I'm thinking of getting a companion for my 3 year old whippet next year. I live in an medium size apartment next to a large park. I'm home all day almost every day. The trouble is advice online is so inconsistent about dog breeds. There are the people who consider anyone with a job an unsuitable dog owner. Seemingly no two owners agree on the important breed traits: exercise, activity indoors, dog aggression.

The breeds I'm considering are: another whippet, a rescue greyhound or a deerhound. My current dog is pretty submissive and almost totally inactive indoors (he just sleeps, and occasionally chews a toy). I'll describe his exercise below. I really want another dog that will fit into this pattern. Is he atypical for a whippet, and how would a typical greyhound or deerhound adapt to that life? I've read so many conflicting opinions!

The big problem with advice about required duration of exercise is it depends a lot on what the dog does on the walk. My whippet (3 years old now) "needs" about 20 mins a day of exercise (he gets more most days of course). The difference is probably that I trained him to fetch. 20 minutes of 30-40 yard sprints is enough to tire him out, whereas it takes at least an hour or two of normal walking for him to even notice it.

The things we do regularly are:

15-45 mins of playing with a ball and meeting dogs in the park (chasing is his favourite thing, but he puts his heart into it and he gets tired quickly). We virtually always do this.

1/2 - 1 hour walk off leash on rough ground. He has a jingling collar to help keep wildlife out of the way, but this is the scariest thing I do with him. We do this maybe once a week.

1-2 hour walk in the evening through the city on a lead. I've was doing this every night until it got cold, but his coat is chafing and the coats in the pet stores here are hopeless, so we're taking a break at the moment while he heals up.

Any suggestions?

Deerhound or Greyhound would make life in an apartment a bit cramped. Another whippet might be better in that sense.

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Whippets love the company of other whippets I have 9 whippets altogether and they just love playing and running .I don't run them all at the same time but they do run in 2's and 3's. I have 3 7 month old litter mates and they love to play fetch with a ball or squeaky toy.

You would not have to give any more exercise having 2 as 1 asyou will find they will play together and exercise each other. They will also live as a mixed sex group or same sex groups I have 4 dogs and 5 bitches all bar 1 dog that is castrated are entire.

I also have 2 greyhounds 1 show and 1 ex racer both are lovely and are great with the whippets but they are a lot bigger and ake up more room. Also running free I do not trust my ex racer in open fields she is fine in secure places but they can out run the whippets and I do have to be very carefull running them with the whippets since I have had the racer Button I only run the 2 greyhounds together this is because they tend to just run and not look were they are going and could easily injure the whippets.

If you are after a companion for you whippet I would definitely look more for another whippet than a greyhound or deerhound.

Yes, do not get a deerhound for sure ! Not unilt oyu live in a house. Another whippet would be an exceelent idea.

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