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.

Gorgeous - how's he settling in?

We'll collect him at the weekend. We had a visit yesterday, to get him used to us/the kids and vice versa.

Any tips for good websites to order collars/crates etc?

Great news - I bet the kids were thrilled.

Sorry, no tips on websites I generally just browse until I find the cheapest!

awwww he's gorgeous

Hi Whippet owners, I wonder if you could give me some advice please?

I have a (nearly)3 year old whippetXbedlington terrier. My baby. She has been somewhat spoilt and been a surrogate child since we got her as a puppy. She can be demanding for attention sometimes - which she gets. I also tend to cuddle her in bed a lot.

Shes a great dog. She can be naughty at jumping up when greeting people, also if she gets overexcited when playing she has a habit of snapping towards my husband's face and trying to eat his ears.

I'm now pregnant with my first human baby! (only 8 weeks) but I want to start to consider if I need to change things with my dog.

I suspect she could get jealous. Having her in the bed is likely to have to change too :-(

Does anyone have any tips of what I should start to do now to get her ready and prepared to no longer be the centre of attention!

Bump!

hi agbag, why dont you start a new thread? more people may notice your post then. good luck. would help if i could but not experienced this

Might well do that, thanks!

Hi all. Quick update. Dog is now installed withn the house and has rapidly "adopted" dp from the first day. Unfortunately he doesn't like being on his own at all, so we've had lots of complaining when he needs to be shut away (we are introducing him to the house a bit at a time, rather than letting him have free reign from the off), but atm we are not giving in to it.

We have a gorgeous picture of him snuggled up in his (well padded) crate, which I'll put on my profile when I get it transfered from the phone.

look forward to seeing pic
awww i always feel sorry for dogs when they are settling in but it will pass

Hi all. New pic on profile. He seems much more settled into our routine today, though I did get an idea that he might have been hit by his previous owners as whilst I gave him the command to sit and stay whilst ds2 put his dinner down, he kind of "bobbed" down in a way that suggested someone had previously hit him in a similar situation .

The ds's are still a bit intimidated by him, but I'm hoping this will pass (doggie is taller than ds2, so I guess I can see why he is intimidated - plus ds2 is not the bravest of boys).

Booked doggie training classes for myself and ds1, which I think should help a lot with his settling in.

I also just wanted to say thanks all for your help/advice.

Your dog looks gorgeous. It is a whippet trait that they are quite submissive. My dog does the same head bobbing/cowering thing at silly times. I've had her since a puppy and I know shes never been hit. Your dog probably did it because he understood you were giving him a strict command before his supper and he was just being submissive because hes a bit of a wimp and/or to show you he knows you are boss. Or perhaps your command was a bit more forceful than it needed to be. The training classes will be great for both you, your family and the dog. I hope he settles in well and you get lots of enjoyment from him!

Thanks Agbag.

However, I have another question if anyone could help me, which I'm not sure if I'd be better starting a new thread for. However, this morning I was stroking Whippet boy, he was wagging his tail and fairly relaxed, but he suddenly snapped at my hand - he didn't bite, but it was clearly a snap. There wasn't anything untoward, aside from his allegences have thus far laid very clearly with dp. Anyway, it just unsettled me as we obviously need to ensure this doesn't happen with the ds's, who are very "innocent" for their ages and not at all dog-savvy.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this?