Best Dog Bed for a Borzoi

A Borzoi is one of those breeds that makes most dog beds look completely wrong — they're long and narrow with a deep keel chest, and they tend to curl into a tight comma or stretch out fully depending on mood. Standard rectangular beds are either too short, too wide in the wrong places, or have sides that press awkwardly against that deep chest. At eight years old, joint comfort is also worth taking seriously. Tell me a bit more: roughly how heavy is your dog, how do they usually sleep — curled, stretched, or a mix — and have you noticed any stiffness or joint issues?

That stiffness getting up is very common in sighthounds at that age — they carry very little body fat, so there's no natural cushioning over their bony prominences, and the hip flexors feel it first. The curl-plus-stretch combination means you need something long enough for a full stretch but with a raised bolster she can lean into when she curls. What's the floor surface where the bed will sit — hard floor or carpet? And is she an indoor dog who stays warm, or does she feel the cold?

Perfect, that clinches it. For a Borzoi with her profile — deep chest, long body, sensitive to cold, hardfloor placement, early joint stiffness — I'd go with the Omlet Nest Dog Bed in Extra Large. It has a raised wraparound bolster that a sighthound can press their back or chest against without the sides sitting at the wrong height, a deep memory foam base that won't bottom out at 32kg, and the whole thing sits off the cold floor on a firm base rather than sagging into it. The oval shape also suits the Borzoi curl far better than a rectangle. The cover is machine washable, which matters for a dog who'll be on it daily. It's around £140–£160 depending on when you look, but it's built to last and the foam holds up properly under a dog her size.

It's genuinely better, with a caveat. High-density memory foam distributes weight evenly, which reduces pressure on bony points — hips, elbows, shoulders — in a way that regular polyester fill simply can't. The caveat is density: cheap memory foam compresses fully under a heavier dog and stops doing its job within months. The Omlet uses a layered foam that's firm enough to support 30kg-plus without bottoming out. For a Borzoi specifically, where the chest keel and hip bones are so prominent, that consistent support makes a real difference. You'll probably notice her settling more easily and getting up with less hesitation once she's used to it.

Very common with sighthounds — they're creatures of habit and sensitive to smell and texture. Put the new bed in the spot where she already chooses to lie, rather than where you want her to sleep. Drape one of your worn jumpers over it for the first week so it smells familiar. Don't make a fuss about it or lure her onto it repeatedly — just let her discover it herself. Most Borzois come around within a few days once they've sniffed it out on their own terms. If she's slow to take to it, a light spritz of a dog-calming spray like Adaptil on the cover can help ease the transition.