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Developed in England, the Whippet was bred down from the Greyhound crossed with terriers. He ran down jackrabbits during during the week and raced on weekends.

 

Whippet racing is very different from Greyhound racing.  No gambling is allowed, and no training on live prey.  Racing Whippets double as pets, going home with their owner after the race and curling up under the blankets on the bed.

 

There are also few Whippets (as compared to other breeds) in rescue, which means the majority of individuals who raise this wonderful breed are very particular where their dogs go and most stay with their permanent owners and if something does arise that they can no longer keep their pet, they are returned to the breeder. We are no exception, and will always take our dogs back, at any time.

 

Size:

 

18-22 inches and 25-40 pounds

 

The AKC Standard says the Whippet is "amiable, friendly, gentle, but capable of great intensity during sporting pursuits."

 

The Whippet is sweet-natured and docile, yet playful and athletic.  The same dog who will curl up under the blankets - a perfect couch potato, sleeping for hours - will tear enthusiastically around the yard, darting and zigzagging and turning on a dime without slowing down.

 

Whippets love running games and require short bursts of vigorous exercise each day.  The area must be fenced, for this racy breed is the fastest dog of his weight: he can run up to 35 mph!

 

Whippet puppies can be mischievous and destructive, but adults are calm, undemanding, and unobtrusive indoors, trotting around with a light-footed easy grace and seldom making a peep.  They do insist on the luxury of being up on the furniture, so if this offends you, you shouldn't consider a sighthound.

 

Polite with strangers, the Whippet should be accustomed to people and noises at an early age.  He is peaceful with other dogs but has a high prey drive and cannot be necessarily trusted with smaller pets, especially outdoors.

 

Whippets are mildly stubborn, but also very sensitive.  They respond favorably only to calm, upbeat training methods that emphasize praise and food.

 

Sighthounds are touch-sensitive, tending to startle when touched unexpectedly or grabbed for a hug, so a verbal correction is less upsetting and distracting than a physical one.

 

 

What's good/What's bad

 

Common characteristics of the breed......

 

 

~ There are lively Whippets, and laid-back Whippets.

~ Stubborn Whippets, and sweet-natured Whippets.

~ Serious Whippets, and good-natured goofballs.

~  Shy Whippets, and Whippets who love everyone.

 

IF YOU WANT A DOG WHO....

 

~  Resembles a mid-sized Greyhound, with a slender, elegant, sleek 

    build and a graceful, lightfooted gait

~  Has a sleek low-maintenance coat in a variety of colors

~  Indoors, is quiet and dignified, undemanding and unobtrusive

~  Outdoors, is playful and athletic and gallops with amazing speed

~  Is courteous with everyone, including other dogs

 

A WHIPPET MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOU.

 

 

If you DON'T want to deal with....

 

~  Ensuring a safe ENCLOSED area where he/she can occasionally run

~  Strong drive to chase other creatures that run

~  Fearfulness and shyness when not socialized enough

~  An independent "what's in it for me?" attitude torward training

~  Emotional sensitivity to stress and abrupt changes in schedule

~  Sometimes slowness to housetrain

 

A WHIPPET MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR YOU.

 

 

 

If I were considering a Whippet...

 

MY MAJOR CONCERNS WOULD BE:

 

1.  Providing enough running exercise.  Whippets don't need miles of     

     running every day, but they MUST have regular opportunities to vent

     their energy a few times a week.  Otherwise, they will become

     restless and bored - which they usually express by destructive    

     chewing or other bad behaviors.

 

(Whippets need access to a large fenced area - fenced

because these independent dogs are likely to take off

and not come back.  If there is a dog club in your area,

get your Whippet involved in lure coursing (chasing a

mechanized lure around a track or across an open

field).  This is an appropriate outlet for the full-speed

galloping behaviors that are "hardwired" into his/her genes).

If your Whippet were to escape from you, DO NOT CHASE!

Be calm, and call for your dog, but do not run after a

Whippet, or they think it's a game and will run AWAY

faster...most times, they will come back to you as if

to say, "what took you so long, aren't you coming?" 

when they realize you aren't right behind them giving

chase...this isn't always the case, but many times is. 

Walk and keep calling...practicing with your Whippet

off-lead in a secure environment can help if this event

were to ever arise and you can be prepared. We've

found sooner or later this happens at least once

to everyone, us included. Secure, fenced

environments are safest to prevent this from

happening.

 

2.  Shyness.  Standoffish by nature.  Whippets need exposure to people

     and to unusual sights and sounds.  Otherwise their natural caution can

     become shyness or fearfulness, which is very difficult to live with. We

work extensively with ours from birth, so this is never an issue.

 

3.  Chasing other animals.  Most people do not realize just how fast and

     agile sighthounds are - or how strong their instincts are to chase and

     seize fleeing creatures.  They could seriously injure or kill your neigh-

     bor's cat or toy dog.  In today's society, the legal liabilities should be

     considered. Our Whippets are raised around cats, birds, and children,

so they are used to a variety of pets and situations,

but this is no guarantee that your Fluffy might be fun to chase down if

he/she runs, especially outdoors.

 

4.  The independent attitude.  Whippets are not Golden Retrievers.

     They are independent thinkers who don't particularly care about

     pleasing you.  Many Whippets are stubborn.  They can be manipula-

     tive.  You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you

     mean what you say. The idea is that you train them, not the other

way around!

 

5.  Emotional sensitivity.  Be honest...is there tension in your home?  Are

     people loud or angry or emotional?  Are there arguments or fights?

     Whippets are extremely sensitive to stress and can end up literally

     sick to their stomachs, with severe digestive upsets and neurotic

     behaviors, if the people in their homes are having family problems.

     Sighthounds are peaceful, sensitive dogs who need a peaceful,

     harmonious home. They are very attuned to their environment

around them.

 

6.  Housebreaking. Sighthounds can be slow to catch onto this.  Expect

     several months of consistent crate training. All of our puppies are

started on the crate-training process beginning at 6 weeks of age

and continued for as long as they are here. This means your

puppy is off to a good start and the crate is not an unfamiliar

environment and has been worked with on the rules of

housebreaking etiquette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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