Whippet or Cavvy?

[jgm]

Hi, We are looking to buy our first family dog, and have narrowed it down to either a whippet or a cavalier king charles spaniel. I would love to hear from anyone with either of these breeds to see what the pros (and cons) are?

For info, we have two daughters aged 7 and 9, two cats (does this rule out a whippet??), i'm a sahm, we'd buy a cavvy from fully health tested parents, we're looking for a companion / lapdog that will also enjoy playing ball etc with the children.

Thanks in advance for any opinions!

Whippet...cavs are currently so unhealthy that firstly finding a good breeder is like finding hen's teeth, but also sadly, health testing doesn't rule out all the issues they have.

A whippet puppy should accept being bossed about by cats just the same as any other breed of puppy...they may not apply that to all cats though, but ones they live with should be fine.

whippet hands down - cav's are lovely dogs, but so many health issues within that breed.

Hi, a Whippy!!...we are first time dog owners and deliberated for ages over getting a dog and then choosing the right breed. My kids are 10 and 7, so good age for dog care responsibilities. We have had our Whippet for 4 months now and she is six months old. She is excellent with the kids, sleeps a fair bit in day and excellent overnight... doesn't bark, hardly sheds and is content with either one long ish walk a day or two shorter ones...there have been downs...very sharp snappy teeth..stealing of food...toys...socks!!..anal glands eeek!!!! and some minor household destruction, but that goes for any young pup. I wouldnt be without my girl now...she sticks by my side and has those big doleful eyes....

Whippet definitely. We have two kids and a cat and so far our whippet pup has been bossed around by the cat and is very submissive to him. I was brought up with whippets, my dad bred them and they make fab pets. They are so calm and regal looking and will be so loyal. Can't recommend enough.
Go on you know you want to.

Thanks all - looks like its unanimous! I do think whippets are gorgeous, so elegant.

One more question - can whippets be let off lead when out, or is it too much of a risk that they might spot something small and furry and zoom off at 35 miles an hour?

Whippet or a small lurcher for sure

If you work on your recall, of course you can let them off lead. They may have more or less prey drive, but you have to teach them that the contents of your pocket when whistled is a better bet. I have lurchers who go off lead, and we meet lots of sighthounds off lead. Occasionally someone will have a muzzle on if they are very prey focussed (remember that the difference between a terrier and a sighthound is not the prey drive, but that a sighthound is fast enough to catch up with something).

And there is a plethora of shopping opportunities for pointies too - the collars are gorgeous, and you'll need coats for them as well.

cavs are beautiful animals, loving, bouncy.. but unless you know your stuff with their health and can afford top notch insurance, dont go there!

my family has always had them, we're on the fourth in 30 years now, we've lost all previous three to MVD related issues. THe dog we have now cost an arm and a leg and a HUGE amount of research to find the breeder with the right pedigree and who followed the new breeding protocols and could produce the last 6 generations health histories.

Whippet, without a doubt! They love to cuddle, they make wonderful family pets, mud just falls off them, there are endless shopping opportunities for Whippets, fabulous collars, coats, housecoats etc and they don't endlessly shed. Work hard on the recall from day 1 and there shouldn't be a problem.

I am so I would love a whippet.

Whippets are lovely but 8 months of dedicated training and we still don't have a reliable recall - I am clearly a bit shit at this training malarky! I'm sure they do get it with a combination of luck - low prey drive, some have it and some don't and excellent training but how many of us start off as excellent trainers?

And my whippet is affectionate but on his terms like a cat, he is often independent and aloof and and it wouldn't matter what was in my pocket...I have the best treats....but he'll only recall when it suits him!

What did you you go for op

whippet or cavi??

My parents have had two cavaliers. They had all the recommended health tests and both still had awful health problems, the second dog screaming in pain from syringomyaelia. Some countries now ban the breeding of these dogs.

Whippet. And get a copy of Pippa Mattinson’s book Total Recall and start training it from day one. I’ve got two small lurchers, both with excellent recall. The jury is out about the cat thing though. You stand a fighting chance if you have assertive cats and a puppy, but even then there’s plenty of ‘i got a puppy and my cats are now misérable’ threads on here.