Choosing the Right Bed for a Greyhound

Greyhounds, like all dogs, require comfortable bedding as a basic need. For any dog, it is a welfare requirement that they are provided with soft bedding because it is essential for their health and wellbeing.

Greyhounds in particular have low body fat, which means they benefit greatly from soft bedding to support their joints and prevent issues like friction or abrasive sores from lack of support.

There is a wide range of beds to choose from when purchasing a bed for your dog.

There is a whole range available to keep your wonderful greyhound comfortable and meet their specific needs. Let’s explore them further.

A good greyhound bed is a bed that your dog is able to go in and out comfortably and provides them with adequate support and comfort, so this should depend on your dog's particular health and temperament.

If your dog has very thin skin or if your dog has a medical condition that requires more support, such as a dog with arthritis, you might consider a specific bed designed for that purpose rather than a generic dog bed.

Regardless, it's important to get a bed that will support your dog's weight and will have enough softness to prevent their skin from rubbing. In particular, if your dog is going to occasionally be kept outside during the colder months, it's important that the bed should offer some protection from the cold, as well.

The number of beds will entirely depend on your household situation and whether your dog is largely going to be spending their time inside or outside.

While it is possible that you could use the same bed when your dog is spending time outside and then bring it inside when they do the same, this is often too cumbersome or inconvenient for most of us..

Many outside dog beds are designed to be weather-resistant, so they may not necessarily fit in with an indoor environment. They might scratch the floor depending on their particular design.

Typically speaking, one inside and one outside bed is a suitable choice per dog.

If you're purchasing a dog bed for a greyhound, you should choose a bed that is appropriately sized.

Some beds are designed for smaller breeds and they aren't quite appropriate for greyhounds. You might find the odd greyhound who's very happy to pretzel themselves into a tiny bed, but that isn't the norm, and it isn't something that we should assume a large dog to be capable of. If they choose to put themselves in that kind of bed, that's fine, but we should always provide them with an option that's completely comfortable and suited to their size.

To prevent our wonderful dogs from damaging or ingesting harmful stuffing from their beds, it's advisable to steer clear of fragile beds and those made with delicate materials, especially the cheaper ones. This is particularly important for large breeds like greyhounds who tend to dig into their beds for comfort. With fragile beds, there's a higher risk that the sides will be perforated, causing damage to the bed or, in severe cases, exposing the dog to fatal ingestion or blockages.

 A crate is a great tool and is something that is of benefit for a lot of dogs because it provides a safe, secluded space for them to retreat to when needed.

We always advise that you then furnish a crate with soft bedding, because a simple crate, that base alone will not provide enough comfort, especially for a greyhound, so make sure to furnish it with comfortable bedding.

Again, if your dog is a chewer, tailor that bedding based on your dog. Don't get anything that they could potentially ingest or become entangled with.

Like all things with dogs, it's important that you don't just give them a crate without a proper introduction. You should always let them investigate the crate at their own pace. You do not shut a dog in a crate that isn't comfortable going in and out of that area themselves, as that will potentially cause a negative association with the crate and may undo any benefit that you're trying to instill by adding a crate for your dog.

Many people do choose to share a bed with their dog, and if that's something you want to do, that's completely up to you.

We do suggest, though, if you do adopt a greyhound, that you avoid having them in your bed for a long period of time because many ex-racing and greyhounds are not familiar with sharing sleeping spaces with other dogs, let alone other people. As they sleep so deeply, they can become startled by movement.

In addition, laying down is something that many greyhounds cannot comfortably get up and down from. As such they may be unwilling to share their sleeping space since they cannot get up and leave quickly if they become uncomfortable.

If you are considering allowing your dog on a bed, we suggest making that decision after you've gotten to know your dog for an extended period of time. Because that way, you'll know your dog's particular quirks. You'll know how to read their body language when they're uncomfortable versus when they're content, so you'll have a better gauge of whether they could potentially be comfortable sharing a sleeping space with you.

That should be something that is tailored to your particular dog's temperament and it would be very difficult to make that decision immediately once you've adopted a dog.

Yes!

When you purchase a starter pack with us when you adopt a dog, part of that starter pack is an appropriately-sized bed.

We also do sell crates from our adoption centres if that is something you would like to do when you adopt a greyhound.

On our website, we have many wonderful (albeit sleepy) greyhounds waiting to meet their new best mate.