Some dogs whimper or bark in their sleep, while some will sleep perfectly still. And some dogs may choose to sleep in a certain place
in the home and only in that place, while other dogs can sleep almost anywhere. Sleeping styles can be unique to different breeds or even individual dogs.
Certain breeds sleep more than others, which can be troubling to some pet owners with more than one breed of dog. You may wonder why your golden retriever sleeps 12-14 hours per day while your greyhound snoozes for 18 hours plus.
Greyhound Sleep Patterns
Consider the following ideas for helping your greyhound sleep better in your home:
- Quiet time. You may find that your greyhound wants a specific sleeping area more so than other breeds of dogs. This is because they are used to having their own kennels with a bed all to themselves, they do not have to share and are used to being able to sleep undisturbed. A greyhound will rest better if you give it a specific area in which it can sleep that's away from other household activity. If people are moving around near the area where the dog is sleeping, it won't be able to sleep fully.
- Dreaming. Dogs spend about 10% of their sleeping time in the deepest stage of sleep, REM. Dreams generally occur during this period, which may show up as a movement of the paws as if the dog is running or quiet barking and whimpering. It's important that you don't disturb your greyhound while it's dreaming or sleeping. A greyhound could snap at its owner if startled out of a dream or deep sleep and it could give them as well as you a big fright.
- Crates. If your greyhound is having a difficult time adjusting to sleeping through the night or to finding a comfortable place to sleep in your home, you may want to consider a crate. Many re-homed greyhounds are comfortable sleeping in a crate because they often were crated during their time racing.
- Outdoors. You are not going to want to allow your greyhound to sleep outdoors overnight or during especially cold daytime weather. Greyhounds don't have thick coats or a lot of fat on their bodies, which means the dog will not tolerate cold very well. For the welfare of the dog, it should be brought inside to sleep where it can be protected from the elements.
- Beds. Your greyhound may want to sleep in your room at night, greyhounds are social creatures and do like company. A good thing to do in the early days is to keep your hound out of your room at night with a baby gate. Your hound can then see where you are and get some comfort from that without being in your room. Most greyhounds will want to share your bed! It is a big comfortable bed with pillows - an awesome place to sleep. But we strongly recommend you don't let your hound in your bed at night, especially in the early days, as it can cause behavioural problems such as it is impossible to get your hound off and your dog thinking it can sleep there whenever he likes. Having their own sleeping area is preferable as it teaches your dog some independence. If you do allow your dog on the bed, perhaps with your early morning cuppa, then make sure this privilege is earned.
- Have Patience at Night Time Keep in mind that bringing a new greyhound into your home can be a stressful experience for the dog, especially if it hasn't had a lot of experience with a family. This stress can result in poor sleeping patterns until the dog becomes acclimated to your home. Remain relaxed and patient with your new greyhound, and eventually the dog will relax and fall into a set of normal sleeping patterns.
Article supplied by Amber Kingsley.