Whippets and greyhounds.

[gerbo]

We are starting to think seriously about adopting a rescue dog. I'm here to ask about whippets and greyhounds as from all my reading, they seem good breeds to have with children (mine are 11 and 13). They also look very beautiful, seem calm and like to sleep after walks...?

Can anyone with these dogs tell me if they think they're a good pet to have with children? Any information gratefully received. I have gleaned that they're a cliche 'great pet' on Mumsnet. I guess I'd like to ask for experiences of these breeds.

There seem to be a lot of these breeds and Lurchers too, in rescues I've investigated. Is there a reason for this? If they've been racers, so they want to zoom away on lead?

Any info gratefully received!

Ps we're up for good, short or pretty long walks and play but would prefer a calm dog. Does this sound right?!

Sorry- accidentally also posted in 'Pets'.

I have a lurcher..although thinks he is mostly greyhound. He is a rescue but the sweetest, calmest and most gentle dog you could imagine. He loves children and is so gentle with them but also loves to play. He is a joy to watch running at top speed but is also pretty lazy and happy to snooze most of the day as long as he has a good walk/run every day. He doesn't shed, smell or bark at anything. Many sighthounds do have a high prey drive so can't live with cats, but we have a cat and my dog is scared of her! I have also fostered lurchers and think they make wonderful all round family pets..so loyal and loving and full of character. There's always lots of lurchers and greyhounds in rescues too looking for good homes.

They all have their pros and cons. I’ve had a whippet and a greyhound and I would happily have either agin tomorrow.

Greyhounds are calm to the point of horizontal. Generally don’t bark, sleep a lot. Not very bright, but ever so loving. Happy with short walks but can manage longer ones. Can only really be let off lead in secure places as they’re fast as lightning and have no common sense. Not really into playing fetch, love to chase cats, rabbits, squirrels to the exclusion of all else. 99.9% are from rescues as failed or ex racers.

Whippets can be a bit more diva-like. They’re more clever and like to get their own way, they’re quite easy to train if you can find their motivation. There’s quite a variation between the different breeders - some dogs are very slender and trembly, others are more rugged. They have more staying power than greyhounds, mine quite liked playing fetch (until he didn’t and left you carrying a soggy ball for the rest of his walk). Generally very cuddly but can be more aloof with people they don’t know.

Both breeds feel the cold and could do with coats. They’ll find their way onto any sofa, bed, sunlounger that they’re not physically barred from.

Lurchers are a greyhound/whippet etc crossed with another dog. My worry is that you’d get greyhound speed crossed with brains and stamina and you’d have a handful. Most lurchers I’ve met have been high energy, but always sweethearts.

All of this is just my experience but hope it helps.

Id heartily recommend them, they can have varying temperaments, some are daft as brushes, but plenty are calm loving dogs. Some can have a strong prey drive, so need watching with small furries. The whippets can be quite fragile, playing will not be as rough and tumble as with eg a lab, but your children are old enough to be aware.

The greyhound rescue I used to volunteer at made new owners agree to keep the dog on the lead at all times unless in a secure garden or field (six foot fencing).

This was for very good reasons but something to bear in mind.

Thanks all, very helpful. We do have six foot fencing but a small back garden- it's approx 12m x 10m. But we do like to walk and would walk it well each day, more at the weekend.

Hope our small garden wouldn't go against us...

Small garden would be fine with all the rescues I’ve spoken to.

We have two, one is a bit aloof and cat-like, the other is very affectionate.

They only need 2x30 minute walks generally. (Greyhounds, I’m talking about, I’m not sure about whippets.)
Some will walk longer, some won’t.

Following.

I’m holding out for the elusive cat friendly greyhound. All the rescues I’m following and have been in touch with aren’t rehoming to cat families.

People in flats around here have whippets and greyhounds. A garden is more convenient, however small, but as long as they're walked it's fine.

I've known one or two barky whippets but generally hounds are very quiet in the house, which is a big plus!

I would highly recommend whippets (we’ve never had a greyhound so can’t comment on them).
Whippets are sweet, loyal and beautiful but I suppose the downsize is that they have high prey drive and once locked on they probably won’t come back.
Ours chase squirrels in the garden but the squirrels always get away up a tree or over the wall.

Downside not downsize

I had a lurcher, mostly greyhound and it was the most loving and chilled out dog I've ever known. Brilliant with children too.

He'd run around like a made thing for 10 mins then happy to sleep in front of the fire for the rest of the day

Gorgeous dogs

I have two rescue lurchers of my own (one is a greyhound/saluki mix, the other is a whippet/doberman mix), and foster puppies for a lurcher rescue - my current one is a 6 month old saluki ish.
Lurchers are all a bit different depending on their mix - you can get really bright high energy ones with collie in, big hairy deerhound mixes, snowflake princess salukis, heavier set bull breed crosses, and heinz 57 no one completely knows types.
But we do get a lot of greyhound saluki mixes as they are bred for hare coursing and then dumped if they don't have what it takes, or they just don't like the look of the litter. Some people think salukis are stand offish, but they tend to bond very strongly with one person (in our case ddog1 and ds) and their love isn't a big bouncy lab type of love, its a leaning on you looking at you adoringly type.

A friend with 2 (retired / rescue) greyhounds lives in a GF flat with a teeny tiny, half garden. The dogs only pop out to go to the loo, then return to their sofas. Although you'd think they're too big for a flat with a tiny garden, because of their laziness, they fit in just fine. They're both nice, relaxed dogs.

I'm a vet. I have 3 lurchers. They are remarkably versatile dogs. Happy vegging out on the sofa or going for a hike. They don't shed much. They are trainable- mine have good recall, sit, stay and leave obedience. They are also generally healthy dogs.

I have an ex racer. She’s always been fantastic with the kids. Can’t fault her

And for the PP who was looking for a cat safe hound, this whippet/grey cross came from a hunting kennels. He spent the first 4 weeks living with us on a harness and short lead because he chased everything. Now look...

Oh, and a small (though I wouldn't say 12m x10m was particularly small), secure garden is perfect - they just need somewhere they can bimble round, have a wee, snore in the sun. Mine very rarely play in the garden, and when you do 40mph with not a lot of steering in the case of ddog1 then you need more space to actually run.
Mine recall, and so do a lot of my ex fosters, so its not the case that all of them have to stay on the lead. But even if they do there are a lot of secure fields you can hire, or its sometimes possible to find places that work - I was in a field this afternoon that doesn' t have 6ft fences, but is totally fenced off and open to the public so dfoster pup could practice his recall

Awww @BadEyeBri what a lovely pair!! This is what I hope for. Our last dog that died in December was a big teddy bear for our cats. They loved curling up with him. I know the rescues have to be cautious so I’m just going to bide my time. I know there is the right dog for us out there somewhere.

We have a whippet and he's wonderful with the kids, puts up with so much from my 5 year old and has the sweetest temperament. He loves snuggling on the sofa and would sleep all day if he had the chance. He torments our cat, and is always trying to get food off the table which drives me nuts, but he's a lovely family dog.

We on our second ex racing rescue greyhound. They are prefect for our lifestyle. I’ve always been scared of dogs but these are big gentle giants.
Short hair and dont moult much. Sleep 16 hours a day and just need 2 half hour walks a day. Every now and then race round garden like a manic then go back to sleep. They don’t jump or bark much. The first couldn’t work out stairs so he never jumped on sofa or went upstairs.
You will need to toilet train as they been kennel but ask if they are clean in kennel as good sign they be easy. The first was toilet trained pretty much in a day our new one a couple of weeks.
They deserve a nice comfy bed after they way they been treated,
Despite being huge lump of dogs they curl up like cats and can be really small or layout and big !!
Ideal first dog

I have a lurcher. He’s wonderful. Not sure what he was crossed with but he’s not bright so makes for a fairly low maintenance dog.
Recall is sketchy but not horrific. He’s a sensitive soldier prone to the occasional attack of the vapours, very nervous of remote controls being placed by his feet or mobile phones coming any closer than 1 meter for a photo . I also dropped and smashed a mug by the kitchen door once and he refused to walk through that door for nearly 2 months. Other than that he’s adorable

Whippet lover here...

Pros: clean, don't smell "doggy", sweet natured, calm and quiet in the house, don't really need much training as naturally want to be as close to you as possible, will happily hike 20 miles or spend all day slobbing on the sofa with you if you don't fancy going out.

Cons: can be prone to separation anxiety as they form incredibly strong bonds with their families, not suited to being left along for long periods of time (see above re: wanting to be close to you), generally aloof and disinterested in non- family members, they feel the cold and need a comfortable place to lie down wherever they are. If you don't want dogs on a sofa then this is not the breed for you. They generally don't play fetch or swim like other breeds.

In short, as long as you can meet their physical (a sofa and a warm coat) and emotional (let them be close to you whenever possible) needs then they are the loveliest dogs and I think I'll never be without one ❤

I've never met one I didn't like - friends and relatives have had a series of ones that are all very nice, tolerate the kids / grandparents and spend a lot of time sleeping.

Personally I prefer a dog that's a bit brighter / keeps me on my toes - I've grown used to my twatty terrier. A weekend spent away with friend and his greyhound (and without DTwattyTerrier) left me feeling slightly weird about the fact that he didn't interact with his environment much (no long-winded sniffing, for instance, nor did he bother to sprint when off lead on the beach, or investigate the waves) and was overall a bit Tim-nice-but-dim. On the other hand, another friend likes the aforementioned and finds mine too full on.

Nice dogs, but not to my taste, though clearly a great many do like them.

If you were deciding between a greyhound and a whippet, I'd err towards the former - there are so many needing homes, and a great oversupply due to the racing industry. The future for those that don't find homes is pretty grim.