Whippet
OVERVIEW OF WHIPPETS
Whippets are amazing animals that are lightning-fast on the ground and carry an impression of innocence that’s scarcely found in many other dog breeds. Known as a “poor man’s racehorse,” the Whippet is incredibly well-mannered, gentle, and affectionate. But once its hunting instinct is aroused, it becomes all business and is quite difficult to stop if not properly trained.
With the face of an angel, Whippets are humble and don’t particularly like barking the house down. This amazing trait makes them one of the best pets for city-dwelling owners who live in small apartments or have lots of sensitive neighbors.
Standing at 18 to 22 inches in height, this exceptional dog breed greatly resembles a Greyhound in stature and size, but their running speed is what sets them apart. Despite that, these dogs are not overly active and love to lie down for the rest of the day after an exhausting running session.
Loyalty is an inherent trait of the breed that can vary according to the training this dog receives. Whippets are also generally low-maintenance dogs.
HISTORY
Whippets, as a dog breed, may not be as steeped in history as some of the others, but their history still deserves a quick review before we move on to their physical traits. For thousands of years, the Greyhound was considered the most athletically gifted dog breed. These dogs were at the top of the charts when it came to sight hounds who could cover enormous distances on land at lightning-quick speeds.
But caring for and maintaining a Greyhound was no ordinary task as the breed was incredibly high maintenance and would eventually grow too large for a normal-sized kennel. North country coal miners living in Victorian England loved organizing and participating in sports of dog racing and rabbit hunting. They found Greyhounds a bit too difficult to groom, however.
This made them think to breed a smaller version of the Greyhound that would have the same speed and tenacity but wouldn’t be too high maintenance to care for. Whippets were born and even though it’s unclear which breeds were used to create them, one thing’s for sure, the breeders were successful in what they were aiming to do. This new dog breed was smaller than a Greyhound but was the fastest breed of its size, reaching up to 35 miles per hour when running at full speed.
And as a result, the dog in its early days was used primarily as a rabbit hunter and runner who earned his owner a huge amount of glory if it won. The name Whippet comes from the term “whappet” which roughly translates to “a small dog that yaps.” This is quite ironic though, considering how quiet the dog is in reality.
The last bit of history involving the Whippet took place during the turn of the 20th century. Lancashire textile workers were being forced to migrate to New England in a bid to set up the industry there. And as they left, most of the workers brought their Whippets with them. These dogs became an instant success in America in the subsequent years and Whippet racing for money or fun became quite a popular sport that still exists to this day.
WHIPPET PHYSICAL TRAITS
Appearance
Known as particularly sweet-faced dogs, Whippets are currently one of the most attractive dog breeds. Their height is also something to behold, especially the length of their neck. Their winning trait is the deep chest and trim waist.
Their lean, small head is supported by a broad set of shoulders placed firmly behind a long, arched, and thin neck. The breed’s power and speed come from its slim-looking but sturdy legs that combine with a streamlined upper body to make an extremely fleet-footed, athletic dog.
Temperament
Despite being one of the fastest land mammals in the world, Whippets surprisingly enjoy a day of leisure and lying about, which makes them great family companions. When it comes to Whippets, it’s hard to match their loyalty, and it is precisely this loyalty that made them so happy to exercise in the olden days when they were primarily used as runners and rabbit catchers. Treat a Whippet with the love and adoration they deserve, and they can become your lifelong friend who loves you till the end.
Whippets love to play outdoors too, so going to the park and playing games like fetch or frisbee is a pretty good option when you and your dog get bored indoors. Lounging around the house can become a Whippet’s favorite activity as it’s prone to laziness if not properly trained or exercised from time to time. Letting your Whippet become a couch potato is bad though because it adds to the potential health problems they’re already susceptible to.
Other than that, the breed is excellent when it comes to training. Whippets pick up new tricks and commands pretty quickly, and are seldom aggressive toward their owners. A bag full of dog treats is all you need to make your Whippet fall in line and learn any new trick you’re trying to teach it.
FOOD AND HEALTH OF WHIPPETS
The Whippet is a rare dog breed that can survive on almost any type of dog food; it doesn’t even need to be age specific. Consulting with your veterinarian can give you a better understanding of the ingredients you can and can’t feed it.
Whippets enjoy high-quality dog food, whether it’s commercially produced or made using homemade ingredients. The only thing you should make sure of is that it’s rich in proteins, nutrients, and some vegetables. This can help your pooch grow and become as fast and strong as possible.
Something to look out for is if your dog is prone to obesity and gains weight quickly because, in that case, you’ll have to be calculated in how you feed it. You can consult your vet to figure out its dietary needs together.
TRAINING AND EXERCISE FOR WHIPPETS
Exercise
The most unique aspect of Whippets is their versatility. As in the olden days, they were bred to be powerful race dogs that could cover long distances in an extremely short time. But with time, humans became more aware of how good they are as companions and started adopting them as sweet-faced, kind dogs that love playing with humans, especially kids.
When it comes to exercise, a Whippet is extremely versatile as you can train it like a show dog and have it run laps every day to increase its speed and agility, and it won’t mind that at all.
On the other hand, you could also keep your dog as a couch potato who rarely goes out to exercise as it loves its long naps. The only requirement is to give your Whippet some amount of exercise indoors or outdoors for their well-being.
Training and socialization
Whippets love to play and socialize with humans, especially kids. But what’s so good about them is they always have a gentle attitude toward kids. And even if a kid does something slightly harsh like hit them, you shouldn’t see a Whippet bark or growl at them as its level of basic intelligence is pretty high.
But like every other dog breed, Whippets require a little bit of training to keep them in check. Otherwise, they can become a little disobedient and mildly aggressive, which can be annoying to you as an owner.
Training them is also ridiculously easy as they pick up on commands lightning fast and require just a few treats to learn new tricks. All in all, the Whippet is an incredibly easygoing and intelligent dog breed.
HEALTH CONCERNS OF WHIPPETS
The most important aspect of taking care of a Whippet is to closely monitor its weight and how much food it eats, especially when the dog is still growing since its body changes shape very quickly. Although even a healthy Whippet can look a little malnourished with a few ribs visible because of its fleet breed nature, showing too many ribs is a sign that your dog isn’t eating enough food. The ideal case is when your Whippet is just showing two to four vertebrae and one to two ribs.
Whippets are a dog breed that, over the years, haven’t contracted many diseases, but some diseases that are unique to them are listed below:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
Atrophy is the progressive degeneration or shrinkage of muscles and tissues. And in Whippet’s case, the muscles that are most prone to atrophy are present in their eyes. By the term progressive, you’ve probably already figured out that this is a disease or health condition that progresses slowly as the dog ages into adulthood and then old age.
Due to this atrophy of the eye muscles, Whippets can turn blind as the years pass, and the only thing that can stop it is if the owners catch and treat the condition very early on in their life. It’s extremely important that you get your dog screened every few years for the condition to get it treated before its eyes become unsalvageable.
Mitral Valve Disease
A disease that is most of the time asymptomatic and really hard to detect is mitral valve disease. Most of the time, the disease attacks the valve of the dog’s heart, weakening it enough to allow blood to flow back into the heart.
The good news is that a regularly exercised Whippet has a very low chance of contracting the disease, provided you also control its diet. But obese Whippets can indeed contract the disease pretty quickly, which can result in premature death.
Congenital Deafness
Although congenital deafness is very rare in Whippets, you should look for early signs in young puppies. If your pooch is suffering from congenital deafness, you can train it with hand signals so it can live a very full and happy life even with this health condition.
You should also know that some Whippets can have unilateral hearing, which is a condition when your pooch can hear only from one ear. You shouldn’t use such dogs for breeding, but they still make excellent pets.
GROOMING INSIGHTS OF WHIPPETS
An amazing trait of Whippets that working owners especially love is that their smooth and shiny coat needs little to no maintenance during the week. All you have to do is brush it once a week using a small, soft brush or hound glove and give them the occasional bath, which could also be a weekly activity.
But be sure to use a dog-friendly shampoo because normal human shampoo can easily rip away the natural oils from their coat and skin. If your pooch has a bit of a musty odor, you should wash it with a mild fragranced shampoo that contains natural ingredients and no chemicals or preservatives. Brushing your dog’s coat regularly helps in distributing these natural oils evenly, keeping its coat shiny and healthy.
While brushing your dog’s coat, you should check its skin, eyes, and paws to catch any early signs of infections or other health conditions. Like all dogs, make sure you have their ears checked for infections regularly and have their nails trimmed down to keep them comfortable and happy. If you see redness around the ears or detect a bad odor, you should contact the vet immediately because it signals an infection.
Even though most Whippets wear their nails down naturally when they run or play outdoors, you can trim them if your pet prefers staying indoors. If you are a new pet parent, don’t hesitate to get a professional to teach you how to trim the nails without harming your pooch because trimming just slightly incorrectly can easily cut blood vessels in their nails.
You should also brush your pooch’s teeth daily to avoid tartar and plaque build-up. Overall, it’s better to get your pet used to grooming from an early age because Whippets can be a bit finicky when it comes to touching their ear, mouth, or paws.