A dog with a place to lie down behaves better in an unfamiliar room than one without. That is most of the argument for carrying a mat: the cafe floor, the vet's waiting area, the pitch at a campsite and the boot of the car all become the same familiar surface, and a dog who recognises their own bed will settle on it rather than pacing round your chair while you try to eat.

It is a padded mat with a PP cotton fill under a blended outer fabric that shrugs off damp ground and wipes clean instead of soaking through. Rolled, it fastens with an attached strap and a zinc alloy buckle, metal rather than plastic, which is the part that usually breaks first on anything thrown into a car boot twice a week. It carries like a tote, so it goes over one shoulder with a lead in the other hand.

• Padded PP cotton fill under a water-resistant blended outer
• Rolls up and fastens with an attached carry strap
• Zinc alloy buckle hardware rather than plastic
• Three sizes: M, L and XL
• Dark grey or brown grey
• Wipes clean between trips

On the size figures. We will not repeat it as though it were.

What the options mean. Sizes run from M to XL — £26.99 for the smallest, £43.99 for the largest.

Who it's for: Owners who take their dog places, whether cafes, campsites, shows or long drives, and want them to have the same bed in all of them.