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.

I have a whippet. When I first got him I spent a lot of time on this forum, (K9) which was really informative.

They are quite 'people' dogs and as such may whine or suffer from separation anxiety. However when they know they are in a secure environment they should get over that.

Unfortunately my whippet was not brought up around small furries and as such thinks anything from a rabbit to a cat is fair game to chase. Not another dog though.

One last thing. You may well vow never to let your dog on the furniture. A whippet will laugh in your face at that idea. I give it a day before he is snuggled up beside you on the sofa, snoozing.

yes, we certainly saw he had a problem with cats. There was a cat close by (in a cage) when we were meeting him and he was going absolutely mad at it. They had to cover the cage where the cat was and he was still going up to the cage. Can't say I'm too keen on cats myself though, so if they stop coming into our garden, that's only a good thing :-)

You don't often see whippets in rescues as they are such sociable, easy dogs. So you may just want to prepare yourself for why he is there - barring illness or other personal circumstance of the previous owner.

I have to say, although we had ours from a puppy, from the ages of about 11-15 months he was quite a handful - really whiney when we went out, terribly chewy and rather manic in the evening.

This is quite typical of whippets and may be why the previous owner gave up on him so early. Which is a shame as these turn out to be really lovely, laid back dogs.

so another rescue dog has got a new home.

do you have a pic?

no pic, yet.

He was in rescue because apparently the previous owners had a baby and they didn't have time to look after him. So far as we know, no signs of jealousy with baby, but obviously only so much they can check on comparability with children. He seemed to have had at least some training and listened to commands from us when we saw him.

oops, compatability, not comparability. Stupid text prediction on phone.

ime rescues tend to err on the side of caution with regard to placing dogs in homes with children so hopefully will be ok

all this whippet talk could convert me. they sound so lovely

Am waiting for a photo , my lot are on my profile - on the couch of course!

boris - the three dogs on the sofa pic is very very cute. they look so lovely together

I agree, the picture of the three dogs on the sofa is lovely (btw, your dd's are very pretty too - sorry, nosy).

Will put pic on as soon as I get one.

boris - i have three dogs and been trying for about 2 years to get a pic of them all lying together and facing the same way but looking relaxed and not posed so that i can get it put onto one of those canvas pics and hang behind the sofa. any tips? other than getting whippets

sorry long sentence. trying to watch come dine as well!

My next question is - what "accessories" do you consider essential for a whippet, aside from a special collar and a coat?

Haven't really got accessories, but a doggy toothbrush and paste is a good idea, as is a nail clipper. Whippet's nails do tend to be long and don't 'grind' down. The downside of this is if he hasn't been used to having his nails clipped it may prove to be a tough job. Perhaps one for the vet.

Ah ha. Wouldn't have thought that about the collars! My collie used to keep his on all the time. It's also interesting re the claws - I noticed his claws were pretty long.

Does anyone have any tips regarding keeping dogs/children separate when you can't be there to supervise them? A friend with greyhounds recommended getting a crate and only slowly giving them a bigger and bigger run of the house (their greyhounds are ex-racers, so I think they need to be quite strict at the start), however, whilst that might be OK sometimes, I can't imagine putting the dog away just for short periods where the two can't be supervised. Does that make any sense? I just don't want to take any risks until both dog and children are established with each other.

I would say a crate is a v good idea although I only have experience of training from a puppy.

But my whippet loved his crate and would still have it now (age 4) but we had to give it back to a friend.

It had a really cosy bed in it and his favourite teddy

We used it for night, but he would often retreat to it during the day when he needed time alone - they are sensitive creatures and sometimes the madness of the house was too much for him.

Also, if we were getting ready to go out and were taking ages, he would take himself off to his crate to wait patiently and v long sufferingly. It really was a refuge for him.

doggy christmas card sounds lovely. have you got a pic? they must have looked very cute

at the ham idea. will try that

friend bought my youngest dog a father xmas outfit two years ago. he accompanied me to a fancy dress party. i went as a fairy and came third out of three . the dog won first prize!

i didnt have a crate but provided another dog bed where dog could go when she was tired. toddler was told to leave her alone when she went there. still had to keep an eye though

havent introduced a dog before toddler age so cant advise on that

i felt it was very important for kids to know that they had to respect dog's space and so that area was off limits when dog was resting/sleeping. imho it helps kids to see dog as another living being and not a toy. not easy for young kids to automatically know the difference though!

Sorry no tips for a great photo, apart from taking them for a long walk and letting them collapse on the couch .

unseen - I would recommend a cage/crate (preferably collapsable, we take ours when visiting family and it makes life so much easier knowing we can restrict the dogs access in other people's houses) and the nail clippers (although dp does our dogs' nails, as I'm too much of a wimp).

WIth the kids, it's not something I've ever thought about. My girls know that if the dogs retreat to the cage then they are not to annoy them (and if they do, no0 sympathy will be given for any adverse consequences!). Also, I've still got stairgates around the house (no point in taking them down yet as I've just had dd3) so the whippets can jump them to get away (not that they ever need to). If I were you, I'd see how the children and dog get on when you are around and take it from there. Whippets tend to be quite attached to their owners, so if you're in the house and were to nip to the loo, it's pretty likely that your whippet will keep you company on the journey!

We had our home visit this morning. It all seemed to go very well - "you have a lovely home for a dog and I'm sure he will be very happy here" . It's all seeming very real now.

Any tips on how to make the first few days easier in terms of getting the dog to settle in and learn the rules, whilst not neglecting the children? I feel like a first time parent all over again .