Talk to me about whippets please.

[DiscoDonkey]

I want one, I think they sound great and lots of people on here rave about them. DH doesn't want a dog but I'm working on that . He loves dogs but has reservations about owning one.

So whilst a mentally prepare my dh for a new addition to the family I thought I would take the time to learn a bit more about them.

Firstly I would like to get one from a rescue, however we have cats so I'm thinking we may need a puppy? Anyone successfully raised a whippet pup alongside cats (my cats are fairly feisty so whilst they may be a bit towards a dog I don't think they'll be ).

Secondly if we go for a pup, what are they like training wise? And recommendations for books or training classes?

I know they run like buggery and have a high prey drive but does that mean they can never be off lead, or can they be trained to have good recall? How much walking do they like/need? I'm a SAHM with no plans to work outside the home so have time and flexibility to give them the attention they need.

Have two dc's 8 & 5, who like dogs but are not very confident around them (but working on that).

Oh and if you have any tips on persuading reluctant dh's that would be great too!

[Bunny19]

I have a saluki cross which is a similar kind of dog, we brought him home to meet our cat and after a few swipes across the nose from the cat he was put firmly in his place and they have been friends ever since!

He was a rescue pup from the bluecross and we got him at about 12 weeks old, we were told that as he got bigger we may want to think about a mussle for him if we didnt want him catching and killing rabbits and other wild life but he never has! In fact a rabbit has stopped right in front of him before and he hasnt done anything, just carried on about his business! We always let Rufus off the lead its so lovely to see them run!

I took him on a 12 week puppy training course recommended by our vet, I discovered I was pregnant unexpectedly about 2 weeks after getting him so we knew we had to get him in line! Our trainer used clicker training and it was brilliant!

He's such a good boy now we couldnt ask for a better dog, hes a little nervous around people but he soon warms up once hes spent a little time with them, I think thats fairly common for rescues it depends on their story! Rufus was left for dead by the side of the road at 5 weeks old :(

He was just 1 year old when DD was born and he has adapted so well and is so gentle with her, even though she isnt always so gentle with him! Puppys are really hard work and it's sometimes difficult to keep them ion line at first especially when they give you the 'puppy dog eyes' but its so worth it!

My OH wasnt keen on gatting a dog either, even though he loves dogs! I just managed to persuade him to just come and see rufus and then go from there, well of course he fell in love with him on the first meeting!

Good luck dog hunting, I would really recommend the blue cross they were great for information and everything we needed in the beginning, Rufus had suspected epilepsy when we got him and the blue cross would have paid for all his treatment for this for the rest of his life, luckily it wasn't epilepsy in the end it was just something he grew out of but they really were brilliant!

[DiscoDonkey]

Thanks bunny, rufus sounds lovely! I think a puppy training course sounds like a good idea. I grew up with dogs and although lovely and friendly their "skills" left a lot to be desired!

[DiscoDonkey]

Maybe dragging dh to the rescue centre is the way forward I know once there he'd be sucked in!

[Merrylegs]

I have a whippet. I have had him from a puppy. Got him from a breeder (bad according to here), got him despite Dh not wanting a dog (doubly bad).

He loves being off lead and will have a mad run about. We live in the country though and have lots of fields to run around in. Not sure how I would do it in a town.

He always comes back.

Unless.

Unless he sees a small furry. Then he chases and it becomes a bit of an oh christ fenton moment. His prey drive is incredibly high, despite never having raced or rabbited, he has just been a sofa dwelling family pet. There is no way he could live with a cat.

Often quite whiney as puppies - they can suffer badly from separation anxiety - they grow into very quiet, gentle, sociable, loyal companions.

Be prepared never to have the sofa to yourself again though.

[DiscoDonkey]

We are semi rural so there are places I could go to let a dog off lead. Not sure cats would be happy sharing her spot on the sofa though

[MagratGarlik]

We have a whippet and a whippet x greyhound. They are fab.

If you have cats you may actually be better with an adult whippet whose prey drive is established rather than a pup. A pup may grow up to tolerate the cat, but if it does grow up to have a high prey drive how would you manage? A rescue can point you in the direction of a cat-safe/cat-trainable adult.

Try scruples whippet rescue. Many tears also have a whippet at the moment too.

Our two are lovely, lazy dogs. Our whippy has distinctly more energy than the whippet x, but neither are high energy dogs and they do not make lots of demands on your time (though they do demand the use of your sofa!). I wouldn't have another breed of dog now.

[CMOTDibbler]

Evesham Lurcher and Greyhound rescue have whippet pups in at the moment too - or you could look at smaller lurchers too.

We got my lurcher (who is prob whippety) as an older pup (6m) with an established low prey drive and cat safe. A rescue that home fosters rather than in kennels will be able to give you much more information about their behaviour.

After some work, he recalls to whistle (even among dogs now wheeee) so can go off lead. He does run like buggery, and I love seeing him hurdling over stuff in the woods. The only thing he shows an interest in chasing is pigeons for some reason.

I love him - he likes to go out and run round madly for 15 minutes twice a day, but the rest of the day he snores on the sofa or potters round the house and garden.

[mrslaughan]

Scruples whippet rescue says whether there whippets are cat safe!