Dog using small bed before match (7)
I believe the answer is:
scottie
'dog' is the definition.
(Scottie is an example)
'small bed before match' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'bed' becomes 'cot' (cot is a type of bed).
'before' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'match' becomes 'tie' (tie can mean a sporting fixture).
's'+'cot'+'tie'='SCOTTIE'
'using' is the link.
(Other definitions for scottie that I've seen before include "animal" , "Dog" , "Breed of terrier" , "Type of terrier" .)