Any Whippet owners out there?

[2000lightyearsaway123]

Hi all,

I am hoping to get a whippet pup at the end of 2020. I've done lots of research and from what I have read I think a whippet is a great choice for us.

But I would love to hear some real life experience from whippet owner the pros and cons, how they are as pets, any top tips or things that took you by surprise.

TAI

[Stellaris22]

Parents in law have two whippets and they are lovely dogs, very calm and kind natured. They can be a bit cheeky but they are a delight to see when at full speed. Well trained with very good recall, would highly recommend the breed. I would love one myself but DH only likes bassets now (ours is great so can understand why). They don't need a huge amount of exercise and are calm around the house whilst still enjoying play.

[runninguphills]

I have a whippet lurcher. I think she has a bit of Italian greyhound and greyhound in her genetics too.

We love her. She is generally great off lead except when she sees a squirrel - we have to wait until the squirrel is back up the tree before she will recall.

She did the whole hunt playing as a puppy with a fellow whippet but not to other dogs. She's now two and doesn't do it all.

She doesn't bark, is very clean and non smelly. She's loving without being intrusive. She is incredibly quiet in the house and really fantastic with the children.

I think she's the best dog ever.

[Chipsnchampagne]

We have a whippet and she is definitely the easiest dog I've ever had (and have had dogs in the family since I was a baby). She is affectionate and cuddly, although not always overly demonstrative (if she is curled up in front of the fire she won't necessarliy jump up to greet you). Very, very clean and was totally house trained by the time she was 10 weeks old. Nice and quiet in the house, doesn't bark at every noise like some dogs we've had. Will walk all day, but equally happy with 30 mins round the block if necessary. Very easy to train - recall pretty good although you do have to keep an eye on her in woodland. She is absolutely wonderful with other dogs - yes she loves to play chasing games but usually she is the one being chased! She has lots of local doggy friends who love to play with her and one even drags the owner to my garden gate in the hope of some whippet playtime! However, I have been careful to make sure she was fully socialised from an early age.

[NANAAR]

We have 4 dogs..one of which is a whippet...she is now 7 years old.
She is an easy dog now, but as a puppy she was the hardest we have trained..and the chewing was a huge issue, despite having all the correct chews, toys, kongs etc.
She is a massive food thief, and can and will get on any kitchen work top to retrieve what ever she can.
Outside her recall is superb, I can call her back even if she has a rabbit in her sights, she is used to pottering around the horses and is used to being off lead majority of the time. She is fab with children of all ages and with our cats too.
She can be noisy as in she whines, usually when you just sit down to watch tv in the evening.
Expect to loose your sofa, that is definitely their place.. they certainly do not do the floor.. heavens forbid..
Havent a clue what the other lady has experienced as we rarely come across whippets here, nevermind a full on one?? And we're in whippet country...
All in all... quiet, pretty lazy, non smelly, bed/sofa/food thief's but so loving and beautiful xx

[Scattyhattie]

I agree that left unchecked some sighthound play can easily tip into being scary to other dogs, if owner is oblivious to dog behaviour and hasn't ever interupted & stopped it, nothing much will change either. Can see why it would stand out to frostedviolets when its a less common breed.

I tend to avoid popular local walking spots as is often high % of oblivious owners & dogs lacking in social etiquette to be found there & the breed does often determine in what ways that Knobheadedness shows. For some reason labs there would often charge over, get all in my dogs space then try to mount my on-lead greyhounds which upset them.

[frostedviolets]

**Staffy was lovely I mean.

[frostedviolets]

Was the Golden Retriever your first dog?

Yes. He was a real arsehole.
Resource guarding child hater.
The staffy was and our collie is lovely.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

Was the Golden Retriever your first dog?

[somm]

We now have our fourth rescue sighthound. I just cannot imagine a whippet behaving in this aggressive way, so I'm sorry 'frostedviolets' that you've come across this behaviour. That's bound to colour your judgement. Our latest ex-racer greyhound is the most gentle dog I could ever imagine. So much so, after several months we've never even heard him bark. You mention Staffies. They also have a bad reputation due to having the 'wrong' type of owner, but the ones I've known are, again, the most gentle type of dogs.

[frostedviolets]

The breed you have does have an impact on how you view other breeds



How so?
I am open to all breeds.
My last dog was a golden retriever and my DHs a Staffordshire bull terrier.
Our current dog was going to be a husky or GSD so very different to both of those breeds, we ended up with a collie, again, very different to all of those breeds.
We'll be getting a second dog soon and he will be an entirely different breed to the above five.

I start out liking all dog breeds and don't judge unless/until they give me reason to.

To date, all whippets I have met off leash have been rude and boisterous and have frightened my dog with their over the top behaviour.

So naturally I now avoid and if someone was to ask me what I thought of the breed I would obviously say I don't like them very much and find their style of play upsets other dogs.

I don't 'hate' whippets or anything, but I don't particularly like them nor trust their behaviour when it comes to other dogs.

I stand by what I said, in my experience their idea of play is insanely rough and scary.

It is never acceptable to allow another dog to frighten another.

The breeds are absolutely irrelevant.
Whether it is 'play' and friendly intentions, still irrelevant.
It is not okay to allow your dog to frighten other dogs.

And many dogs will find intense, focused chasing, biting, flipping over, holding down on their backs, barking and growling frightening, irrespective of their breed.

But unfortunately whippet owners I meet seem to think it is absolutely is okay because their dog is having a nice time.

In any case, I sincerely hope OP enjoys her whippet and hope she is good to her word re not letting it frighten others.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

The breed you have does have an impact on how you view other breeds.

[frostedviolets]

Go on @frostedviolets , what breed do you have?

Tell me why it is relevant and I'll tell you.
Because I fail to see how her breed makes any difference here whatsoever.

She won't be alone in not recognising the aforementioned behaviour as 'play'.

Rough sighthound play is very well known.

I feel you are perfectly illustrating the issue I have with whippet owners to be honest.

I await your explanation as to why my dog's breed is in any way important or relevant here anyway.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

Go on @frostedviolets , what breed do you have?

[frostedviolets]

What dog do you have?

Why is that relevant?
No one should be allowing any dog of any breed to chase, growl at, flip, pin and hold, bite legs and flanks of another dog.

It doesn't matter what the breed the either dog is.

The above isn't isolated behaviour of one errant whippet either.

It's every off leash whippet we've met to date so about 5.

Which obviously is a small amount compared to all the whippets in the world but it's enough for me to keep my distance from the breed.

And yes I absolutely appreciate bad behaviour isn't limited to only whippets, I wasn't suggesting it was.

Just that in my experience their idea of play is insanely rough and very frightening for other dogs.

Which would be fine if their owners appreciated it and kept them away from other dogs.

But the ones I have met don't.
They take the view that as their dog is 'playing' it's totally fine.
It is not fine.

[M0nstermunch]

We have a whippet, got her as a pup 3 years ago and absolutely adore her. They are fantastic pets, calm, clean, loving and sociable. We know quite a few and they don't behave as the pp above says. When they play together they play different to when with other dogs but are never too rough and certainly never flipped another dog over.

Ours can be a bit nervous round the house but is happy being left and just sleeps where she fancies and where the warmth is. We take her to the pub and days out and she enjoys that.

Best dogs in my opinion followed by greyhounds.

[SutterCane]

The potential to be antisocial or frightening to other dogs if allowed to behave however they please isn’t limited to whippets. Overly friendly (I.e. pushy and rude) labs and stalking border collies are the main offenders round here.

I find a lot of dogs, of all breeds/types, are very lacking in social graces these days. I think it’s often a combination of misunderstanding puppy socialisation and a general lack of knowledge about dog body language.

I try and avoid pretty much all off lead dogs I see out walking mine unless I recognise them and know they’re not going to be interested in us.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

What dog do you have @frostedviolets

[frostedviolets]

what a load of rubbish
you are talking absolute rot

Seen and experienced it numerous times with different whippets!

Most sighthound owners will agree actually that they tend to play 'roughly' and that it can frighten other dogs.

In fact, one of the posters earlier singing the praises of the whippet said pretty much the same!
That they can play roughly and care must be taken to ensure the play isn't getting too 'intense'

You said yourself you don't like whippets. Have you ever owned a whippet?

Why would I like or wish to own a dog breed that bowls over, chases and generally terrorises and terrifies my dog...?

I've had a fair few and never experienced any of the behaviours you've described

Happy for you.
Rough sighthound play is a well known phenomenon.
There was a thread on here recently about a whippet owner upset that her dog was flipping over other dogs in play.
It's not at all uncommon.

It sounds like you don't like Whippet owners more than Whippets
This is true.
I don't blame the dog really I suppose, I blame the owners who allow it.
I don't dispute the whippet's intentions are friendly and they are trying to play with others but for a lot of dogs (and their owners) it's fucking terrifying.

I no longer allow my dog anywhere near loose whippets because to date, I have not met a single one loose that hasn't chased her in a very focused 'predatory' way, growled in her face and/or flipped her.

[MaidenMotherCrone]

Thank you Op. Hopefully she'll be with us for a good few years to come. She has no health problems and is doing very well.

[2000lightyearsaway123]

MaidenMOtherCrone she is lovely. She is a great age for a Whippet!

[2000lightyearsaway123]

Thanks everyone. For the most part what you are saying lines up with what I have read. I feel I can for sure meet his or hers needs based on what everyone is saying. And sounds the perfect temperament for our home.

Frosted Violets thank you for an alternative point of view. It sounds like you don't like Whippet owners more than Whippets. I would intend not to be the kind of owner who stands idly by if my pup was being too rough. Our last dog was impeccably trained.

I'm super excited to get our new family member, I just wish it wasn't so far away. My working pattern at the moment means that I can't responsibly get one but that will be changing this year. Exciting times lie ahead!

[MaidenMotherCrone]

@frostedviolets what a load of rubbish.

You said yourself you don't like whippets. Have you ever owned a whippet?

I've had a fair few and never experienced any of the behaviours you've described.

Mine all lived with cats, had excellent recall and were perfect family pets. They had little interest in other dogs and had lovely manners.

I have a 14 year old lady, she feels the cold and doesn't like the rain and is basically a cat in disguise.

[Dapplegrey]

We’ve always had whippets and would never have anything else.
They are adorable, affectionate dogs and look beautiful as well.

[Spied]

Recall is good but if overexcited it's hit and miss

[Spied]

Ours (had since pup) very highly strung, lovely but very sensitive. Doesn't like cuddles. Needs own personal space. Very cat-like ( will occasionally curl up next to you but if you cuddle-in he will move away. Wants attention only on his terms.
Off lead very playful. Acts 'flighty' and is quite unpredictable I find around other dogs. Just wants to play but can be bitey in his play. We keep him on lead around dogs he doesn't know.
Very easily toilet trained.
Very picky with food.