Whippet behaviour-at the end of my tether.

[PencilFace]

I need to vent about this. I have had my whippet since a pup, he has always been hard work and high energy but his behaviour is really getting me down.

He has zero recall despite me trying and trying, if another dog is about he is gone and he is so so rough with them. He will crash into them and try to flip them over (he once flipped a springer spaniel) its awful. So now he can't go off lead around other dogs which has led to the second problem...

He has become leash reactive to some dogs. He will snap and snarl if an off lead dog comes towards him, its generally bigger dogs. He randomly hates some other dogs, such as both my neighbours dogs and I can't work out why.

He goes totally crackers when he sees a squirrel or cat. I know hes a sighthound and it's to be expected. But he has pulled me over before and makes this awful sound almost like baying. He just looses the plot and I can't drag him away until its out of sight.

I am finding the whole situation very depressing. I'm having to pay money I can't afford to take him to a secure paddock every day as its the only time I can let him off lead. Is there anything anyone can suggest? Is this typical for a whippet?!

[chwmn]

I had a reactive whippet too. His trainer told me never to tighten my grip or pull his lead towards me when I saw another dog, or he would assume I was scared too. I talk to him in a calm voice and then walk on a different path or away from the dog (even if I end up in the bushes!)

As long as Charlie thinks we aren't walking towards the dog he settles down as it's not a threat anymore. He still anxiously pants until they're far enough away, but its much better than the pulling and barking I was used to. I first took him to a trainer who agreed that he wasn't aggressive, just scared, and I was most concerned about making sure he wasn't as worried anymore.

[PencilFace]

frostedviolets Totally understand and agree. We've walked many times in this place before and never seen a soul so took me by suprise and I guess I was complacent. Sorry that happened to your dog that sounds awful for you both.

bluetongue Our dogs sound very similar, in fact they would probably get on! Before I got a whippet I imagined a dainty little dog trotting along nicely. Instead I end up with a big strong brute with bags of energy. I agree with adjusting mindset and trying to be positive as similar to your dog, he has many good points. I think its just I waited so long to get another dog after my last dog died, spent so long researching breeds, talking to owners and things have just turned out very different to how I hoped/expected, such is life I suppose!

Gwynfluff Thanks I was curious to know as there seems to be such a variation in the breed as to how they act/how trainable they are, not to mention their apperance. From what I can tell mine seems to have a lot of working in his pedigree which maybe explains some of his behaviour.

[frostedviolets]

Out of nowhere someone appeared with two off lead dogs, my dog actually stopped and looked from us to the other dogs and for a moment seemed like he was going to listen and come back but then changed his mind and off he went. He did his normal crazy behaviour of chasing them round

With all due respect, he absolutely must be on a long line until he will return reliably.

I apologise in advance if my post comes across unnecessarily aggressive, I am frothing even writing it thinking about what my dog has been through and the stress it has caused us.

You are so very lucky the other dogs played along and the owner wasn't bothered.

I guarantee you if this had been me I would have gone absolutely beyond apoplectic at you and if your dog failed to return I can't guarantee he wouldn't have been hurt.
By me or my dog.

My dog has been the victim of nightmare whippet 'play' more than once - chasing, biting legs, flipping, being held down by the throat on her back, growled at.

Believe me, hearing your dog scream like a small child and piss themselves in terror is not something you forget in a hurry.

She cannot cope with dog on dog greetings at all now.

I am sick to death of owners allowing their dogs to race towards her and frighten her.

If it doesn't recall reliably it shouldn't be loose. No excuses.

I had a whippet owner just the other day, her dog raced over from huge distance (my dog avoids other dogs!) and immediately growled in her face.

Don't worry he's only playing she screams at me 😡

Keep it leashed until it's reliable.

[bluetongue]

I really feel for you Pencil My whippet is also very ‘full on’. He does get to play with other dogs but I watch his every move and he’s put back on the lead if he even looks at another dog the wrong way. He’s nearly three so a similar age to yours. I’ve even had the ‘why can’t my whippet be like the others’ thoughts

As well as the rough play he is extremely vocal while playing and while I know his noises are just play growls, to be honest I don’t blame the other dog owners for being horrified at the noises he makes.

At home he’s just lovely and sleeps in my bed every night. He’s also great with kids and adores pretty much everyone. He just needs lots of management to keep him safe. Luckily he has fairly good recall and long as I call him before he takes off he usually comes back.

It’s so hard when dog ownership doesn’t look like you imagined. While it definitely sounds as though he needs some help with training I’ve also found it helpful to adjust my mindset and concentrate on my whippet’s good points.

[Gwynfluff]

@pencilface he has on the odd occasion when younger sprinted with dogs and knocked one over if they were smaller. But never regularly. He’ll have the odd run with a dog now. Prefers bigger dogs and other whippets. But he’s not aggressive at all and he’s had to run for his life with a couple of really big dogs (he hates huskies) and backs off immediately if any dog, including a tiny one, so much as gives a tiny snarl at him.

[RidgedPerfection]

@PencilFace it took me a while to get it in the face of distractions!! The toy that gets chased is my best "tool" for coming off a real chase. Takes lots of looking like a lunatic to become sooooooo interesting to your dog that they'll consider your existence in the face of some things though!!!

[PencilFace]

Thank you RidgedPerfection I am intending to get a flirt pole and check out control unleashed. The emergency stop and lying down sounds amazing but my dog just goes so deaf when he starts chasing it would certainly be a challenge and would probably require someone more experienced than me to help.

Gwynfluff He is neutered but didn't get him done til age 3 when he decided to start a blood feud with the neighbours dogs. In hindsight maybe should have got him done sooner. Just curious, did you ever have issues with your Whippet chasing other dogs and playing in an overly rough way with them?

[Gwynfluff]

We have a nearly 5 year old whippet. Is yours neutered? We had ours in puppy training from 5 months and followed those methods for months after and returned to them during his teens. We used a hell of a lot of cheese - as whippets do love a treat!

It all seemed to work - he has good recall, good with other dogs and not reactive at all. Does chase squirrels but never catches them.

Really hope you can get it sorted. We had an ex racer (probably lurcher who was raced on flapping tracks) years ago and we couldn’t walk him off lead and he was reactive. So I insisted on a puppy we could properly train this time and it worked.

[adaline]

My point is he was totally non aggresive and full on but friendly. However if he had been on a lead and one of them had approached him it would have been a different story, but then off lead he is fine but I have no control if he sees something.

Leash reactivity is a real thing and it's incredibly frustrating as so many people see it as being full-on aggression when it's not.

You can work on leash reactivity but it will take a long time.

[RidgedPerfection]

Agree with SutterCane about the "it's yer choice" game, Control Unleashed and flirt pole. I have had two very highly prey driven dogs (one was reactive too) and now have one - a hound. I have managed to train a redirect onto a very special only - comes - out - on - walks toy when my dog goes to chase something - he will now chase that instead. A really solid emergency "STOP" is well worth working on too. Mine will stop and then I can get him to lie down at a distance if he has begun to tank after something. A long line is your friend whilst training these behaviours.

I do a lot of long distance running with him as we live rurally and there is a lot of livestock about so he is on lead much of the time. He loves it, it tires him and it gives him a "job" to do and we play / train in the garden a lot.

I am also exceptionally selective over which dogs he interacts with - he likes to be chased / chase but also plays very roughly in that he'll use shoulder barging a great deal in the chases and weighs around 50kg as well as being rapid so it needs to be a dog that enjoys the same kind of play. He hates / gets frustrated by the sort of play that many other dogs like and will either just ignore and walk away with me or can get growly if they won't leave him alone.

My reactive dog was particularly reactive to dogs who approached whilst he was on lead (and even the one I have now can get very grumpy if loose dogs hassle us when he is on lead). I used Grisha Stewart's BAT approach - lots of info out there if you Google to address this which was the most successful approach for us after lots of trial and error. His behaviour was however fear - driven rather than born of barrier frustration as your dog's may well be OP.

[PencilFace]

Suki2019 She is lovely and sounds very sweet.
Tatiebee He is neutered, it didn't really make much difference but he wasn't done til age 3 so perhaps I left it too late.

Went for a walk yesterday in quite an isolated place where you rarely see anyone. He was off lead all the way and had an amazing time leaping and sprinting around. Out of nowhere someone appeared with two off lead dogs, my dog actually stopped and looked from us to the other dogs and for a moment seemed like he was going to listen and come back but then changed his mind and off he went. He did his normal crazy behaviour of chasing them round, luckily the other dogs joined in and it became a bit of a free for all, but I had to catch him as he sprinted past to get hin back. Apologised to the other dog owner who wasn't at all bothered.

My point is he was totally non aggresive and full on but friendly. However if he had been on a lead and one of them had approached him it would have been a different story, but then off lead he is fine but I have no control if he sees something. Feel like I am going round in circles!!

[Silasboot]

Good luck you have loads of great advice given I have been reading it and learnt a lot myself. Just enjoy your gorgeous whippet and take it one step at a time

[Suki2019]

Here's our Suki, when she was younger, having been pelting up and down huge sand dunes for about an hour, looking for rabbits!!

And yep, she is hugely loving, adores everyone particularly children, and is masses of fun. We love her more than I could ever describe. I hope you can find a solution to your problems x

[Tatiebee]

Neutering might be a good start if you haven't already had this done?

[PencilFace]

Suki2019 Your dog sounds very similar to mine, I've never seen a whippet x staff before, I can imagine she is high energy but very loving. The biking sounds amazing, unfortunatly I can't ride a bike but I am glad you have found something that works for you.

Oyoysaveloy I'm in south devon. Wish I knew someone else with a sighthound, they are the dogs he gets on best with, they just seem to 'get' eachother. They are lovely dogs and honestly apart from his 'issues' he is such a soft, gentle, sweet dog and so so good with the kids.

SutterCane Thank you your post made me feel better! I can relate the shrieking and wailing. With my boy its more like a deep baying sound that foxhounds make. It's o so loud and has the ability to stop passers by in their tracks to see what on earth is going on. I do tend to compare myself to every other dog owner and then berate myself for not being able to sort these issues. Despite his wayward behaviour I am very fond of him, he does have such a lovely nature and whippets are still my favourite breed despite everything.

I had no idea that the rough play was so common until I got a whippet. I read so much about them but mananged to bypass that. When he sees another dog running around he gets such a focused look in his eyes that I just know if I let him off he would bomb towards them full pelt and try and knock them over, which seems to be his favourite thing to do.

I will join that facebook group now. I think getting a trainer after xmas will be the right thing to do. Honestly if you saw him in the house you would think he's a pointy faced angel, its just outside of the house he changes, very frustrating...

[SutterCane]

The objectionably rough play is so, so common with sighthounds. Mine are all complete thugs and almost never get let off lead with other dogs, particularly in a group. It's not fair to the dogs that (understandably!) don't enjoy it and the risk of accidental injury or play tipping over into something more serious is higher than I'm comfortable with to let them play freely with dogs they don't know even if they're willing.

If he's been ok (other than being rough) with other dogs off lead then the reactivity could be frustration rather than aggression. I've got one of each; my eldest is reactive because he's worried about rude/pushy/overly friendly dogs invading his personal space and my youngest can occasionally be a frustrated greeter if he's particularly hyped up. The Reactive Dogs UK FB group has been a fabulous source of information and both have made a lot of progress with that alone. I've also had a trainer/behaviourist out for the older one (who gave me lots of valuable insight and we've progressed even more since her visit) and the younger one had really benefitted from attending some classes with the same trainer.

I don't see other whippets acting like this.

It's so easy to compare yourself and your dogs to others you see out and about but really all you're getting is a snapshot of what they're like. I took all three of mine out together the other day (something I rarely do unless we're going to a secure field as I prefer to do one-to-one walks with the older one) and the people we passed saw three whippets in matching coats trotting along daintily looking like butter wouldn't melt. Thankfully nobody saw me having to literally drag them into the house shrieking and wailing at the end of the walk when they collectively lost their shit because one of the local cats sauntered past

[Oyoysaveloy]

It's back to basics in afraid. Lots of praise and reward when he finally comes back and as much interaction with other dogs as possible. It's so depressing when your dog ignores you or behaves in a bad way. Having his plums cut off made a real difference with mine and he is now a great dog, whippets are not good as solo dogs and need other sighthounds to really run with,Where abouts do you live? Try to find someone with another lurcher or sight hound may help.I feel your pain but whippets are lovely dogs, so good luck.

[Suki2019]

That's meant to say "can't agree", sorry x

[Suki2019]

Hi, I have a 10 year old Whippet x Staffie who has boundless energy even now, and she has a heart problem too! I can't after with the poster who said your dog will calm down now, he's barely even in his prime for a Whippet. Our dog is a bit like yours in that she is selective with the dogs she likes, having been attacked numerous times, and also has a high prey drive. We were able to let her run off lead in an amazing place we have nearby, where barely anyone goes, but now she has a heart problem she isn't meant to be running at top speed. Apart from giving her an hour's fast walk on lead, I also bike about 7 miles (in the countryside) with her and she fast trots in front on an extending lead (and harness). She absolutely loves it and particularly more so if we go even further! It's the best way to expel her energy, she ignores other dogs if we see any as she's too busy thinking about going forwards and people will usually put their dog on a lead when they see the bike. We didn't start doing it with her until she was about 6 and she soon learnt what we were doing. Could you start doing this with him (safely)?

[Loiloi]

Whippets can be hard, they are sighthound so chasing is in their nature and they're mischief makers.
They do need a few sprints a day but actually don't need really long walks.
Do you live in a town/city? Is there any countryside nearby you can let him off?
We feed our raw diet, sometimes the kibble has all sort of stuff in it that can cause behavioural issues I know bakers is a dreadful make for dogs.

[PencilFace]

Hes 3.5

[Django122]

Hi how old is your whippet?

[PencilFace]

Thanks for all your replies. Jim Greenwood sounds amazing, he is just the kind of trainer that would be perfect, however he is so far from me that even though he says he travels it would be too expensive I imagine, but I may contact him anyway incase he is ever in this area of the country.

I keep trying to figure out what has caused all this. Ddog is my first whippet and my first dog I have had since a puppy and I feel I have made so many mistakes. I let him off lead right from the start but instead of encouraging him to stay with me all it seems to have done is condition him to run up to every single dog and chase them. Then he became so rough that he had to go back on the lead and now the reactivity.

Honestly without meaning to sound woe is me I thought a whippet would be easier than this. I've had terriers before and my last one in particular had a high prey drive, but it was in a 'nose to the ground' kind of way which seemed to make it easier. The sighthound prey drive is like nothing I have experienced before.

Also, I feel like I must have picked the naughtiest whippet in the world! I don't see other whippets acting like this. Still its the weekend now and we can go to a nice quiet spot away from cats/dogs/sheep/squirrels and hopefully have an enjoyable walk for once.

[Starbelle]

There's a wonderful trainer called Jim Greenwood. He's got the nickname of 'The Lurcherman' because of his stellar work with lurchers, but works with all sighthounds. He works in Cheshire but does travel.

Ooh, just seen someone else has posted him. Go for it - he's helped our lead-reactive lurcher no end.

[Silasboot]

They are mad but gorgeous you need to find something much bigger than a paddock find a public right of way and let him run he will chase birds and rabbits blowing leaves bits of paper ect but it's a sight hound. By putting on a lead it knows you anxious and it's affecting the dog it's picking up on your tension. Let it run away from roads livestock ect take home feed and love and enjoy! They quite down after about their 3rd birthday when they mature xxx good luck and happy walking