Whippets!

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GinaB

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Hello all! Not been on in a while as I've just moved into my own place and I have no internet! So I'm at my parent's using theirs :p

Ok, well Beastie didn't move with me :( As much as I want her here, at her age the upheavel would not be fair.

I miss owning a dog so, so much!

I have always wanted a greyhound, but my house isn't big enough for one so I thought a little whippet would be nice. Does anyone own one? What age they like as pets? Are they ok with horses etc? Food wise, any health issues?

Thanks in advance :)
 
I have a whippet! She is a year and a half old... I have found that she is very much a one person dog, she is like my shadow, and although loves my mum and brother, she is very fixed on me!!
She is as mad as a box of frogs, but also very insecure, so she runs round like a loony when she comes for rides with me, but wont chase anything because she doesnt like to leave me!! She loves my horse, but if they are running around in the field, she will chase them if I dont call her!
Food wise she is stupdily fussy, although eats most human foods, one day she will eat a pound of tripe, next day nothing, very annoying!! She is also quite a theif, but if I tell her off for eating, she then wont eat - a proper madam!!
No health issues with welli, although i do think she is a little mentally unstable!!

Here are some obligatory pictures!;

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Get a whippy! I know a couple of people with them, workers, pets, lorry dogs, all great with other animals (well, maybe not small furries :p) love to bomb about but equally happy to sleep, I know Mid Antrim have a couple looking for homes **whistles innocently**
 
They are fab but some can be a cheeky little hand full :rolleyes: they love to snuggle and can take a little extra time to toilet train, they do love their human company but a good routine would allow u to leave them ok, they are bench surfers :rolleyes: they rip and break easily but are hardy little things, one if mine is titchy and a proper little cheeky madam, the other a dog (I find the dogs more laid back) is very clever, also a thief.
They dont suffer many health issues, they can get nasty teeth like greys so a few raw bones a month for sure, and they are like greyhounds prone to bone cancers later in life but no where near as common I have found no issues with recall or chasing of small furries even the X racers.
OH takes one out hunting and the other is a X racer, very dinky little thing, u have seen mine b4.
perfect as companions IMO, short bursts of exercise and a good routine to kerb and seperation issues and they are fab.
 
my mother used to breed whippets (25 yrs ago) so we grew up with them. they are adorable and easy little dogs to manage. since having my own family we chose hungarian vizslas instead of a whippet.we have 2 of them so cant cope with another dog but would have a little whippet if i could.
 
whippets did i read whippets

they are great im on my third(lost my beloved peggy 2009) i race/LC my two and they are great as pets
if not a whippet and you want something with abit more bone go for a lurcher(they are not always big and hairy) they can be as small as a JR shorthaired and as tall as a wolfhound depending on the cross

some say say that dogs are more biddable than bitches as bitches they can have a mind of their own..ive aways had bitches,my two will eat anything,not fussy at all,they love company esp their own kind and hates being on their own al day
if your looking for one more like a pet go for the showing lines as the working/coursing bred ones are more prey driven and will not stop until caught and killed anything furry and moves(most sighthounds have this anyhow)
they are very clean,hardly moults and make a versitle little dog
yes they are thinned coated and will need a coat(lurchers not as much) in the colder weather esp if standing around,skin can tear easily esp near barbed wired but they are alot tougher than people think they and dont( break legs as people think)
try looking at 'the whippet forum' and k9 community as there are lots of breeders,advice and rehoming..no health issus as such but their biggest downfall is their speed..my 1st whippet had a spinal injury and damaged her spinal cord due to the G force in the speed she was going,so yes they can have accidents but cant all dogs

go on and get one..i do know of a lovely whippy dog looking for home if he hasnt gone already
good luck you want be dissappointed..twos better than one lol
 
I'm on my 3rd and he's the easiest dog.


I've had him from 8 weeks old and he took 2 weeks to housetrain (sorry Cayla!)
However he was a summer puppy which made life much easier!

He sleeps in my bed, won't go out when its raining, was bought up with a cat
and is fabulous with horses.


Go for it :)
 
I myself have found them easy to train ;) :p but have been given them all as "untrained" (as mine where all rescues) even as adults, and have a few boarders including an I.G that is still not house trained.
I also have given alot of advice re training them, but again most where winter puppies.

I have however never had any seperation issues and have all been happy in their own comapny even when they have been kept alone, and no recall or chasing issues, all mine retrieve to hand too.

I have not been as lucky as Haycroft either, one whip I was given (she was a pts) as had a smashed pelvis, she then broke her leg twice with me, both times fixated, one broke both front legs (she was a whip x grey) again handed in like this, and my little blue whip now , broke her jaw a few months back :D I obs dont pay much in vet bills:p except my 1st blue bitch who I took to an orthapedic specialist for fixators, that was £1500, so def get insurance. :p
 
Highly recommended! Mine are whip/bed one smooth blue one broken coated. Easiest girlies ever in the house as sleep most of the time. Had the smooth from a pup - she was a winter pup and cried like a baby in crate and took a while to house train. Other was a rescue approx 2-3 years when we got her and did suffer a little SA but soon fell into routine and learnt where the bed was (ours)!!! Great with my 4 year old son, live happily with our 2 terriers & love exercise but mine are v prey driven and have selective hearing. I'd have a houseful if I could! Spotted a couple on lurcher link - I really must stop looking!!!!!!!
 
We are on our first, she is the most loveable character ever. She loves to sleep, she sleeps anywhere, our beds, the sofa, the JRT bed....very rarely her own. She loves her walks, on occasions loves to have a crazy 5 min run around the house with Dylan her JRT friend. She is sooo quiet, hardly ever barks, only when she gets mega excited. I love her and have already decided we'll have more. Forgot to say you have to watch her as she is the biggest thief ever, leave anything slightly edible on surfaces she will steal it!

Asleep in the JRT bed
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I've had 2 lurchers with whippet in the mix(Whippet x JRT and Whippet x Saluki)and would recommend either whippets or the crosses they are great fun and great personalities
 
I've got two whippet girls and they are great :) The older one has become a bit grumpy with age and I have to stop the younger one hassling her on walks sometimes but they get on well as a rule. They sleep a lot but I am at home all day and they also have each other for company so we've never had and separation anxiety issues apart from when the younger one was a puppy.

They are both from show stock and the younger one is show quality but I'm not interested in showing dogs, only my Highland ponies so she's never been out. They have never shown much interest in chasing rabbits and one of them is slightly afraid of pheasants and comes running back to me with a worried expression if she accidentally flushes any out :D

I wouldn't say they are the brightest dogs in the world :rolleyes: They are, however, very cuddly and affectionate. One of mine will leap up onto my knee as soon as I sit down and the other one just wants her bum scratched all the time until she gets so relaxed that she falls over.
 
Jay89 said:
We are on our first, she is the most loveable character ever. She loves to sleep, she sleeps anywhere, our beds, the sofa, the JRT bed....very rarely her own. She loves her walks, on occasions loves to have a crazy 5 min run around the house with Dylan her JRT friend. She is sooo quiet, hardly ever barks, only when she gets mega excited. I love her and have already decided we'll have more. Forgot to say you have to watch her as she is the biggest thief ever, leave anything slightly edible on surfaces she will steal it!

Asleep in the JRT bed
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how lovely..thats so funny typical whippet

yes they are 110% theives couldnt agree more..never ever leave anything unattented,otherwise it'l be gone in a flash
 
haycroft said:
totally disagree..theyve gotta have brains for working..chasing bunnies/hares etc

some will sleep alday but alot wants to do something..such a verstile breed of dog

pet,show,race/cours,work,agility,
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Ditto this - my lad can open any gate / latch and learns incredibly quickly.

I love them and would have another in a heartbeat if I had room but I'm not sure they'd make good "only" dogs as all the ones I've known like to be snuggling up to their human or dog friends whenever they aren't running round like loons :rolleyes:
 
Pros and cons... mine is supposed to be pure bred whippet, but is over height at 23" and not KC. He sleeps in front of the fire all night, does picking up and beating with my OH (along with the proper gundogs), is a sod for going after deer and cats, but will mooch around the chicken pen with no interest in them. He has a sunny nature, but is a winger, whine whine whine to get attention/come inside. All our dogs eat very quickly, but Finn can't tolerate lamb, he is a bit sensitive. Some lines can also have AID - I have heard of whole litters being dead before they're five years old, so a bit of research into breeding lines is an idea.

Gratuitous pic!
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5 weeks in with my first whippet - completely obsessed! Also have a lab and a terrier and have always had beagles, but the whippy beats them all. So funny, loving and easy! Nearly house trained, never leaves my side on walks, loves car following the hounds and is a dream. Even my adult children, who were very against my getting one, adore her. Not looking forward to the thieving, though. Surely she cannot be worse than a beagle, but their ability to jump on to the work surfaces is a bit scary! No separation issues yet, but from day one she has been left alone in the kitchen (in a crate for her safety) when I go out.
 
I have 2 whippets, both boys, aged 2 and 3.
I wouldn't have any other breed of dog, apart from perhaps another sighthound, lol!
They love sofas and beds, are buggers for getting under the duvet. My 2 boys are terrors, and their playfighting at full speed can be a little hairy at times, but they are hilarious.
Never aggressive, great with kids and other dogs/ cats. But mine like to chase horses, and they also managed to get one of my pet bunnies, so do be wary of small fluffy things running at speed ;)
Their short coats make them easy to keep clean, and they don't smell :D

Bonkers dogs
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" Some lines can also have AID - I have heard of whole litters being dead before they're five years old, so a bit of research into breeding lines is an idea."

Sorry... what is AID in whippets. I have had whippets for 30 years - 10 of them and I have never heard of them having anything wrong with them ?
 
I dont ever venture in the dog part really but saw the Whippet title and thought i would pop in :D

I have two whippets, a rising 5yr old black female who I have had since a puppy and a rescue rising 4yr old cream coloured male. We got the rescue as our other older dog was sadly PTS in March last year so we got our new male whippet to keep Polly company. They adore each other and sit in the same basket together, they are SO fast when they run though and quite often go head over heals. They are lovely dogs though, i adore both of them.

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