Whippet puppy - wisdom needed please

[Wellnowlookhere]

We are picking up our delightful little 14 week old whippet girl on the weekend. We have thought long and hard (I mean over years!) about the timing to get a dog and now is right. We are in the right place to have her with us each day and we have family support if need be for dog sitting. She is quiet and chilled, compared to her sister who is more bold. We didn't go for a rescue as we have a cat which appears to be a major barrier to getting a rescue, and this particular pup has been around cats since birth.
We both feel something akin to the trepidation felt when pregnant with my first DC at 38 weeks , that feeling you're getting into something major that will be life changing. We know now that that as we have teenage and pre teen kids the time is right for all of us.
Is it normal to feel like this? And to worry about sleep deprivation, having life turned upside down and the changes that come with not being able to pick up and go? Lord knows why I feel like that, it isn't like we are jetting off randomly as we have kids anyway. I suppose it is the commitment that comes for the next decade and a half.
Looking for reassurance here please - if it's rough to start will it get better? It doesn't help that lots of dog owners seem to tell us that life will change with vaguely ominous overtones!
Also, happy to hear any tips from whippet owners too please! She is crated overnight and dry apparently so far but not during the day yet, but I suspect that is due to the breeders lack of urgency around the matter.
Thank you in advance!

Ooohhh pictures please!

Whippets can be slower to get to grips with toileting but do get there eventually. Ours rings a little bell fixed on the door to go out.

Secure fields will be a must for safe zoomies as puppy grows plus other whippety friends to play chase me, chase me.

Good insurance is a must as they have paper thin skin that can tear easily.

Maybe a warm coat or pyjamas, even better a wood burner to sleep in front of.

Ours sleeps 90% of the time.

I'm not sure it's normal but I do think it's commendable. There's no way you can know what it's going to be like but at least you're thinking about it rationally.

14 weeks is a great time to get a puppy, provided the breeder has paid attention to their training and development rather than just waited for them to get a bit older. Someone else has dealt with the puppy biting, house training, basic training etc. These won't be perfect but they'll be an awful lot easier than starting from scratch. On the other hand if the breeder hasn't put any effort in to this then that will make it much harder for you. Young puppies are learning sponges but this doesn't last for ever.

There will be inconveniences and there will be times you regret it but overall the rewards will massively outweigh all that.

Oh my goodness!! Your pup is beautiful! How old is he/she? Ours is nearly identical, down to the small white patch! I think mum is quite a big whippet though, so I'm expecting her to be quite tall - perhaps taller than I thought most whippets are.
I've looked after an adult whippet before many years ago for 3 months so I know they do have super thin skin - so I'm looking forward to buying an assortment of coats too!
They are just lovely dogs, aren't they?
Thanks for all the advice!
What snacks would you recommend to use in training? I love the bell idea!!

Thank you for the reassurance ...I am a tiny bit worried about the fact she is a bit older than usual to go to her home. I don't think a great deal of training has been happening beyond overnight crate training with her sister and taking them out to toilet. We thought having 2 weeks off at home with her initially might help us with establishing training. She will be coming to our office in the new year after that. Tips for training gratefully received

I think it’s quite normal @Wellnowlookhere , you know you’re taking on a big responsibility (& joy) so it’s natural to be nervous. Late start to training isn’t ideal but you’ll get there, tiny bite sized sessions frequently are best as puppies have little attention spans.

Treats you’ll have to work out what they but I can recommend Arden’s liver paste (doggy crack) and squeezy primula and the natures menu pure meat tubes (easily crumbled into tiny treat fragments).

Enjoy, and maybe sign on to the puppy survival thread!

Having a puppy reminded me of having a toddler, but that stage is over quicker than with a human toddler!

Definitely recommend a crate or puppy pen and restrict the puppy to one room/area of the house until they are housetrained and past the chewing stage.

When they're in the chewing stage leave absolutely nothing dangerous or important within their reach! Especially with a whippet, they can be scavengers and eat whatever they get hold of.

Go to puppy training classes if you can

The anxiety is completely normal! Getting a pup is a massive responsibility and the amount of hard work and dedication needed initially is bonkers!
Can I second the suggestion to head over to the Puppy Survival Thread for moral support.
It's honestly a brilliant place and everyone is super helpful.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_doghouse/5180942-puppy-survival-thread-for-new-and-old-pups-here-comes-winter-2024?page=27&reply=140549793

Good luck with your new addition, I hope all goes well.

Don’t leave her to sleep alone at night.
She will be afraid in a new place.
Put her crate on your bed or on the floor in your room or sleep downstairs on the sofa with her near you for the first few weeks.

My concern would be socialisation rather than training - what work has the breeder done with her to get her used the big wild world?

I agree with those saying that socialisation is really important at this stage, that was what I meant by development but I didn't make it clear. There is a limited window in its development when a dog build his database of what's normal, and you need to make sure that he comes across everything he's likely to meet in later life. I'll post some links on this when I have a bit more time. Definitely find out what the breeder has done and whether they've followed a recognised puppy rearing programme.

Ours rings a little bell fixed on the door to go out.

Aww 😂

For socialisation, specifically
https://adch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/15.-Puppy-Socialisation-Toolkit.pdf

For everything else
www.amazon.co.uk/Peasy-Puppy-Squeezy-step-step/dp/1788701607

Enjoy!

Ours is 7 now so all grown up.

Picture of his spring loaded doorbell, just needs a nose tap to set it off or equally a good clout with a paw if he thinks no one is listening.

Maybe join the facebook group "Whippet Appreciation Society" super supportive community.

Whippets are the BEST. You won’t regret it op.

This. There are lots of resources available online, a bit of a "socialisation checklist", and don't be under the illusion that socialising is purely about meeting other people and/or dogs, far from it. You want to expose the pup to as many things as possible before 16 weeks, but not so much that you overwhelm them. If the breeder hasn't done much upto 14 weeks then they've probably made your life harder rather than easier unfortunately.