I made a long research about why sighthounds look uncomfortable while sitting...Here's what I found. Sighthounds are often observed sitting in ways that look awkward to us — legs splayed out, “hover-butt” postures, or quick shifts from sit to lie. While this can catch the eye of owners, biomechanical research suggests this is entirely normal for healthy Greyhounds and reflects their highly specialized anatomy. 1. Anatomical Specialization for Speed Greyhounds are extreme athletes, bred for sprinting and high-speed locomotion. Their skeletal and muscular structures reflect this specialization: - Long, slender limbs maximize stride length and speed. - A narrow pelvis and highly flexible spine allow extreme spinal extension during gallop. - Long distal tendons with short muscle fibers in the hindlimbs favor elastic energy storage and rapid limb propulsion. These traits are excellent for sprinting, but they create mechanical disadvantages for postures that require deep joint flexion, such as a textbook sit. The alignment of the pelvis and hindlimbs, optimized for forward propulsion, makes deep hip flexion and compact sitting less efficient. 2. Sit-to-Stand (StS) Biomechanics Although no study directly quantifies static sitting comfort in Sighthounds the Sit-to-Stand (StS) movement provides important insight into why sitting and rising can be demanding. In a detailed biomechanical study (Ellis et al., 2018), researchers measured: - Joint kinematics and limb forces - Muscle fiber forces, activations, and length changesduring the transition from a crouched sit to standing. Key findings: - Hindlimb joints move through near-maximal ranges of motion. - Anti-gravity muscles begin in highly stretched positions and undergo length changes of ≈50%. - Muscle leverage in the crouched position is suboptimal, requiring heavy reliance on passive structures such as tendons and ligaments. These results show that even a healthy Greyhound must recruit large amounts of muscular and passive support to rise from a sit. The biomechanics of standing up are therefore inherently demanding for a breed shaped for speed rather than static postures.

Do you make them wear clothes? Mine starts to feel cold when the temperature drops below 0 °C.

Roaching is when a sighthound lies on their back, legs in the air — basically sleeping upside down. Why do they roach? 1. Sighthounds often roach because it allows a full release of the back and abdominal muscles, decompression of the spine, and relief of tension. It may look weird, but their flexible spine and long lumbar section make this position very comfortable for them. Roaching also helps with body temperature regulation. 2. Roaching happens only when a dog feels safe. (I’ve also heard that cats allow belly touching only when they fully trust you 🙂.) A dog won’t expose its weakest points — the belly and neck — if it feels threatened in any way. Roaching means the dog is relaxed, feels safe, and is comfortable in its environment. Guardian and herding breeds whose job involves watching flocks never sleep on their backs. They manage to doze with one eye open in case they have to jump up in a hurry. Form follows function even in sleeping. Some bloodlines roach more than others. Roaching should not be interpreted as pain, “being broken,” or something being wrong. They love sleeping in this comfy, unique roach position. ''The only danger of a dog asleep on its back is slipping and falling off a bed because it feels so relaxed.'' Explains Mr. Klein Source: Academic study on dog behavior and postures, American Kennel Club explanation of why dogs sleep on their backs