Ancol Teddy Blanket Rose

A blanket often does more work than the bed it sits in, because it is the one thing that goes everywhere — the crate at night, the back seat on Saturday, the corner of the sofa the dog has claimed — and takes the same smell to all three.

That portability of scent is exactly what Ancol are selling here. The blanket is sherpa fleece, chosen because it is scent-absorbing: it picks up the familiar smells of home and holds them, which Ancol say helps settle an anxious animal in an unfamiliar place. It is part of their Small Bite range, aimed at small dogs, puppies and other pets, and Ancol describe it as generously sized for use in beds, crates, travel carriers and around the house.

• Super-soft sherpa fleece
• Scent absorbing, so it holds familiar smells
• Part of Ancol's Small Bite range
• Intended for small dogs, puppies and other pets
• For beds, crates, travel carriers and around the home

On the measurements. There are none. Ancol call it generously sized and publish no length, no width and no weight — and "generous" on a small-dog blanket could reasonably mean anything from a crate liner to something that covers a sofa cushion. Nor is there a washing instruction on anything supplied to us, which is a strange gap on the one item in a dog's kit that gets washed most often. Check the sewn-in label before it goes anywhere near a hot cycle.

Who it's for: owners of small dogs and puppies who want a washable layer that can move between the crate, the car and the sofa, and anyone settling a new arrival into a house it does not yet smell of.