Whippets - what do I need to know?

[UnseenAcademicalMum]

We are currently looking for a dog and have two ds's aged 6 and 2. I've previously owned a collie x and dp has previously owned a schnauzer. I absolutely adore collies, but wouldn't want one whilst ds2 is so young.

However, on a trip to the local dog rescue today, they pointed out a whippet which they thought might be suitable for us. He's a year old, so only a young lad really, but I hadn't considered a whippet before. I've done a bit of reading around and they seem to be reasonably laid-back and relatively easy-going in comparison with "working" type dogs (like collies).

However, does anyone have any words of wisdom for me, please?

As I say, we hadn't really considered a whippet before, so I don't know anything much about them at all.

bump?

Well, until someone else more knowing than I comes along, I'll tell you what we observed. We were looking for dogs about 4 years ago when DS was 3 and DD was 1. We took those tests that matched up what you wanted and then told you what kind of dog would be best for you, and they kept coming up whippet. So we found a breeder that also had a Whippet club where people with Whippets came out to their house every month and got together, and they invited us to one of their meetings.

We thought they were great dogs. Very smart, gentle with the kids, not nippy around small children, the list went on and on. If you Google them, you'll find that everywhere says they make great family dogs, and they are definitely easy going.

The thing I underestimated was how powerful they were. I took several of them for a walk at different times throughout the day, and it felt like I was being taken for a drag. And this was after they had playtime and races. (Apparently Whippet racing is a "thing" among owners) They're built like a small Greyhound, essentially. The other thing I didn't like was when they got excited, they would jump around oblivious to anything, and knocked both DD and DS down several times (although not on purpose.) They are very active dogs and if not given enough of a chance to be active, they can easily have too much energy and get a bit destructive.

In the end, we thought they were really great dogs, and absolutely loved their personalities, but we chose not to get one just because they were so strong and high energy, and we didn't feel like they were a good match for us at the time. But I think if you wanted a more high energy dog than we did, they would be a great pet.

Thanks, that's really handy. I somehow hadn't thought of them being strong, but now you say it, I can imagine so.

Have you read any of my threads about Whippy dog?

Whippets are great dogs, although I still don't class mine as a dog. She is like a dog like cat. Very laid back, very friendly, house training was a breeze, very amusing.

You might find more answers here

Mine is best mates with the cat

Theyd o need special collars, bedding, coats etc. It opens up a whole new world of shopping opportunities. Whippets/sighthounds in general were never a breed that appealed to me before we got Whippy dog, but I can now see why Whippet owners tend to say you start off with one, you ned up with a sofa full

'The collars and coats can be bought online quite cheaply - certainly no more expensive than buying collars or coats for any other dog.' or you end up needing a collar like this

They can be cheap though. If that's what you want but you won't.

What are whippets like with cats? Do they chase after everything that moves?

I haven't found mine to be jumpy around children. Quite the opposite, she is extremely well behaved around children. Though we have had her since a pup (she still is only 6 months old) and she has been very well socialised. She sits calmly to be stroked by children, even those unknown to her, the ohly thing is her tail wags so hards her whole body vibrates accross the floor

She is jumpy around dd2, but all dogs are jumpy around dd2 because she is a nutcase and encourages it. She stops as soon as I tell her to.

But she is a food stealer. I haven't found her to be destructive. Her recall is spot on (as is my sisters Lurcher pup -so perhaps this is a sighthound thing?)

She does bounce on the lead if she sees a og she knows, but once she is close enough to the other dog she will sit and greet properly. A little boy from dd1's school calls her 'the rodeo dog' because of her insane kangeroo hopping when she sees his dog.

Why do they need special collars?

Ah, just noticed the answer in larahusky's post.

earwicga mine adores the cat. I believe she thinks she is a cat but she was brought to us when she was only 10 weeks old so has been raised with them. There will be whippets in rescue who have been raised with cats. The whippet forum I linked to earlier will be able to give you details of whippets in rescues atm.

LittlePushka their necks are v thin and long so they need a wider collar to spread out any tension on the neck muscles and prevent injury, they also have a head the same size as the neck, so can slip normal collars. Martingales are best if you have a Whippet who is unsure or easily spooked. Mine walks great so just has a leather buckle collar - until she is fully grown, then she is getting a spanky new collar off aroundthehounds

Oh I see now! I have heard real good things about whippets and greyhounds - I love dogs (have terriers currently)but I do not know anyone who has one so they are a nice little mystery to me. I like the sound of whippets from your posts...sounds like they would fit right in at Pushka Manor!

I'm not thinking of getting one at the moment, but have been offered whippets before on more than one occasion as a friend of mine is involved with whippet rescue. Much as I love this type of dog, I live on a farm, and would like a dog which I could let out and wouldn't chase all the cats/horses etc. I'll probably end up with a dog dumped here anyways, as everyone seems to dump their cats here.

Gosh, I went to see to the boys, who had woken up and there are lots of replies! Thanks all. Will get reading now.