Wiggy advice please

[ValleyOfTheLillies]

My beautiful whippet died a few years ago.
He was very special to us and even though we missed having a dog, we only now feel ready for a new one to join our family.

We are definitely a whippet family. The only thing I wished was possible with a whippet was to cuddle them in my lap and hold them in my arms. For this reason I started researching Italian greyhounds (which I have no experience with). I read a lot and watched a lot of YouTube videos and they seem to be absolutely fantastic but I’m worried about their delicate breakable bones and the difficulty of housetraining them.

I saw a few references (and online ads) to whippet Italian cross which sounds to me at least in theory like a perfect solution but I can’t find a lot of information or owner experience online.

Does anybody own one or know any? My ideal do would be a miniature whippet. How far is that from a wiggy?

Any advice is most welcome!

We had a big whippet - he could definitely be held in our arms and loved to cuddle on our laps. He was about 13 kg but was such a cuddly boy, and he was a rescue that hadn’t had many cuddles as a pup.

I have an Italian greyhound x poodle and he is the most incredible dog so if you
come across this cross (they’re not common) then do consider it. I’ve always owned lurchers but he is just in another league. He’s amazing. All the qualities of a lurcher but also deeply affectionate and cuddly with those lapdog/ companion dog qualities I’ve not had in any of my lurchers and about 10kg. He’s a dog in a million.

(Oh and meant to add I was rightly nervous about any sort of iggy as they are notorious for breaking legs but he is pretty sturdy - the poodle added a bit of heft.)

My whippet was larger than that, somewhere between 15 and 16kg.
He was very cuddly but after a few minutes on my lap my legs would go numb 😂
The idea of a small dog who will be on my lap while I sit at my desk working is very appealing!

He sounds like such a lovely boy! I wouldn't mind seeing a picture or two...

Oh yes, good for sofa cuddles but not so much at a desk!

I fostered some dogs last year and definitely experienced the appeal of a little dog snuggling in while I worked. Would an iggy not be too bony for that though? We had a chihuahua and a shih tzu who were perfect for desk snuggles, but too small for us in general.

My permanent greyhound sleeps on the floor next to my desk and snores 🤣

Here he is as a pup. I would say re toilet training it was a bit hellish and it was winter (and I too had read about the problem with this and iggys and panicked) but one day he just decided he was trained and now has remarkable bladder control!

@Sapin So is he a “piggy” or an “igoodle”? He looks like a miniature beddy whippet lurcher, so cute 🥰

Haha take your pick! We also have a bedlington whippet and people think they’re related. He’s a lot smaller and cuddlier.

Sapin he is so adorable! Is he much bigger now?

Regarding toilet training, I remember I read somewhere that if at all possible, always bring a new Iggy home in the summertime as it makes it so much easier.

What seems daunting to me is not the occasional accident but is that I read that they are very good at hiding it behind furniture and corners of rooms. I imagine I'd be constantly sniffing and patrolling the house 😆

I've seen a video where an Iggy is cuddled inside someone's jumper while they sat at their desk, that seems like so much fun!
I think If I'm used to a whippet then an Iggy is not much more bony but maybe I'm wrong.

@ValleyOfTheLillies here’s a couple of more recent pics. He’s now about 10kg and seems tiny to me. A pure iggy would be about half that I think? But the right size to have on your lap and he sleeps right next to me at night and I don’t worry about squashing him!
sorry to hijack your whiggy thread but wanted to add some thoughts about the IG and offer an alternative if you happened to see one!
Re the house training yes, a summer pup would be much, much easier as they absolutely hate the cold and rain (for toileting, he’s actually well up for a walk in it and is a very game and adventurous dog)
I honestly think if you devote yourself to toilet training you can overcome the breed’s reluctance!

@Sapin You're probably right regarding toilet training. It's just that it has been mentioned so often by Iggy owners it's hard to tell how big is the part of breed characteristics in this and how much is down to training persistence.

What can't be down to training unfortunately is bone fragility and I guess the only way around that is a cross with another breed. As I'm so into whippets I figured that would be the obvious choice but after reading your posts and seeing your pictures I'm thinking I maybe should be more flexible!

Would still love to hear from Wiggy owners though 😊

I have en English Toy Terrier, which has some similarities with the iggy, but a bit more smaller and sturdier I'd say.
There's iggy in the ETT lineage, that manifests in many ways, they're skinny long-nosed dogs, they have a good but highly manageable prey drive, they run like sighthounds, and overall they share the same tendency to be lazy potatoes.
Mine spends the working day curled up on my lap, provided he has a long off leash walk in the morning and two other short sniffy walks.
He can also manage an off day with just short walks if the weather is deemed life-threatening for him (as known as light rain)

Sorry it took me so long to see your message! I was away.

Your dog sounds delightful! A really good solution to my worries regarding the fragility of Iggys.

Does he bark a lot? I did some research and found conflicting information about that.

They seem to be very rare in the UK. Do you have any tips about where to find them?

No worries at all!

Mine isn't a big barker (just a bit of alert barking) but it's true that some of them love the sound of their own voice.
This said, he's my third dog (but first of this breed), and none of them have been vocal, I must have done something good when training them.

Look up bark training, there are a lot good advice out there.

Like with any dog, training is very important. I'm trying as much as possible to train him like he was a big boy.

In terms of breeders, you're right, there's not a lot of them, I got mine abroad so can't really help you but you could get in touch with the Kennel Club who would redirect you to some breeders.
Expect a waiting list though!
You can check this website for informations about breeders https://www.english-toy-terrier-club.com/about-the-breed/breeder-information/

Hope that helps!

Thank you!
I’ll look into the breed club link you sent me.
Your posts also made me realise there are possibly many more breeds I’m not aware of yet that might be the right match for me so I’ll go on with my research.

We've got a Bedlington whippet/Italian cross. She is gorgeous, very cuddly and quite small. She is quite barky though and very cheeky! She can get herself on to the worktops and leaps down in a cat like manner. The phrase 'it's a good job you're cute' could have been invented for her.

We also have a lurcher of uncertain origin but probably whippet/lab. She is the most gorgeous dog. She's like a very small, slim black lab but definitely all the hound qualities. She is super cuddly, tries to sit on your lap and is my complete shadow in the house. She hardly ever barks - just the occasional one or two if she needs to let us know something!

My sister has 4 wiggy's and has has had no issues with toilet training. I find them a bit bony when i cuddle them personally. They are noisy when you go to the door but that's it the rest of the time they are quiet. They are lovely personable dogs and love hiding under blankets/jumpers to sleep. I think they are under rated.

Another English Toy Terrier owner here. Mine is a little over-sized, at 4.5kg, but super sleek and fit and very, very fast. He’s also the most loving snuggle bug ever and such a character. We initially planned on getting a Whippet or Beddy Whippet, but I happened across ETTs, fell in love and decided to go a bit smaller in the end.

Lots of similarities to sighthounds (which is what we had before) but obviously far more compact. He does alert bark, but we have taught him one bark, then fetch a toy which works really well. They are really clever little dogs, so can learn almost anything with positive, motivational training. Obviously tiny pups can be more fragile than bigger breeds, but as adults they tend to be very healthy and robust.

He loves his walk and playing with his toys, but spends the vast majority of his time buried under a blanket as close to me as he can get or preferably, on my lap.

I have to admit, having such a compact little dog is so much easier. We’re just back off holiday and it was so easy to take him anywhere with us. I adored our sighthounds, but with two enormous dogs in tow it did limit our options quite a bit sometimes.

They are a Vulnerable Native Breed. Last year there were only 64, iirc, born in the UK, although that was low and the number is usually in the 90’s, so there can be a bit of a wait, but if you contact the breed club they have a puppy list manager who keeps track of litters and those wanting puppies and matches them up.

I have to admit, they do sound absolutely lovely. Thanks for that!

I wonder why there are so few of them around when they seem to be such a delight to live with.

Do you think you might get a sighthound some day or is it English Toy Terrier for you from now on?

If we do ever get another sighthound, it would have to be a small one. Having had two very poorly, very big dogs over a couple of years and realising I am not as young as I used to be, which makes getting poorly dogs in and out of cars so much more challenging, I have to face the reality of needing to stick to smaller dogs from now on.

Just googled English Toy Terriers - they are beautiful dogs 😍

OP did you ever get a pup?

Not yet but I've done a lot of research about English Toy Terriers and other than the fact that they don't have those gorgeous big whippet eyes they seem to be perfect for us so I think this is what we'll go for (hopefully soon!).