Greyhound beds need to be big!

Some people might think: Greyhound sleep curled up, so the bed doesn’ t even have to be as wide as the dog is long.

We all know that Greyhounds are very graceful and elegant when they are walking, standing and especially when they are running. A totally different animal appears once they start relaxing and sleeping. They are looking very goofy and very little graceful during their favorite passion  = snoozing.

Greyhounds often are different than other breeds, as you will find out sooner or later. When it comes to sleeping this surely is the case. Having such long legs seems to be quite a challenge if you want to get comfortable while sleeping.

So choose the size of your Greyhound’s bed wisely, rather take the bigger version than the smaller one!

Patch showing all his grace and elegance! →

More beds is more!

Other people might say: I bet they need a lot of exercise and only a little sleep!

Whereas many people think greyhounds need loads of exercise in order to be happy, reality often looks very different. They are saving their energy whenever they can for the “big chase” or for playful running with other dogs. This means that they are behaving pretty much like big cats around the house!

This picture and the one above show the Greyhound typical “roaching” position, like a cockroach on it’s back →

Our two greyhounds are sleeping up to 22 hours a day. Therefore they need adequate bedding in order for them to rest comfortably. If space permits they are very happy to have different beds in different rooms that they can go to whenever they feel like. After quietly sleeping in the living room for a while, our Patch and Penny both love to go into a different room where it is cooler, warmer or just quieter. 

Many Greyhounds are very active in their sleep. When Patch dreams of what looks like chasing a rabbit, he starts running. If Penny is sleeping close to him, he keeps kicking her involuntarily. She will answer these disturbances with a very dangerous sounding and deep growl. When he realizes that she is growling at him, he will eventually get up and go into another room and sleep there.

A standard dog bed will do, right?!?

In the beginning we went to our pet store (a big chain) around the corner and bought the biggest version of their average priced beds.

When we went home, we realized that our Greys would fit onto the bed if they would sleep like many other dogs do. But after a few times of turning and rolling over, up to 50% of the dogs would end up on the (cold) floor. This might even happen on purpose when it’s really hot and they are looking for a cool spot of hardwood or tile floor. This also happens too often by accident and they slide further and further off their bed. Being not very keen on getting back onto their long and skinny legs just in order to climb back into bed and continue to snore, they stay “half off the bed” for quite some time.

So we ended up buying beds that are appropriate for their size and sleeping style, which still doesn’t prevent them from sliding off completely though.

This position is commonly referred to as “bed fail” →

What to look out for in a bed?

The material needs to be durable!

Although our greyhounds never tried to destroy their beds on purpose and they don’t chew on the fabric, every now and then they do this digging movement, which looks like they are trying to dig through their beds like it were loose soil. Best case will be if the blanket is loose and they are forming a ball or pile and try to sleep on top of it.  But they also will continue digging with their claws if the blanket is already removed or if there is no blanket at all. In that case their repeated digging will destroy delicate fabrics after a while, as we learned. So better get some resilient material in the first place.

Sometimes dogs need a while to get used to their new bed, like Penny did. →

1. Donut / Bagel beds

Doughnut shaped beds are perfect for greyhounds that love to curl up. If they are made out of a furry and fluffy material it will also keep the dog warm. As greyhounds usually are really tall and long the doughnut will have to be of quite significant diameter. So make sure that you have enough room for such a big doughnut! We made the observation that our fluffy donut bed is not being used very much during summer times. Patch, who pretty much never is cold, doesn’t use it very much, it’s more often used by Penny who has lost much more fur during her first summer here and now is getting cold more easily than Patch.

 This donut has a diameter of 50″ or almost 130cm and Patch is a pretty tall Greyhound, so make sure you have enough space! →

3. Flat beds

On a flat bed, the dog can “wander” in their sleep. They can sleep in so many different positions and you might even fit another pet onto the same bed. These beds usually are also easier to transport and store than other beds and are perfect for vacations. If you get a really big one or put two together, you can create the perfect space for multiple dogs and a comfy place to spend 22h of sleeping per day.