Whippet advice

Georgia40

Hi

We are thinking of adopting a whippet baby. I have only ever had cats before so I'm looking for advice from whippet owners.

We have researched suitable breeders, waited for the right one to come along which we think now has. We've considered all aspects of our lives and how a puppy will affect it, spoken to the vet, other dog owners, spoken to greyhound/whippet/lurcher owners if we've seen them out and about and I think we are now ready to take the plunge.

The questions I have are

Do whippets get on with cats in their own home?
Do boy dogs hump everything?
Are they as loyal and loving as they sound?
Any other things to consider?

Thanks

UKTigerlily

Hi, i'm not a Whippet owner but do have a dog! It's great you're researching so thoroughly. I believe Whippets will get on with cats if introduced young, maybe look for a breeder who has cats also but if not you'd be getting it at about 8 weeks old so should have time to get them used to each other . . my neighbour has a Whippet x Bedlington who is fab with cats, he chased mine the other day but stopped the second he was told to

Some males will hump, some won't (my female does in excitement!) but neutering *may* stop it but as to when/if to neuter there are better people than me to answer

You'll probably find Krlyr replies, her info is thorough & spot on so if she doesn't i'd PM her, she knows alot about dogs & seems willing to help

We will require pics when you get him though!

helenut

I have a 17.5 week old whippet, but don't have a cat. We do have birds though and she seems fine with them now (would never trust them alone though!) We get a lot of neighbouring cats in our garden and all she wants to do is lick them to death.

We did our research too and I honestly can say I never thought she would be this much hard work!! She's better now (most of the time) but the first 2-3 weeks were a nightmare but probably the same with all new puppies.
She is extremely loving, if I could cuddle her all day I would, and if she could lick me all day she would! But she's still a puppy, so she may change when she's older? Hopefully not!

I don't really have much sensible advice, apart from good luck (you'll need it!)

I'm very much in love with mine and wouldn't change anything for the world :happylove


Her at 5 weeks


First day home - 10 weeks


Now

UKTigerlily

I love the now photo, just like my Staffy x who possibly has some Whippet! Looks like she's settled in well & she's a stunner!

Misty_Blue

I've never had a whippet but I have fostered a rescue greyhound (ex-racer) and he would sleep with my cats and not even lift his head if they walked across his legs. He even ignored my chinchilla.

With careful supervision and introduction I believe most sight hounds can live with small furries if raised with them from pups. That doesn't mean that they won't chase cats not from the family though.

Dimey

Good for you. Just thought I'd throw in that I stayed with a friend recently who has 2 rescued greyhound racers (with tattoos in their ears). One had no teeth as she was feed liquid feed to aid her racing so her teeth decayed.

Both dogs are the gentlest most wonderful dogs I've met. They are so grateful to be treated kindly and lovingly but their big eyes always look scared.

They are fine with the house cat and very obedient but when they are out for a walk, if they see anything fluffy & moving, they will chase it like a shot.

Georgia40

Thank you for all the replies. The puppy has been raised in the breeders home with another cat, dogs and children. His mum had a big litter so ended up having a caesarean, the breeder has bottle fed the pups alongside mum feeding them as well so I'm hoping this will make him even more family friendly. The breeder is also highly recommended, I just hope that we're not missing anything.
We've also researched the best way to introduce cats and puppies and are fully aware of what whippets are capable of with small fluffy animals.

Helenut, in what way was your pup more hard work than you thought?

Please don't think I'll be put off by anything you say as I've reared a tiny Bengal kitten, fully toilet trained him and become a devoted cat slave.

I am looking for good, bad and honest opinions.
Thank you xx

zaksmum

My dog Jack is half whippet - his dad was a blue racing whippet and as he got older he lived on a farm where his skills were used to cull the rabbits that were eating all the crops.

Jack is a fantastic dog, very loyal and gentle - until he sees a small furry.

Squirrels, rabbits, cats, rats...anything small and fast moving has got to be fast to stay out of Jack's reach. He has amazing sight too, being able to scan miles of open countryside and spot the slightest twitch of a rabbit's whiskers. He doesn't just chase them - he catches them.

That's the only drawback of whippet ownership in my opinion.

Dimey

zaksmum wrote: »

My dog Jack is half whippet - his dad was a blue racing whippet and as he got older he lived on a farm where his skills were used to cull the rabbits that were eating all the crops.

Jack is a fantastic dog, very loyal and gentle - until he sees a small furry.

Squirrels, rabbits, cats, rats...anything small and fast moving has got to be fast to stay out of Jack's reach. He has amazing sight too, being able to scan miles of open countryside and spot the slightest twitch of a rabbit's whiskers. He doesn't just chase them - he catches them.

That's the only drawback of whippet ownership in my opinion.

Out of interest - If Jack spotted a furry something while he was on the lead, would he try to run or would he leave it? Would he only run (and catch) when he's off the lead?

helenut

Georgia40 wrote: »

Helenut, in what way was your pup more hard work than you thought?

I think it may have been general puppy things. For the first week or so getting up every couple of hours to let her out was more tiring than expected However it paid off and since we had her I think there has only been one accident in the house and it was purely our fault.
We also tried to "puppy proof" our house but she still chewed things that we didn't expect. Like the laminte flooring, carpet, the paint off the walls (?), the sofa. This was while we were watching her like a hawk! Once she had her jabs and we could walk her she calmed down a bit.

Puppy classes have been a life-saver.

It was very much a shock to the system getting her, but now she sleeps 90% of the day and the rest of the time is out walking / playing in the garden she's a joy!
Although even now I turn around and she has something random in her mouth; slipper, sock, feather, slug , cat poo (her favourite garden treat), loaf of bread (I don't know where she finds them, its not our bread!). It has meant if we let her into the garden without strict supervision we have to muzzle her as she does eat a lot of dangerous things and I'm scared she'll poison herself! But in our garden is the only time she wears it.

zaksmum

Dimey wrote: »

Out of interest - If Jack spotted a furry something while he was on the lead, would he try to run or would he leave it? Would he only run (and catch) when he's off the lead?

If he spotted something while on lead he would react by freezing, with his head and ears right up, then maybe a whimper if it was a very enticing small furry!

But he knows not to try to run while on lead. Off lead is a different matter though. He will be away like a rocket and whatever the poor creature is that he's spotted, it needs a lot of luck.

If I see it in time, I'll tell him to leave it, and he (usually) will, but rabbits are a different thing altogether. He goes into the zone where rabbits and open countryside are concerned and can cover a mile in just a few minutes.