legs warm.
WIRED associate editor Adrienne So’s dog, Roux, is a good dog. A really good dog. But like many pooches, she lacks impulse control. A squirrel or cat running away can send her into a frenzy, and she’s strong and not small. The Front Range harness is secure and padded, and it has two attachment points for the leash—one on the back for when Roux is in low-traffic areas, and another for the front of the chest for when you’re cautiously walking down Cat Alley. If she pulls, the front attachment means Roux will spin herself around backward to look at Adrienne, confused. It also has reflective strips for walking at night. She’s had it since 2020 and regularly throws it in the washer, and it looks none the worse for wear.
Taking out two dogs is no walk in the park. Or rather, it is, but a highly coordinated, complicated walk in said park. I find myself juggling multiple leashes in one hand, picking up one dog’s poop while trying to corral the other dog, all the while praying I don’t drop either handle, lest they run off. I’ve tried a leash splitter before, but my dogs still got tangled. A hands-free leash is a better option.
I fell in love with the Zee.dog, in all its sturdy, customizable glory. You adjust the size of the loop by sliding the adjustment buckle up or down, making it the perfect size to go on your waist, over the shoulder, or even as a regular hand-held leash. The leash also features an “E-Zee Lock” buckle that allows you to more easily clip your dog to your chair at brunch, or wherever they need to be stationary, without fully unleashing them first. The only thing I don’t like is that the harness clip doesn’t lock into place. Just make sure it doesn’t get caught on anything.
Let me be clear—my dogs do not run … at least, not outside of their zoomies. However, on the rare occasion that I decide to lace up my running shoes, I grab Ruffwear’s Flagline leash first. I’ve tried a handful of hands-free options, and this is the lightest leash with one of the sturdiest clips, so you don’t have to worry about your best bud breaking free like Troy and Gabriella. The leash itself is made from Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene webbing, a type of fabric often used for sports like rock climbing, sailing, and military equipment. It also has a locking Crux Clip and a slim pocket for your poop bag stash.
Dog boots can help protect your pup's paws. Here are a few we like.
Best overall: WIRED senior associate editor Adrienne So says she rarely goes camping without dog boots after an incident where she and her husband had to carry two 70-pound dogs back to the car after discovering bits of sharp, volcanic glass on a trail in Oregon. Her dog will actually wear Ruffwear's Grip Trex boots ($40) instead of flopping around like her paws have been cut off. They’re small and easy to slip on, and they have velcro around the ankle. They also have a breathable upper and a grippy Vibram sole. They’re washable and reflective in low light.
A summer boot: Snow and ice are definitely cause for paw-related concerns, but so is hot pavement. I like the WagWellies Mojave ($49), which are basically little Crocs for your pups. They come in seven sizes, and the straps around the ankles help the shoe fit better, while the holes keep their toes fresh and breezy. My dogs haven’t figured out how to walk in shoes, in general, but these actually stayed on their paws.
A stylish boot: While I think dogs look cute in just about anything you put them in, you may be more particular about your pup's aesthetics. The RifRuf Caesar 1 Dog Sneakers ($70) take the trendy, knitted mesh look many humans love, shrink it down, and offer it in six colors for your dog. The sturdy soles protect your dog from the elements, but the knitted body of the shoe can keep their paws cool enough on a regular walk. Parmesan looked particularly cute in the Taro pair, even if she refused to walk in them.
If your dog sheds, a robot vacuum to chase down all those fuzzies is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. We have plenty of recommendations in our Best Robot Vacuums guide, but this Eufy vacuum has twin turbines that suck up twice as much dirt and dog hair as other robot vacuums. An absolute win for those of us who can’t ever seem to keep up with all the hair that accumulates.
Pet trackers come in all shapes and sizes. If you just want a simple clip to keep track of your pet, we like the Jiobit (8/10, WIRED Recommends). But if you want a sturdy, comfortable collar that’s easy to use, WIRED senior editor Adrienne So likes the Fi. The Fi uses a combination of your home Wi-Fi, cellular, and GPS networks to keep track of your dog at home and to pinpoint them if they get lost. It can also track their fitness. There’s a built-in light if your dog is off-leash in the dark. The metal device is much classier and easier to charge than the fiddly plastic Whistle. Her most memorable experience using the Fi was walking to a neighbor’s house, getting an alert that her dog had escaped, and looking up to see her dog right behind her down the road.
WIRED senior writer Scott Gilbertson has a Jack Russell-pit bull mix that’s very, very protective of her people. She also doesn’t have the best eyesight, which means she barks at everything, even plenty of things that aren’t there. But this collar helped curb that behavior.
Unlike electric fence collars, this one doesn’t shock your pup. It just sprays a bit of mist on their nose. Dogs find this mist annoying enough that they will do anything to stop it. Gilbertson’s dog barked exactly twice with this collar on. And after a few weeks of wearing it at night, she lost the barking habit. He says he no longer puts it on her, and she still rarely barks at night. It might not work with every dog, but if you have a dog that’s keeping you (or worse, your neighbors) up all night, it’s worth a try.
Whether you’ve been playing fetch at the dog park or taking it easy in the house, your dog probably wants to cool down on a warm day. Cooper’s Treats makes a Pupsicle Starter Kit that includes a silicone tray to hold the actual treats and two different pupsicle flavors. Making them was simple—I mixed water with the powder based on the directions, poured it into the tray, and froze it for a few hours. The available flavors are beef and cheddar, turkey and cinnamon, and a grain-free option. My Frenchies love them, but sometimes a little too much, so be sure to monitor your pup or break up the treat to keep them from swallowing it whole.
Virtual dog fences aren’t a replacement for real fences. If your dog needs to be fully restrained, get a real fence. However, if your living situation permits a looser barrier, this wireless fence gives you a hassle-free way to partially restrain your dog. Despite the name, this is not really plug-and-play. The device itself is: Just plug it in, set the perimeter distance, and you’re done. But you’re still going to have to train your dog to acknowledge the perimeter and get them used to stay inside the permitted space. Once that’s done, this fence works really well. It’s also portable, so you can take it to a campground or to an Airbnb that permits dogs.
Play Game Mat Petsafe also makes a more permanent in-ground electronic fence we like even better because it’s cheaper and setting the perimeter is easier. The trade-off is that you have to bury the wire. The key to success is to train your dog to the fence. Don’t install it and expect your dog to figure it out.