Buying a whippet puppy...

[MrsSheepiness]

Evening, I'm after a bit of advice if possible? We are looking to get a whippet. We ideally wanted a rescue but have found that a) there aren't many and b) some rescues won't home with young children and if they will there are fewer dogs that are suitable for children in the first place, plus we want him or her to be cat friendly!

So we are now looking at puppies. We have been to see a litter of four tonight that are very close to us geographically. It was their bitches first litter, she had seven, two were still born, one was sold and they have four left. They are 12 weeks old. Should I be worried that she hasn't managed to sell them. I saw both mum and dad and they are KC registered and so are the pups. They were priced at £550 so I wonder if that is what has put people off.

What do you think? I don't want to rush into getting one, but like the fact they are local should we need any support (though as it was their first time they say they are unlikely to breed again so that might be irrelevant)

Also are there any issues with getting older pups? I wondered if they are now more used to being part of a pack so may suffer more separation issues?

Thanks!

Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher rescue often have puppies, and rehome with children, and will know if their dogs are cat friendly. They can home check anywhere

Please look at adopting one - theres so many that need a home. Most of the dogs go on their FB page first. My first EGLR dog never appeared on either as we saw him the day he came in. My second was on fb from birth as he was born in foster

£550 doesn't sound expensive to me , personally I think the way to get a puppy is to pick the breeder and then if necessary wait for a puppy ,not get one because it is local. I got my puppy at 15/16 weeks from Battersea - he has very limited social skills and has very few doggy friends (all his friends are equally ambivalent about other dogs) ,I would ,if I was spending money on a pup be wanting one at 8 weeks .

Also getting a puppy doesn't guarantee that it won't chase the cat. As a puppy it might get on fine with the cat but when it's fully grown it may feel confident enough to take it on. You would be better to persevere with finding an adult who has been cat tested really. Have you looked at Scruples?

I was going to recommend Scruples Whippet Rescue too. We applied to them when we were looking for a dog and our children were 2 and 5 and they were happy to rehome with us.

I don't think £550 is unusual, so I wouldn't be put off by that but the fact they are already 12 weeks may be a bit of an issue. I think the ideal age for puppies to go to new homes is 8 weeks, so these puppies may experience socialisation issues unless the breeder has made enough effort to take them out, and allow them to meet other people and animals. If you're going to get a puppy, and being cat friendly is important, then maybe finding a good breeder who also has cats, or who makes an effort to socialise their puppies with cats at an early stage, may be better.

Has the breeder said why they still have the pups?

It's also not generally the norm for a decent breeder to own both dam and sire. It's not unheard of, in fact my DWhippet1's parents are both owned by his breeder but they were selected from very specific lines as youngsters with a view to possibly breeding from them if they matured into a good match for each other. I'd want to do some digging to rule out them using that sire simply because he was the one they had.

The fact they won't be breeding again suggests that they've quite possibly done this just for the sake of doing it, rather than with any goals for producing quality pups and contributing to the breed.

Do the owners show/race/work their dogs? If not I do think £550 sounds a bit steep for pet bred whippets. I'd expect to pay up to £600-ish for a pup from a decent show kennel.

I agree with Floral that finding a breeder then waiting for a puppy is the way to go, even if you have to travel. Having backup from a breeder is great but I'd rather have backup from a decent breeder via email than a less than ideal one in person.

Thanks for all your responses. It's hard when you fall in love with a pointy one isn't it!! I need to let my head rule my heart more though.

My gut feel is that the puppies will end up in a shelter or sold to less desirable homes for a lower price as I think they just want them to go now. They too are probably concerned about the saleability of the pups as they get older, plus I think they are finding it harder than they thought, and probably more expensive.

Previously we rescued a dog and that would always be my first port of call when looking (I have registered with scruples today so will see what that brings).

Rescuing seemed so easy in comparison to buying a puppy there is so much more to consider. I feel a little anxious about finding the right breeder and asking the right questions, it feels like a lot of pressure to find the perfect dog. Possibly it was my naivety but with our rescue we just chose the one that stood out to us more and practically flung himself at us saying pick me, his brothers and sisters didn't get a look in! He turned out to be fabulous.

If you saw both parents of the pups, can you identify that they were not related? Just asking because a lot reputable breeder actually go out of their way to find a sire for their bitch that is in now way related and may be from quite far away.
Have the pups been vet checked?
How where they when you saw them? Friendly? Inquisitive? Did the owners give you a reason why they bred from their bitch?

All questions worthwhile asking.

Yy to Evesham rescue - I am yearning for a pointy hound as well (looking at rescue greyhounds locally) and am just biding my time.
I grew up with a variety of rescue dogs who were a lot older than weeks and all became lovely family pets. I don't think 12 weeks is too old, but I would have concerns about simply going for the nearest litter because they are local.

Thanks Pacific

I'm liking the doghouse. Chat, S&B & Homes & Gardens are my usual hangouts so I'm enjoying learning new things and seeing new faces names.

They showed me the KC registration documents and the "family tree" for the mum and dad, I didn't study it intently but they said that they were both bought separately from Wales and they checked all of the bloodlines to ensure they weren't related.

They own two sisters and the boy. The Mum owns two dogs and the daughter one, they all live together. They said they were planning on giving both girls one litter but this was a happy accident happening sooner than planned. They aren't breeders just normal pet owners.

The pups looked happy and healthy. The girls were quite reserved and gave us a quick sniff when we arrived and then sat down. The two boys showed more interest but one soon got bored whilst the other stayed and fussed for a while. They have been vet checked and have had they first vaccinations plus two lots of worming I think. They are booked in for the 12 week ones next week and will come microchipped, they still have their dew claws.

We aren't just choosing the most local puppies, we aren't lazy I promise! We have been contacting people far and wide I just thought that should this be the right pup for us it would be helpful having the breeder close by for help and advice. I don't know what to do, but feel so much for the poor dogs, I hope if they end up in rescue they get homed fast!

They said they were planning on giving both girls one litter but this was a happy accident happening sooner than planned.

That alone would have me walking away. It sounds like they believe that all bitches should have a litter which is bollocks and either they've done no research or they have and are choosing to ignore the information they've found.

Do you know how old the parents are?

They aren't breeders just normal pet owners.

They've intentionally bred a litter (even if they didn't intend for it to happen at the time it did) so they are breeders whether they consider themselves to be or not. People use the "I'm not really a breeder" line to absolve themselves of the responsibilities of breeding properly rather than just chucking the two closest dogs with working reproductive systems together and hoping for the best.

They have been vet checked and have had they first vaccinations plus two lots of worming I think.

If the pups have only had their first vaccinations and need at least one more (I think some brands of vaccine require three initial vaccinations) it doesn't leave much time for socialisation before 16 weeks of age. How much socialisation has the breeder done? Have they been carrying the pups out and about?

Not really adding much but just to say, when my my mum was breeding whippets (accreditd breeder) she had sire and dam. Sire was bought from Ireland and carefully chosen for temperament breeding and colour. Bitches were from England and not related. It does happen. She still has both breeding bitches and dog now (elderly, neutered and retired).
£550 sounds on the upper end for whippet puppies imho, mum used to ask closer to £400 for hers and they were carefully bred, raised on best quality food, socialised with animals and children and vaccinated/kc registered/insured with puppy packs and lifetime breeder support etc.

But things may be different now. This was several years ago.

Oh, also pups were wormed at least twice, bitch was wormed throughout pregnancy and pups were front lined. Raising a litter 'properly' is not cheap. :)

Ooh more replies thank you.

I think they are genuine people that have thought breeding would be great but have realised it's not for them. They seemed like nice people and the adult dogs in particular seemed very happy and healthy.

My biggest concern is that they haven't been socialised, although they are living in a family environment I doubt they have been any further than the garden and one trip to the vets, and I wonder if this will lead to problems later on. If this is the case I feel sorry for the pups, but this shouldn't be a reason to have one should it but they were gorgeous. My husband has been in contact with them and they are willing to drop the price by 30% as they want the dogs gone now.

I agree about the cost, we have family friends who are breeders and even though their breed commands a high price given the time and energy put in plus the costs they don't walk away feeling they have made a healthy profit by any stretch of the imagination, I am presuming this is similar across most breeds.

WeAreGroot is 16 weeks a specific milestone when it comes to socialisation then?

Puppies have a socialisation window during which they are most accepting of new things and that closes at around 16 weeks of age.

If the breeders haven't done anything like take the pups out it's a lot to do in just a few short weeks, especially as you've said some of the pups are quite reserved.

Thanks for all of your advice.

I would also recommend Scruples and they have some absolute beauties including puppies.

Personally would never have a puppy after re-homing an ex-racer - house trained him in a day and he's been an absolute dream. I can understand you wanting a puppy though don't get me wrong.

Personally would walk away from these puppies - something doesn't ring true and I reckon you feel the same as you've asked. I don't believe in 'happy accidents' I believe in people thinking that they're a bit short for something and it seems like an easy way to make a lot of money. Still doesn't mean anything wrong with the puppies but I just don't like it.

We also demand pictures whenever your pointy arrives.

Sorry to hijack, but what age dog/child do rescue centres not mind them being together?

I have been thinking about adopting a Greyhound or Whippet, but I see some wont rehome with children, why is this?

Thank You.

It depends on the rescue to be honest Wooden. Apparently some don't believe children should mix with dogs. However, I adopted my greyhound from Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust, we had our homecheck when DD was just 5.6 months old and we finally got our boy when she was 7.7 months old.

Woodenheart - If they are ex-racers for example and have never lived in a home then they probably won't allow them with very young children. Some rescues won't rehome to families with under 5s at all, and others are very flexible. In general, the ones who will rehome to families with young children are the ones who use foster homes rather than kennels so their behaviour can be fully assessed before rehoming. There are lots of very good organisations who will rehome to young families but it just might take a little longer for the right dog to become available.

Thank you for the advice, DD is 17 months so maybe when she is a little older we will try,

I still had my beloved huge 14 year old collie cross when she was a newborn and they adored each other, sadly he is no longer here but one day we will look for another friend.

The only thing that concerns me is I will not be home 3 x a week between 10 - 4.

Thanks again.

when we were home-checked for scruples I was working 2 days a week 8-5 plus travel time. We employed a dog walker for those days, which they were happy with. We fostered a lovely dog called Poppy who we would have kept, but she suffered with very bad separation anxiety. She went to live with a lovely retired lady and another dog. So, although it didn't work out for Poppy, they did not dismiss us because of the working hours. If we'd wanted to foster or adopt another dog without separation anxiety they'd have been happy to allow us as long as we had a dog walker, or a relative to pop in at lunch time etc. Generally most rescues say dogs should not be left for more than 4hrs at a time, so will probably expect you to have something in place for those days.

We also demand pictures whenever your pointy arrives.

Definitely this!

Whippet puppies are always gorgeous but monstrous little things

I have a friend who is a well known and well received breeder of whippets. If you want to PM me the registered names of the sire and dam, MrsSheepiness, I'll see if I can get some background information for you.

I've had a fair few whippets over the years. None chased cats, but ... be warned ... all insisted on sleeping under the covers!

Thanks ADish very reluctantly I think we are going to have to walk away from him, my husband and I feel so torn, but it is the lack of socialisation that is bothering us now, I keep thinking if only we found him a week or two earlier we would probably have him by now. A friend had a puppy that wasn't properly socialised/spent too long in the pack as their breeder fell ill after the pups were born, the dog had lots of issues that no training or work with a behaviouralist could resolve, this might not be the case in our example but the possibility does worry me.

They have offered us to him at another reduced price and my husband is concerned that they will end up in a poor home or at a rescue, we both have said we would feel guilty if that happened but we can't have him for that reason can we says the girl who as a child would choose the ugly/damaged teddy bears from the charity shop as she was worried no one else would buy them