Best bed for a Greyhound?

[steerpike]

Hi all,

 

I'm due to collect my first ever retired Greyhound up in a couple of weeks.  This question has probably been asked a thousand times already and is a matter of opinion but....is there a consensus on which type of bed is best?  My dog is a 4 year old boy.  I have browsed a few online and am having trouble settling on one.  I will probably buy a couple and leave one for night time and one for my office (I work from home).  Any recommended brands?

I've also considered converting the cupboard under the stairs as a sleeping area.  It is a large area with plenty of light and it might be quite a cosy spot?  Obviously the door would remain open!  I'm sure he will sleep wherever I put his bed and where he has room to spread out but it's a thought. 

 

Thanks

[LBass]

If you're thinking about 2 beds, I'd make one a soft, plush, "ball" type bed and the other a bed with bumpers/surrounding padding.  That way, you can determine your specific hound's preferences.  Mine have generally been happy with the ball-type beds--they facilitate digging and moving the bed around to get it just right--the dogs like that.  Me--not so much.   I'm about to try a bumper bed for my current hound because of his preference for my comfy chair.  I'd also start with relatively inexpensive beds to find the style your hound likes.  You can then purchase for durability.  Enjoy your hound and welcome to the truly wonderful world of Greyhounds! 

[steerpike]

great advice and thank you so much for the welcome!

[waialua]

No matter how hard I try to have a special “bed” for them, they prefer to be with me. On the couch. Oh, well, the best laid plans of greyhounds and men…

[Remolacha]

I would say, get as cheap as possible, because different hounds like different types of beds and you won’t know what yours prefers until you have him. I’ve had some that loved the squishy ball type, a great aid to roaching , some that like the bolster beds so they have a “pillow” . It really just depends. And if it turns out you have a nester, you’ll need something with a sturdy cover. My first greyhound preferred a pile of rugs in the corner of the living room 

Oh, yes, the couch! I’ve had some that never showed any interest and a couple that practically lived on the couch. If you don’t want him on the couch or the bed be sure you start out that way.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Remolacha

[MerseyGrey]

The best bed is the one that your greyhound prefers, and you can’t know that until they’ve tried them all! I’m not suggesting you do that because it gets very expensive, and it’s better to start cheap in case you hound turns his/her nose up at what you’ve bought (they inevitably will with some beds) as has already been said. The advice we were given when we brought him home was to buy a cheap duvet and cover, fold it over and that will be enough. It’s a good place to start.

Finding a quiet spot that they can retreat to is a very good idea; Buddy has a bed in the corner of a room which he can escape to. It has a wall behind and to one side, a sofa to the other so is enclosed on three side and is completely out of the way if he wants to retreat there. It is a old folded mattress topper, with a single duvet at the back and is covered with a blanket so we can wash it easily. He also has a few other beds dotted around, all of which are near where we sit so he can be near us. But our Buddy is a rare thing - he never gets on the furniture (I wish he would because I’m getting too old to sit on the floor with him!).

[HeyRunDog]

As MerseyGrey said, an old duvet and cover to start with, which indecently is still Grace's favourite bed. The other one she likes (apart from the sofa ) is a raised bed from Amazon with a vet blanket on top.

You might also want to consider a throw for the sofa and a cheap cot duvet and cover for him because most greyhounds end up there.

[EllenEveBaz]

A big rug or carpet under the bed is nice, too -- both for additional warmth in winter and as a comfy place for your hound to lie when he does the inevitable "bed fail" -- one body part on the bed and the rest slung elegantly across the floor.

Your hound may not like the cupboard under the stairs.  Many sighthounds do not like an enclosed, den-type space.   If he can see you through the door, that may be enough.  

Quote

 I'm sure he will sleep wherever I put his bed 

 And I'm sure he will soon train you to put multiple beds wherever he wants them.    Welcome to greyhounds!

[cleptogrey]

washable cover

keep the price down

something you can add more stuffing to

 just look for a durable material(not a nylon backed fleece) since GH do nest and will shred it. 

[Onyfalk]

My hound has refused all the beds, cooling mats, toys etc I bought her. She does love her duvets and has accepted a couple of yoga mats as acceptable warm weather alternatives. Rugs are also appreciated.

Keep the tags on everything you buy and be prepared for your hound to choose the most inconvenient, awkward and uncomfortable looking places to snooze.

[steerpike]

just catching up on all the wonderful replies!  Thanks so much, I'm learning fast!

[Fostr_Mom]

Yours? 

[Sniffy]

We have a focused strategy to prevent our grey from getting onto the human furniture: Get him a dog bed that is of higher quality than the furniture.    And it  has worked!  Orvis dog bed with a bolster around three of the four sides.  Sometimes he rests his head on the bolster, and sometimes he nuzzles into the seem of it (and yeah sometimes puts his  head on the floor--to stay cool I suppose).

Expensive, but he loves it and stays off the couch!   The human bed is no issue because he's too afraid to climb the stairs!

 

 

[HeyRunDog]

8 hours ago, Sniffy said:

Get him a dog bed that is of higher quality than the furniture.    And it  has worked!  Orvis dog bed with a bolster around three of the four sides. 

They do look comfy. Never mind getting one for Grace, I might get one for myself

I think secretly that a lot of owners, particularly of a certain age, like their dogs to sleep on the sofa because they don't have to stand up after bending down to make a fuss of them.

[MerseyGrey]

31 minutes ago, HeyRunDog said:

They do look comfy. Never mind getting one for Grace, I might get one for myself

I think secretly that a lot of owners, particularly of a certain age, like their dogs to sleep on the sofa because they don't have to stand up after bending down to make a fuss of them.

This is true. I would much rather have Buddy on the sofa than have to sit on the floor, but he won’t get up! I tried to get him on the bed when we were on holiday…I lifted his front legs up, and his back legs promptly gave way so I gave up. He doesn’t like anything that is not solid ground 

[RebenaJones]

Hi! I'm a fairly new greyhound owner as well (just over a month now), and it was recommended that we have a crate. I don't have a large house, but I also had a long space under my stairs, so I converted it to be a crate/bed. Slick seems to love it, it's a nice private place for him. I made a gate to go on the front which I leave open all day and he often goes in on his own and stores his favourite stuffs in there too. Then at night that's where he sleeps. I got this bed from amazon for him (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07ZGZCVQX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), lined any sharp corners with carpeting, panelled the walls (the bed isn't quite as long as the space so I've doubled up a sleeping bag and blanket to fill the gap as still looking for a bed that will fill the gap)... it's a pretty great space actually.  Then I bought another one of those beds for the living room which he seems happy about... Good luck!

[EllenEveBaz]

Inquiring minds want to know where and on what Hector is sleeping now.