Hi Everyone

I have been a member of the forum for some time but tend to be more of a browser than a poster.

However I would like some advice on whippets as I am contemplating getting a whippet pup before the end of the year.

Just abit of background…..

We already have 1 dog, a cross breed shar pei x lab/collie, he is not as hefty as a lab and seems to have remained on the smaller side at approx 18kg and has the looks of a shar pei x lab. He is almost 12mths and a big softy having a lot of the lab temperament & intelligence with abit of the shar pei stubbornness. He is neutered.

We walk him for approx 90mins a day over 2 to 3 walks (more at weekends) and that tends to keep him calm in the house now he has reached a more mature age although he does like a game of tug and fetch and still being young has the zoomies.

He is pretty well behaved and can obey several commands, we have had an issue with him being scared of unknown larger dogs (especially off lead dogs) and sometimes he will exhibit fear aggression due to him being attacked in the park by a larger dog at 5mths old…..he has seen a behaviorist over this and she has taught us how to deal with this using clicker training/treats as positive reinforcement. This seems to be paying off but sadly we may never be able to let him off the lead where other dogs are incase this fear takes over. It’s annoying as once he has spent more than 5 mins with the dog and realizes it’s not going to hurt him he wants to play.

He gets on very well with smaller dogs especially females so we will be looking at getting a female and he has lived with another female dog before (mini jrt) when we had to move in with family for afew months while we awaited the sale of our house to go through.
He got on very well with her and loved to play and run around the garden with her, he was very gentle and considerate over her size and it seemed that she was the leader of the 2. On the odd occasion she would snap at him as she was toy possessive and 5 years old and he never once retaliated just walked away.

I would really love another dog to look after, take on our walks and to keep Bailey company as sadly he doesn’t get the playtime with other dogs that he should. He also has to spend afew hours each day alone while we work and it would be nice to think that he isn’t alone. He has been crate trained but since moving into the new house the crate has not been used and so far he has caused no damage…..decided the best time to test the water would be before we replace the kitchen and add new carpets….which is another reason for also adding a new puppy now before we spend lots of money on the house.

I have decided after lots of research and knowing a friend who has 2 greyhounds that a whippet would be a great match for us as from what I have read they are playful but also gentle, calm, clean and tend to get on very well with other dogs and would slip into Baileys routine nicely without us having to massively increase the exercise regime etc. They also don’t weigh very much so I would be able to walk both dogs on my own with no trouble as I am quite dainty.

Obviously puppies will be puppies and get into mischief, Bailey was a monster for the first 6 mths and had boundless energy….but I would like to hear from people who have whippets as to what I can expect from them as pups and then as they grow older and what special care/attention they might need.

I have been told by one person that whippets have very fine skin so they might not be the best second dog as Bailey being stocky might tear the skin if he plays rough??

I also read a quote that they don’t mature until 4 years old so should not be spayed/neutered to young? Is this correct.

How do they generally walk on the lead? Can they be pullers...the ones I have seen seem to trot alone all refined at a very nice pace.

One more thing I have read is that boys are more loving than girls?? Does anybody have any experience of this?

Sorry for the lengthy message but I wanted to be as honest as possible and would be really grateful if some whippety people would be able to reply….or none whippet people. Im happy to take advice.

And just a quick piccie of Bailey for you all

xx

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I don't have a pure whippet but have a lurcher - her parents are lurcher and bedlington terrier, but the lurcher side of her is undoutedly from a whippet.

She is playful, friendly with other dogs, calm, gentle - she was no trouble as a puppy at all. Unlike my welsh terrier who chewed everything including the sofa as a pup, she didn't chew a thing. She is nervous of people generally but devoted to me - if I go out she sits in the window until I return. She was dead easy to train (unlike my terrier) - toilet training, training to sit, lie down, come to all - all in a week. She is excellent to walk on the lead - I have to look down and check she's still there as I can't feel her on the end of it for most of the time. She comes everywhere in the car with me and sits quitely on the seat.

She loves other dogs and has many friends including 2 pyraneon mountain dogs that she loves to play with. They might scratch or stand on her occasionally and cause her to squeal but they learnt to be gentle with her - for the most part though she runs up to them, jumps over them to get them to play and runs off - trying to entice them to chase her and she outruns them every time so is too quick for them to cause her any injury!

She LOVES to run - although my garden is small my friend with the 2 pryanean mountain dogs has a large garden so she gets to have a good run with them every week, and we also visit another friend of mine who has a border collie she gets to have a run round her larger garden as well.

Below is a video of her with my friend's 2 pyranean mountain dogs

‪Galaxy With Scally & Crystal‬‏ - YouTube

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CountrySmiths.co.uk

Thanks for that.

The video really put a smile on my face - you can tell she is sooooo happy...and fast!! Bailey will get a run for his money!!

So you believe that as long as the other dog is respectful and not to rough then it doesnt matter about the size difference.

I would hopefully be taking potential new puppy to some socialisation classes I have found locally. I dont want Baileys fear to rub off in anyway and will also do some walks seperately so she can get up close with bigger dogs without having to stress Bailey out.

Its good to hear she was easy to toilet train. Bailey was stupidly easy....he only pooped once in the house the day we brought him home with nerves and then after that we had only the odd peeing accident in the night, id read that shar peis are almost cat like with cleanliness so he must have taken that from his shar pei dad. It would be awesome if whippets were fairly easy, as I think we have been spoilt and might be abit traumatised if there is pee and poop everywhere! LOL! Although like I say we have just bought a new house we intend to slowly do up so if things get damaged initially its not the end of the world as they will be replaced. xx

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Hi There

your dog looks gorgeous!

Well i have just got a Whippet puppy and i can tell you that he is very calm and sweet in character. We crate trained him straight away and he is really getting toilet training quickly. We have another dog who is small but when they are together they play constantly and can get very rowdy! I do have to pull them appart often to give them time out but they are very good friends already!

They do have thin skin and you have to watch them all the time when they are playing so if it gets out of hand you can seperate them but Walter is growing fast! Soon he will be bigger than Lola and im hoping with age he will not want to play so much with her so she can get some rest! I have to say Lola is more hyperactive than the puppy is! When she was a puppy she was crazy bouncing off the walls and the whippet is completely the oposite.

I've not got to the walking on the lead stage yet but i think its all in the training!

I was in 2 minds about a girl or boy at the beginning but I was told its good to get a mix so maybe a girl whippet would be best for you?

Hope you manage to get what you are looking for! :-) and I will try and help you out as much as poss as just gone through all that you are thinking about! :-)

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Walter - Whippet
Lola- American cocker x Jack Russell
Ruby-Exotic Long hair
Pepper- Persian

Thanks Pinkears...nice to speak to someone who has a whippet pup.
Is your show or working lines? Your baby sounds gorgeous. Would love to see some piccies.

When Bailey was pre 6mths he was loopy so im kind of expecting the same again but with the knowledge that being a whippet the pup will calm down to being lazy as so many people describe them. If it is calm from day one then bonus.

When Bailey plays it looks like he is being rough as he makes lots of very odd noises and sounds like chewbacca.....but when you watch closely he is actually being quite gentle and because of the noises, jumping around and teeth showing it looks worse than it is so I think the main thing we need to worry about when they get rowdy is the noise but would defo be watching like a hawk.

From whippets I have seen it will actually stand taller than Bailey when full grown as he is short and stocky so hopefully that will give a height advantage, as Bailey will weigh more which should even them out in the play fighting stakes.

Im so excited that this could be happening in the next few months .

xx

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Don't have whippets but lurchers,
They are alittle bonkers at times and anywhere is a race track even a small living room.
Loki is a whippet cross we think but has been blessed with the thick skin of whatever hes crossed with,
Eli is a greyhound cross and has very thin skin hes had a few tears but heals quickly.
My two do play very rough for delicate dogs but think from reading what others say thats the norm.
They sleep alot too get ready to give up your sofa (don't say they wont be allowed on pointys need sofas to survive)
I'm very biased any pointy hound is a good dog in my books


Be very careful they are addictive

I think my OH would have a heart attack if I requested doggy number 3..LOL.

Bailey has just got to the point where he sleeps quite abit - he is either up and on a walk / playing with us or sleeping so a pointy dog sounds just what im looking for as the routine I now have with bailey is perfect for our lifestyle. I couldnt for instance manage a husky no matter how much I would love one I just dont have all them hours in my day to be out walking.

Have you found them to be destructive in anyway?

Bailey chewed a chair leg when he was teething but he much prefers to try and pinch a sock or pair of knickers if he can while im loading the washer and play 'catch me'

x

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No more whippets or whippet crosses

I have that second one.

She is lovely, calm in house, clean dog. She loves human -companion, soft sofas, any food and hates rain.
Now she is 4yo but compare her with other 2 yo dog she is still puppyish. Age of whippets can really mislead you. 4 in any breed means full maturity but not whippets. IMO neutering a whippet in right age is important. My Halle been done too early (she is from rescue) and I know that deep in her heart she always will be the puppy. Whippets can be nervous around strangers or unfamiliar surroundings, plus they using eyes as we do, so tiny movement for them is a sign to run and check what was that. Forget then about nice, calm walks, you will need second pair of eyes.
Skin. They have a skin like a tissue paper and they can hurt themselves easily especially when they play with a dog which prefer wrestling over ruining.

I had a Whippet (for a while) and he was lovely. No trouble in the house, didnt chew, house trained well, loved to curl up on the sofa with you. Also was well behaved with my cats. Slightly manic on walks though when he went full speed!! Also a total drama queen if he fell, or hurt himself which he did often coz he didnt look where he was going.
Unfortunatley I had to rehome him coz all my cats were scared to be in the same room with him (even though he was as good as gold), also he managed to get my little dogs injured by running headlong over them on several occasions. They seem to vary in size though, Mathew was 22in at 7mths so much bigger then I was expecting!! Thankfully his breeder took him back and found him a home with other sight hound buddys!

They are gorgeous dogs though. I hope you get one!

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SUMMER...JUST SAY NO!

I love my furkids.
dogs-Adam, Hannah, Heidi.
cats-Banjo, Bess, Eric, Tootsie, Blossom, Gracie.
Syrian Hamster-Inigo Montoya.
Rats-Ezri, Audrid, Emony.
Corn Snake- Kiora.
Kenyan Sand Boa- Kushti.

RIP- Winter, Autumn, Leela, Spring, Gandalf, Summer,Jet, Pip, Moo, Lilac, Wild Thing, Patrick, Frisbee, Echo.

I have whippets just a few mine live with an irish setter and a greyhound. They do have thin skin but I have never had any problems with that they run and play together. I have a mixed pack of dogs and bitches. The bitches do tend to be a little bossy or mine are but mine are mostly related.

I do crate mine but mainly because with having a mixed pack of entire dogs and entire bitches it is to prevent any accidents when the bitches are coming into season. Some of them do tend to be chewers and slightly manic when they are younger.

Mine are show bred the show breds are usually slightly calmer than the working /racing breds they also tend to be a slightly bigger heavier dogs. Mine vary in size from 18.5" to 20.5"

Here are some of my gang


they are at the back Tegan and Owen and at the front Jasper Freyja Angel and Bandit

Here are the twins Amber annd Simba


The 2 pups Romeo


and Rocky


and the 2 foster dogs Mini and Cooper


Rocky and Romeo are now 6 months I need to twist OH's arm into taking some more photos of them.

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Sammy you may be gone but your sprit will always live on in the sunbeams R I P Sammy

William- 6/11/03 - 24/3/10
Midge - 8/2/11 - 10-2-11