I see. So there isn’t much variation in the Whippet breed.
I remember seeing the fancy show Danes and mine looked very different from them. You could see that he was a Great Dane, but elegant he was not.
I see. So there isn’t much variation in the Whippet breed.
I remember seeing the fancy show Danes and mine looked very different from them. You could see that he was a Great Dane, but elegant he was not.
In 2017,we acquired a dog brought to VT from GA that we believe is a Lurcher from a cross of Whippet and Catahoula. I should do a DNA test to confirm the likely breeds, but an F1 Whippet X Catahoula really seems to fit her size, appearance, and behaviors. (I was a vet tech and have experienced many breeds and crosses over the years.)
Rose when we first acquired her from the shelter.
A month later during her first winter in Vermont. She LOVES snow, but HATES rain. She’s good without a jacket in winter to about 30F. She does like her fleece lined jacket if the temperature is colder than that.
Her intelligence is what drew us to her at the shelter when we were considering the available dogs. (She’d also been with them for 6 months
She is somewhat dog reactive, but also enjoys the company of some dogs. We’d lost both our dogs in a short period so after we got Rose and she had settled in with us, we went searching for a dog companion. We ended up with a male Labrador Retriever puppy who has been a perfect companion. She adores him.
Here they are less than a month after he joined our household:
A few years ago when we were walking in a state park while visiting family:
Anyway, the Whippet (or cross) who saved his owner (and the other dogs) by going back to the campsite is a VERY GOOD BOY!
I can see that cross in her, but it would definitely be interesting to get an Embark test done!
She does have that look of “existential angst” so common to Whippets (the smart ones at least! Some of them have fewer expressions; my two that were not as intelligent definitely did not have as complicated a range of expressions as my existing one - who is kind of a rocket scientist for a Sighthound )
Sorry but that is hilarious.
Long time whippet owner here. Love this breed to pieces. My heart breed for sure. After my last one passed due to cancer I just never got over losing him. My sweetest boy. Now we have 2 Italian Greyhounds in the house! Complete little lovebugs and characters. They acclimated to farm life just as good as my whips did. I will always be a sighthound mama! Agreed that the dog pictured is not full whippet, but that’'s cool. that pup earned the right to any breed he wants to be.
Your whippet is stunning! My husband and I have our first whippet and she is such a lovely dog. We are so pleased with her. Our last one was a spanish greyhound. My husband says “We’re whippet people now.”
I know whippet crosses in the US are not common, but in the UK pages I follow, Bull Whippets seem to be a very popular and common cross. The one in the article looks a lot like them!
Wow, thank you - and yours is absolutely gorgeous too! Tea (the one in the pics) is my third Whippet, and IF we are ever able to find a house with a fenced backyard (we’ve been looking for years now), I will get another one to keep her company; always best to have two at once.
They say “once you go Whippet, you never go back” - and I’ve found this to be true. They are not the easiest to train (I’m a trainer and am very patient and positive, so they are “trained in spite of themselves” ), but Whippets are thoroughly charming: elegant, docile, sweet, quirky in delightful and amusing ways, astonishingly athletic, polite and agreeable, endearing - no drool, very little hair, and more like cats WRT cleanliness. They are truly unique in the dog world! It doesn’t hurt that they are so beautiful that it’s a visceral pleasure just to have them around the house so we can appreciate their comeliness without them being “all up in our face” all the time. They “pose” in various positions that makes them look like statuary, and they also like to cuddle - though if forced when not in the mood, they become like those “lapful of triangles” mentioned by @OverandOnward.
Omg, gorgeous dogs!
They are way more popular in the UK than they are here: easier to find, more popular (it stands to reason since that’s where they originated), though unfortunately there are a lot more backyard breeders across the pond as well – but they are crossed a lot too since there are just so many more of them!
Thank you! I do miss them after having the breed for 25 years or so. My boys death (cancer) really destroyed me. A local rescue friend found an Iggie for me. Long story short, ended up with one more from a breeder in TN. They are sooooo cute and cuddly, and NAUGHTY! lol.
This is so true! Our sweet girl flunked out of the show world. She comes from very rare and exceptional bloodlines but is a very soft dog and didn’t care for show life. Her breeder very thoughtfully decided to find her a companion home. From what I have read and learned about whippets, she is exceptionally easy She is honestly such a lovely companion, I often wonder why the breed is not more popular.
I couldn’t agree more - having sighthounds is like having living statuary. They are very easy on the eyes.
Absolutely true! What I didn’t mention and probably should have is that they are incredibly sensitive dogs.
Physically, mentally, and emotionally; a simple dirty look or a minor correction can send them into an angst ridden state that you have to gently coax them out of!
My girl Téa took to handling class like a pro – she is show bred and so I think it’s something in the genes with her - she was a natural!
Then unfortunately, when she came down with severe gastric issues and had to be taken into the vet – he was rough with her and scared her, and after that she became afraid of men handling her. (My daughter took her in, and described the experience – she was so mad at that obnoxious vet vowed that she vowed that he would never touch our dog again.)
I had to do a ton of desensitization and counterconditioning after that because I planned to show her, and of course there are a lot of male judges who handle the dogs on the table. Luckily, I had a number of dog students with adult sons and husbands who kindly offered to help me practice, we put her up on some sort of platform and they very gently and patiently stroked and touched her while I fed her high value treats and reassured her.
It took me a while, but she got over it – though she has some conformation flaws that kept her from being competitive (between that and a little bit of anxiety about the process, she would have been very hard to finish and I couldn’t justify immersing myself in the show world because of all of my horse-related activities!), so now she is doing agility which she absolutely loves and is incredible at.
This, All day! I always contribute that to why I am so good with my sensitive OTTB! My boy was that way. God bless him. My two females were much more stoic. Loyal beyond comprehension. Stellar breed and NOT for everyone for sure.
Indeed, and yes, it definitely carries over to being aware of the sensitivities of equines.
Interestingly, my male was the most stoic of the three I’ve had; then again he was bounced around to a couple of different homes before we got him (through no fault of his own, of course), but I think he always had a little bit of a “protective shell” around him – incredibly sweet dog, though. And very devoted to me! Not so much the other family members. He bonded to me immediately, and that was it.
The two females we got as puppies: the last one (who we lost last October at 14) was a combination of stoic and sensitive, and Téa is by far the most sensitive of the three - along with being the most intelligent by a factor of at least 10. It’s been fun having a really intelligent and biddable dog that does not belong to a student! I used to get my “jollies” by working with students’ dogs who were eager to work and incredibly responsive to training - most Whippets not so much - though I’ve had a few in my training classes; a recent one got her CGC, another one is struggling with CGC prep because her owner is incredibly passive as a person and is not a leader (and this dog is extremely passive-aggressive and has the whole "make me "vibe), and another female who belongs to a trainer friend’s daughter is honestly the most obtuse dog I’ve ever encountered.
The thing is, many people just won’t train whippets because they are naturally so docile, so “why bother?” OTOH, I read a lot of posts on the FB whippet groups I belong to that indicate a lot of frustration with their individual Whippets – they really are unusual in many ways but like ALL dogs, they need a very positive, patient, consistent owner/trainer who provides boundaries, exercise, and enrichment - and many people who acquire whippets just don’t want to put the time and effort into doing those things. Dog’s loss, as always.
What a darling pair you have there!!
Since the enthusiasts are in the room - thank you! - can someone explain the difference, physically and temperamentally, between whippets, greyhounds and Italian greyhounds? I can look up standard physical profiles, but you know, the accurate information about reality.
I have heard / read random snippets about these breeds from those who know them. The online “breeds of dogs” standardized profiles are not to be trusted for accuracy, imo.
Whippets seem to be extraordinary dogs and are sounding like a breed I might be interested in, when it’s time for a next dog (not for a while). Also seem to be a nice medium size.
Can they handle a loud-voice family gathering? Nice people, but not quietly spoken, and everyone a talker.
Are Salukis from the same breed origins, or not related?
Thank you!
SO much to cover, here! Will tackle this tomorrow
I personally have never had a whippet. However, oddly enough, the Whippet was my High School mascot.
My father and step-mother have a whippet or whippet cross. She was an adult when they got her. Raisin did not get along with the other Whippets in the family. Not crate trained and has severe separation anxiety. Regretfully my step-mother was largely housebound due to medical issues. The thought was that Raisin would keep her company when my Dad went to work. The problem is that SM has had a number of hospitalizations so Raisin has gotten worse when left alone.