Thinking of getting a Whippet

[CabanaBayLife]

Hi Mumsnetters,

I am thinking of getting a Whippet.

1. Please tell me how your Whippets were with Kittens when brought up from Puppy with them?

2. Where they good when left alone for a little while?

3. Does yours bark a lot?

4. Are they suitable for a erraced house

5. Are they loving?

I would love to here your whippet stories.

Thanks for reading guys.

I've got three and they're absolutely super little dogs.

1. Lots of people keep whippets and cats together successfully however you do need to be somewhat realistic. They are sighthounds and even the show bred ones can have a very high prey drive. Some level of management is necessary to keep high prey drive dogs and cats together, such as not allowing them access to each other when you're out and making sure the cats always have somewhere safe and whippet-proof they can get to just in case. They can sometimes also behave differently in the garden, they may be more inclined to chase outside than they are inside. Also, however good they are with their own cats, it rarely translates to strange cats. This is a really good article about keeping high prey drive dogs around cats and it's well worth a read.

2. Mine are and always have been absolutely fine being left. They were built up to it gradually as puppies and now as long as they're warm, comfy and have their biscuit they couldn't care less when we go out.

3. No, they're generally not very barky dogs at all. They're pretty quiet in generally actually although they can use whining/whinging to great effect when it suits them. I've got three (plus a whippety-lurchery-mongrely-thing) and most of the time you wouldn't guess there were four dogs here it's so quiet.

4. I can't see any reason why not. They're pretty quiet, don't need masses of inside space and can fold up pretty small when they want to

5. They are ridiculously loving little things. They love cuddles and human contact in general, mine love cuddling with each other as well. They also really like their comfort so you kind of have to accept they're going to be up on your furniture with you. Thankfully they're very easy to keep clean

We have a whippet cross and she is lovely.

1. We didn't have her as a puppy, but she is great with cats. Doesn't chase them, just sniffs them and walks away.

1. She used to chew things when left alone, but doesn't now.

1. She doesn't bark much, but in her old age has started to bark when she sees other dogs.

1. Should be suitable for a terraced house. They need walks and exercise obviously, but not a huge amount, and they love to sleep.

1. Extremely loving. Very eager to please. You can't go wrong with a whippet.

And I forgot to say, they don't like to lie on floors! Beds, sofas, chairs, all are fine, but not the floor.

1. Ours was raised with two house cats, he occasionally wants to play but on the whole they ignore him. That being said if one ran across the garden he would chase it, I don't think he would try and hurt it but he is particularly soft. My mums cat is aggressive to him and he is terrified of her.

1. Ours was awful at being left for the first year, he howled when we left the house, this was mainly our fault however as he was only left once a week but that one time was quite a long time so he didn't really get used to it. He is much better now at 2, just took a bit of time, but their barks are not massively loud. The will whinge if they want something though...usually food or soft furnishings you might have....

1. No, occasional excited yap on returning home.

1. Perfect for small houses, they sleep 99% of the time, are not big dogs and will quite happily snuggle all day.

1. Incredibly loving, very warm in winter as well for chilly hands.

It's worth noting ours would refuse to lie down on the hard floor without padding (coat, towel etc), they love beds and sofas.
Ours has several coats and fleeces because they can get really cold, so,e have very very little fur, if you need a coat or jumper, so do they.
Same with cold baths....not a fan of them, would shiver pathetically.
A saint with children, very tolerant, cuddly, I would suggest a male if you want a very snuggly dog, females can be a bit more aloof but that's just personal experience.

They are great dogs, go team whippet!!!

Thank you for your replies, you have convinced me a Whippet is ideal.
I will be looking for one around November when back from my holiday. Can you give me any ideas on the things whippets need other than the basics? Any tips on buying a puppy?

There's lots of good links to information about buying a puppy on this thread.

I'd get contacting breeders asap if you're hoping to get a pup in November, decent breeders start assembling waiting lists often before their puppies are even born. I'd recommend starting with the breed clubs, either the national one or relevant regional one. Breed clubs generally hold their members to a higher code of ethics than the KC alone and should be able to put you in touch with breeders planning litters. Champdogs is also a pretty good place to start finding breeders.

Definitely look for a breeder than for a puppy that's ready to buy. A great breeder who does everything right and will offer you endless support and back up for the life of the dog they've bred is worth their weight in gold. It's also well worth waiting for a puppy from a breeder you know is consistently breeding exactly the sort of dog you want.

Welcome to the world of being a whippet slave

I have a nearly six month old boy. In my circumstances I think a typical whippet female would have been better as mine is almost too loving and cuddly. He was however very easy to toilet train and got over the Bitey phase quickly.

Hello, I've had a few breeds including labs, GSDs, terriers and hand on heart, my whippet is the easiest of the lot. Enjoy!

Thank you everyone for your advice and information we have taken the plunge and purchased our beautiful baby boy Bucky who will be coming home earlier November.

I would like to know what size crate would be needed for him?

Thanks guys x

I start my whippet puppies off in a 30" crate initially then as they grow move them into a 42" if I still want to keep using the crate.

How old will he be when you bring him home?

Thank you x He will be 15 weeks old when he comes home.

That's quite late , will the breeder be taking him out and about ?

As Floral says that's much later than the norm, is that timing the breeder's choice or yours?

If the opportunity is there to take him sooner then I definitely would but as long as the breeder will be socialising him properly (there's a great little article on socialisation here) and getting all aspects of training well under way, separately from any litter mates they may be keeping, then it shouldn't be an issue.

This blog post (written by a veterinary behaviourist) covers socialisation in a bit more depth and is well worth a read.

Yes it is quite late however I will be
Out of the country in October and rather than kennels for a young puppy the breeder is going to socialise and start training until collection x he will be well socialised as House with children, dogs and cats.