Whippet Puppy Advice?

[SightHoundSunday]

Feels bizarre to be typing this but we've got a whippet puppy joining the family later this week.

We already have an adult male greyhound and I've wanted to get him a companion for some time, but we were considering another rescue, rather than a puppy.

For various reasons it has all come about quite suddenly, so I'm still getting my head around the new addition (but very excited!). Currently prepping!

Any puppy survival tips? My lovely friend has one from the same litter and it makes it look easy so I'm hoping to follow suit. 😅

Marking place as we may be in same situation soon 🥰

I’m very envious!

Whippet pups feel the cold. You can make a little jumper for yours by cutting part of the arm off an old (human) jumper and snipping some front leg holes in it- this fitted our pup much better than any coats we bought.

This is such a good tip, thank you!

My greyhound boy feels the cold too, so I'm used to coats, fleeces, etc. and was wondering if I'd be able to get a sweater or something to fit the pup, but that's such a clever idea.

Ooh are you also getting a whippet?

I'm so excited it's been a long-heald dream that I assumed wouldn't happen until the kids were grown up. But after meeting my friend's pup my DH had a total change of heart on getting a puppy.

I waited over 15 years to get my lovely greyhound. I can't believe I'm now lucky enough to also get a whippet (and a puppy too!).

The whippet wall of death is something to prepare for. Utterly bonkers as puppies but wonderful nonetheless

My tips are:

When they nibble you with their needle teeth, react like they have hurt you, they soon work out you don't like it.

Expose them to many situations /sounds / people places / cars / trains/ buses / pubs as much as possible and as early as possible. Luckily it's firework time, so they should just accept the noise as another thing to learn.

A good harness (ruff wear, 3 point) can be essential if you have an escape artist.

Whippets love to run/play with other whippets so worth trying to find other ones locally.

Whippets love sofas and sleeping on or in your bed.

Very jealous

@SightHoundSunday yes hopefully

Signed up with a whippet rescue place to foster and also to hopefully adopt

We adore whippets

Yes I was wondering about fireworks being as "the season" is so close (we had a load going off behind the house last night). My big boy is terrified of them (and thunder) so I'm hoping the pup can get used to them early on.

I use a harness for the big boy (probably unnecessarily as he's as placid as they come) so likely will use a harness for the whippet as I prefer them to the traditional wide sighthound collars.

My main concern is toilet training as I have no real experience. Luckily we have almost entirely hard floors downstairs, and a fully enclosed very secure back garden which I'm sure will come in handy. I'm reading up on it now.

I was in town earlier and picked up an adorable (and bargainous) little bed which will be perfect for the puppy days.

Excited doesn't come close!!

Agree with early socialisation.
Agree with a nice jumper and a waterproof one for cold / rainy / snowy days.
My whips both loved being crated beside my bed as little ones. I think they felt snug and safe. Also makes picking them up for night time toilets easier.
Whippets are notorious for bad teeth - get your baby used to regular teeth brushing as it will save you a fortune in the long run.
Same goes for bathing / water exposure.
Lastly - they are easy to train if you start young - get started on treat/clicker recall training asap.

Oh and enjoy that baby pointy pooch. They are delicious as puppies.

Ah, all the best with it. I hope you have a new friend soon.

My bigun is a rescue/retired racer (he broke his leg training) and it is one of the best things we ever did. He's a big idiot but life is so much sweeter for having him in it.

Here is my old guy - he is 14 next month

Thanks. We're getting a crate as recommended by my vet friend with lots of puppy experience. We've got a crate for the greyhound anyway.

Night times I'm really hoping that we can get off to a good start with sleeping downstairs. Do you think I am being unrealistic?

Aww he is GORGEOUS!

I know nobody asked...

Every pup is different, but both of mine when little settled so much better next to me. It didn't last long and I got better sleep.

Oh cutie pie - we had a blue named Arthur who was similar.

Oh he/she is GLORIOUS! Echo what everyone else has said. Reward based positive reinforcement and loads and loads of gentle familiarisation. ENJOY!!

We started off well with a crate, but lapsed at some point and he sleeps on / in our bed which is a bit of a pain to be honest, I wish we had been firmer in hind sight. Good luck...

furiously researches how to find a great whippet breeder
What a beautiful pup.
We are looking for an addition with our cocker spaniel. We would ideally like another breed as it has been a hard ride with our Milo.

He is gorgeous. There were three boys left to choose from which was so hard as they were all different. I wanted them all!

My big boy is gorgeous too! 😂

(forgot to attach the photo!)

Gorgeous dogs and new puppy!

I’m 6 months down the line with my first whippet puppy but 3rd sight hound. Obviously every puppy is different but I found the following,

• second dog I have crate trained, he did much better once we got a full cover for it. He likes a dark cave a blanket wasn’t enough!

• easiest sight hound I’ve ever toilet trained. 3 weeks with us and he was through the night, he had very rare accidents tbh

• he was taken out in a puppy pouch. He hated it but it definitely made life easier when he could go for walks.

• best recall of any sight hound I’ve ever had, off lead every day and he doesn’t let us out of sight.

• teething was a nightmare. Constantly bit us, thought it would never stop. Still have to buy lots of things for him to chew. This was definitely the worst I’ve experienced.

• very fussy eater. Arrived on raw but turned his nose up at it at least once a day. We tried various meals. Suddenly grew out of that at 6 months and now will eat pretty much anything. No idea why!

• Runs hot! I was expecting to get jumpers and coats for him, but invariably have to take them off as he’s too hot.

• loves to roll in all the smells. Has become very good at having showers!

• the biggest poo eater I’ve ever had. I try not to think about that tbh.

• car sick!! As are his litter mates and it’s a common trait in Whippets’s apparently. We take him out in the car frequently and he’s getting better. Much happier in a crate on the back seat than in the boot.

so good luck!! We’ve been on holiday with him, stayed in cottages, hotels. Countryside and cities and he’s been bomb proof. Wonderful dogs, once that biting stage stops!

I think the main thing is to keep your existing dogs routine as similar as possible - including walks and ‘alone’ time.

Don’t automatically they will be friends or even like each other at first. Dogs respond very differently to new arrivals (particular puppies) than they do to ‘visitor dogs’ who leave after a few hours. In a worst case scenario, it could all seem fine at first then drastically worsen. Introductions on neutral ground and ensuring the puppy doesn’t overwhelm the existing dog are crucial.

good luck!

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