I’m considering either of these breeds. Tell me about your experience with trainability, health and how they are as companions. I have read that they are a handful as puppies, but mellow into easy adults. I’m fairly experienced with dogs, but have never had a sighthound, so looking for your experiences!
Caveat - I have no experience with Whippets or Silken Windhounds, BUT…
If you are looking for a sighthound that makes an excellent pet, I urge you to consider a Galgo Espanol. The upside is that there are so many in need of good homes, that not only do you get an awesome sighthound pet, you give a home to a hound that is really in need!
There may be other West Coast rescues, but this is the one I am most familiar with:
http://www.adoptagalgo.com/
Here is another (that I know less about):
http://houndsanctuary.org/available-hounds/
Regarding Silken Windhounds, I suspect you will find them hard to come by. I am currently on a waiting list to be on a waiting list for a puppy… I have met one, and she was a lovely dog. Keep in mind that they are not long haired whippets, but rather very small Borzoi, so you can expect them to have a more Borzoi like temperament. That said, the breed is still quite new, and is still being stabilized, so you will see a fair amount of variability in size, appearance, personality, etc. Definitely talk to breeders about what they are experiencing in their breeding lines. On the topic of health, they do have some collie bred in, so they should be screened for the same eye issues as collies are (I don’t recall the exact issue).
I own a whippet currently, and had one before him. They are very different temperament wise, so do your homework when you talk to breeders. I have had no health issues, and am not aware if any significant health issues with the breed.
My current boy is a joy to have in the house - sweet, gentle, quiet, easy to crate when needed, good traveler, easy to train. He’s very food motivated and learns quickly what you want him to do. Listening and actually doing it later can sometimes be a challenge (see stubbornness below).
The girl I had before him - most difficult dog I have ever owned. She had bad separation anxiety, refused to be crated, peed anywhere she could when left alone (including in her crate). She was also incredibly intense and prey driven. She killed a bunny and at least 4 voles while we owned her, and that is what we know about. If she saw a creature scurry into a hole in the ground, she would wait above that hole as long as it took for that creature to come back out of the hole so she could kill it. This wasn’t a problem per se, but the prey drive was her first priority, always. Being a family dog came in a very distant second.
What both dogs have in common are some of the typical whippet traits - they were bred to be independent hunters, so they definitely have an independent streak, girls more so than boys from what I am told. Along with this, they can tend to be a bit aloof. Both of mine put themselves to bed in the evening when they are ready, no hanging around for the rest of the family to come to bed. Both are selective snugglers - they will sit with you for a while, but then are back to their own space. Generally, whippets are clean and quiet. I have met many that are a bit reserved around strangers, but this is not universal. They are definitely smarter that your average sighthound as they have some terrier blood in there, you also get a bit of stubbornness.
My advice if you are looking for a whippet:
- Unless you have some compelling reason to get a girl, just get a boy. Most breeders will tell you that they make better pets and I agree.
- Talk to breeders about their breeding objectives and bloodlines. My boy came from a breeder who breeds for show and companionship. She looks for conformation and a gentle, easy temperament equally in her breeding stock. My girl came from a breeder who breeds for show and field work. She looks for confirmation and performance (prey drive, intensity, speed and power). Both dogs are phenomenal athletes, but the girl is at a whole other level…
- Consider an older puppy or an adult dog. This will give you a much better idea of their personality before you get them home.
My only other comment would be this: If you want a dog who is with you all the time, asking for attention, following you around, then a whippet is probably not for you. If you are ok with occasionally asking, “Do we still have a dog”, then a whippet may be your new best friend!
Thanks LuvRedHeads, I’ll check that out. Do you know how big the Galgos are? I ruled out Greyhounds, because they are bigger than what I want.
Monetlesiris, thanks for your thoughtful reply! I have reached out to some Silken breeders, and am definitely getting the feeling finding a puppy isn’t going to be easy. Are you on the FB group “North American Silken Windhounds Available”? There are some available dogs on there. I’m at least 6 months out from being ready, so haven’t contacted any of the folks with available dogs.
I think I would actually prefer a young adult. I am completely aware of how much work a puppy is, so feel an older dog might be a better fit. Also looking for a male, so thanks for underlining that part of my thinking. I’ve found females in other breeds to be a bit sharper than the boys.
I am leaning towards the Silkens, I’ve always loved the look of a Borzoi, and the Silkens do look like the mini-me! What made you decide to go from Whippets to Silkens? What area of US are you in? There are quite a few breeders in CA, and I believe there are some litters on the ground now here…check out their website? http://www.silkenwindhounds.org/breeders.html
Galgos can vary in size, but are on average smaller than Greyhounds. My male galgo is 24" at the shoulder and 57 lbs. Females tend to be even smaller than that. Because the Galgo Espanol is an uncommon breed in the US, most people assume my dog is a large whippet or a small greyhound.
@monetlesiris had some excellent comments above, and I would add that some of what she said would also apply to Galgos. I was also told that males tend to be more laid back and females more active, with a higher prey drive.
Galgos can make excellent pets, as they’re typically raised and kept in packs, so almost all are dog friendly - both large and small dogs. Many galgos can also peacefully co-exist with cats or other family pets and/or children. Due to the harsh life some have experienced, or lack of early socialization, some can be very timid or tend toward shyness. But most become very cuddly and bond deeply with trusted family members, even if they continue to be reserved with strangers or outsiders. My galgo does not require a lot of exercise, and is happy with a few leash walks a day or a quick sprint around a fenced in area. They’re a very clean and docile breed, more like a cat than a dog.
Your boy is gorgeous!
Thanks! That was taken at an AFSA Lure Coursing trial a few years ago. I hit the jackpot with my boy. God never made a sweeter, better dog – at least I think so!
I haven’t switched per se, but mulling over adding a second dog, and thinking Silken rather than whippet as I love the Borzoi personality. I’ve been on the East Coast, and while there are some breeders, there aren’t many, and they have waiting lists for puppies from bitches that “may be bred pretty soon”… I have recently relocated and haven’t really re-started my search as I am not in a big hurry to completely disrupt my currently peaceful household. 
I’ve admired Silken Windhounds from afar and a few years ago I came across two of them. They were patiently waiting near their owner while she talked to people in a car. They live on a horse farm and were off leash. I was on my bike, stopped and said, “OOH! Are they Silken Windhounds?” The owner was thrilled that I knew what they were and came over to chat. The dogs were very sweet and did the “sighthound lean” against me. Nice size and the coat makes them a bit more appealing to those who find whippets a bit too lean looking.
sigh. When the time came for another dog, I adopted an elderly tiny deaf one. Far cry from the SW but I realize that the aloofness isn’t what I want in a dog.
The Silkens are their own breed. They are not very similar personality wise to a Borzoi. Borzoi can be more laid back, Silkens have whippet and or Sheltie bred in, which increases the energy level of Silkens.
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I am totally ok with rescue but I have to wonder about someone spending nearly $1K to import a foreign dog as a rescue. Estimated cost is $840 to Chicago…that’s a pretty expensive endeavor.
I can totally appreciate that reasoning. Adoption fees of $750-$900 sound steep. And many argue with so many dogs in need of homes in the states, why bring in more?
My experience has been I adopted a dog that, at 2 years old, was fully housebroken, neutered, had all vaccinations, and had been fostered in a home. His temperament was not a mystery, he was healthy and sound of mind and body. Also, I am sure there are exceptions, but in general, Galgos tend to be extremely tolerant of other dogs, animals and people, and lack aggression, even in situations of extreme fear or stimulation. I have found that I love the sighthound personality - my dog doesn’t jump or bark. He is polite and reserved; has a special relationship and trust for only my husband and I. He walks well on lead, no pulling or lunging. He takes food gently. He’s basically the consummate gentleman.
The situation with Galgos in Spain is not well known, but it is dire. Estimates are that 60,000 are born per year, for hunting, in a country the size of Pennsylvania. Those that do not perform well are discarded in the streets, or are killed for their lack of performance by ritualistic means - hanging, thrown down wells, beaten, etc.
My thought was to introduce this little-known option to someone interested specifically in sighthounds. Definitely not the option for everyone!
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Interesting thread, I’m not personally familiar with Silken Windhounds (they are certainly beautiful, and look like a cross between a Borzoi and a Whippet - which is roughly what they are?), but am a Whippet owner, on my second.
I got my first Whippet at the age of 9 months, he came from a breeder but had no real training and had been re-homed a couple of times through no fault of his own. (He died a few years ago at 12 after having a series of seizures with no known cause 
- he was otherwise very healthy, apart from developing lipomas after the age of 10.)
He was pretty much the stereotypical Whippet: friendly and sweet but somewhat aloof, not “in your pocket/in your face”, but polite and sensitive - he wasn’t treat motivated at first so I trained him using praise, but took him to obedience classes and he quickly moved along in his training (got his CGC after taking 4 Beginner classes, but that was mostly due to me being highly motivated to train and practice, not because he was necessarily “easy”! 
) He did bond strongly with me and was a “one woman dog”, he liked my husband and daughter but would pretty much do nothing for them and only had eyes for me. He was my demo dog when I became a trainer and spent class time in an X-pen on a big cushion, I pulled him out to demo obedience commands; I could take him anywhere and he was Mr. Chill, not dog reactive at all and very calm natured.
When I took him through training it was about 14 or 15 years ago, and it prompted me to branch out from my horse training gig and become a certified trainer (I train at Petsmart), so I’ve had the chance to work with hundreds of dogs since then - VERY few of them Sighthounds! And the majority (maybe 60-75%) of them are actually EASIER than Sighthounds, so speaking from experience, I would say that Sighthounds - though easy temperamentally - tend to be on the more “difficult to train” end of the Bell-shaped curve; they tend to be stubborn in a passive-aggressive sort of way (you have to WORK to get their attention), and they are simply not that motivated to comply with obedience commands, though they LOVE agility; this is where they shine and get a chance to use their phenomenal athleticism. They are a sight to see - breathtaking when they run and they love to jump (bonus as a horseperson!!), agility comes naturally to them.
I got my present Whippet - now 8 - as a puppy. She was a typical Whippet puppy, completely obnoxious :lol: and full of energy and sass and SO much Frapping, LOL (I WAS warned!), though also VERY sensitive - as female Whippets tend to be. My husband and daughter took her to one of my 6 week puppy classes to help with socialization (no one “socializes” on leash in my classes, they work instead on focusing on the owner/handler in the classroom in spite of the proximity to other dogs, and learn relaxation and confidence and impulse control, though I have them do BRIEF, controlled, polite on-leash introductions towards the end of the classes), so she was able to practice focusing on the human despite distraction. Obviously she was better for me than for them, and I worked at home on getting consistent responses to cues and having consistent expectations for behavior, walking on the leash, etc. It took a good bit of patience, not because she was “dumb” (though I often kid her, saying “you’re lucky you’re beautiful and sweet, because you ain’t no rocket scientist!”)
MUCH more sensitive than her “big brother!”
I continued in classes with her (with my trainer friend) and took her through advanced, she got her CGC, Community Canine, did a stint as a Pets on Wheels dog, and did Agility through Level 2 - though I never competed with her since the horses took up too much of my time on weekends. Obviously she was trainable, but she was not “easy” in the way a Lab, Golden or herding/working breed would be; I had to PRACTICE and use LOTS of positive reinforcement, ALL training had to be reward-based and even gentle corrections would horrify her :lol: Sighthounds are NOT bred to “work with humans” so the work ethic and focus are not pre-installed; you have to work hard and be VERY consistent with practice and continue to proof all behaviors - especially leash walking and recall. They tend to have minds of their own, but being sensitive you need to have very good timing and know when to release any pressure since that will shut them down. Treats and enthusiastic warm praise are CRUCIAL; they will not work for you to avoid correction.
She was always a bit anxious (which can be a Whippet characteristic), but this didn’t become evident until Big Brother died, whereupon she was bereft and “at sea” for awhile. She was “attacked” twice: once when being walked with my other Whippet (by my at that time 19 year old daughter) by 2 Goldens on retractable leashes who pulled away from their owner and ran, growling, to our two dogs, knocking my daughter over. My older Whippet - who was very unflappable - stood his ground, but poor Callie was terrified and tried (unsuccessfully) to back out of her martingale collar. The other time was when the breeder had a “reunion” with her mother and two siblings In retrospect MY bad since I didn’t realize that she had zero control over her pack - who chased her, rolled her, ran at her, etc. It has taken me awhile and lots of patient practice to help her recover from this, and after my male died she became much more cautious around other dogs, though she has doesn’t have excessive fear reactions. Whippets tend to be quiet dogs, not much “defensive aggression” in the breed.
She has always had a “soft” personality - but this was hidden by her apparent bravery when big brother was around; his presence gave her all kinds of confidence which disappeared when he wasn’t around - and after he died.
Recall practice (on a long line) is very, very important. HIGH value treats at the other end, always LOTS of positivity, never harsh corrections. I have called Callie off a running squirrel AND (gasp) a rabbit when doing fetch with the Chuck-it - but I can PROMISE you that if I hadn’t worked on this with her for years, I would have spitting into the wind.
They have a strong prey drive, and my male actually killed a baby bunny in our small TH backyard (there is a female rabbit who is dumber than dirt, and continued to have litters of babies in our backyard full of Whippets until last year :rolleyes:), they are SO incredibly quick!! but I was able to overcome this on leash by using Counter Conditioning and good timing.
There are “tough” Whippets, they can be deceptively strong-willed and stubborn despite their porcelain figure appearance, but this isn’t really a breed characteristic. When they play hard with each other, though? No hold barred, there.
Upsides?
Clean!, no real doggy smell, they have that short haircoat and not much shedding, rarely need baths or grooming. They MUST have soft beds or sofas to cuddle up on (expecting them to lie on anything hard is tantamount to cruelty), and they need coats in the winter - though my Callie is actually heat intolerant and LOVES (prefers) to run when it’s quite cold out!
They are beautiful to look at, living sculpture around the house. NOT excessively needy and pushy (though they will follow you into the bathroom) and relatively demure - they are not dogs to throw themselves at your face with messy dog kisses or pester and bother you and jump on you and constantly seek attention. As monet says, they are “selective snugglers”, but Callie is more of a love bug than my male was, and actually loves being gently kissed and rocked and mushed over We all absolutely adore her, coo over her, and call her “The Baby” - she is our precious. My male would submit to affection but was never a “mush”; it was not his cup of tea (different temperaments, same breed. I think he was more typical.)
They don’t require a lot of exercise, running hard once a day (and a walk) will fulfill their needs, and they aren’t the kind of “thinker dog” who requires jobs to do in order to drain off excess energy. Whippets would MUCH rather do something physical any day of the week than obedience training (what?? Pay attention to you? Why?), though they are certainly trainable for patient, positive, consistent trainers with time to devote. They are not the kind to “train themselves” and figure things out and problem solve (like a herding breed), though they are observant enough to notice where the food crumbs are - and SNEAKY! They use those “needle noses” to go through pockets and into crevices and open zippers, etc.
Best of luck with whatever you decide! I love Whippets and can’t imagine having another breed at this point, but it would be a breath of fresh air for me to have a dog more naturally responsive and biddable - that said, I get my “fix” though working with my student’s dogs, so not as big an issue.
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FYI
https://www.ukcdogs.com/silken-windhound
My previous groomer now has 2 Silkens. Her first Silken she works agility and lure coursing. Not sure what disciplines her second Silken is being aimed toward. #2 is the daughter of #1
It’s interesting to hear about those of you who own whippets. I have a lab/whippet mix that I run in agility and I can tell the whippet side of him for sure. Stubborn - check, passive aggressive- check, HATES OB work - check, loves to run and jump in agility - check, prey drive out of control - double check - but I love to watch him run at full speed - it is a thing of beauty. He is built almost like a whippet - high tucked hips, and very thin. He’s also very aloof and will only deign to snuggle when it’s on his terms. But he has been an awesome agility partner bc of his speed but very difficult to train on the concept of teamwork :). He likes to do his own thing - especially when it comes to tunnels. But I would not trade him for the world. He is the most athletic dog I have ever seen. He was running down our very steep hill the other day ( he is 12 1/2) and he realized at the last minute that he was going to smack into our lawn tractor. So instead of trying to stop or turn, he just jumped over it! Amazing! And at our last show, he was the fastest dog in the Open Tunnelers division, running at 30 seconds flat and that was beating Border Collies.
Dr. Doolittle, thanks so much for your training insight, exactly what I’m looking to learn
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How is your pup doing? Did you get the skin issues under control?
Good to hear. My, how time flies, your boy is getting big and what a stunner too. Enjoy him for me.
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Thank you He is a joy to have.
