Whippet: Dog breed characteristics & care

👉 Coming up with a pet name can be fun but tricky. Search no further! According to PetScreening’s 2024 database, the majority of our users name their male Whippets Jack; Ollie is the 2nd most popular male name. Meanwhile, most of our users with female Whippets love Bella and Lucy equally.

• Whippets are extremely fast. These dogs are capable of reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour. Although greyhounds beat whippets for the fastest dog breed on earth, the lighter build of the whippet allows them to accelerate faster, making them the ultimate sprinter that can beat a greyhound in a short race.
• They love the heat but hate the cold. Whippets have very little body fat, making them ideal pups for warmer climates. Those who live in climates with cold weather will want to make sure their whippet has a winter dog coat.
• They (almost) did the monster mash. A whippet was cast as the titular villain in Alien 3, but the dog was just too cute to be believable as an evil alien, and a puppet subbed in during filming instead.

The whippet looks like a small greyhound, with long legs, a smooth coat, and the characteristically stylish looks of these sleek sighthounds. Sighthound breeds are dogs bred to maximize their visual skills to hunt small game. Whippets are loyal, calm, and gentle companions that love nothing more than to be with their humans. A whippet can do well in either a large home or a small apartment, with proper exercise. Because of their gentle nature, whippets make a great medium-sized dog breed choice for families with children, though it is always important to teach young children how to behave around a dog.

Whippets: watch to watch for

Whippets generally do well in multi-dog homes, but they may not be the best companion for cats or other small pets such as rabbits or gerbils. Whippets do not do well when left alone for long periods and need plenty of attention from their humans to prevent separation anxiety. Dog owners can train their whippet to be comfortable for short spurts alone but would not thrive in an environment where they are alone all day.

The Whippet is a medium-sized, sleek, and graceful dog with long legs and a deep chest. The AKC breed standard for the Whippet requires a short, smooth coat that comes in many colors, including black, white, blue, red fawn, cream, or brindle. We teamed up with FidoTabby Alert, and according to their database, the common coat color for the Whippet is (68%) white.

Keeping your whippet at an appropriate weight is one of the best things a whippet owner can do for their dog’s health. Excessive weight on the whippet’s slender frame can lead to health conditions such as painful and expensive orthopedic issues throughout their life.

• Bully whippet syndrome. A gene mutation that affects muscle growth, this condition is rare but only affects whippets. A DNA test can detect this condition in your pup.
• Deafness. While not a chronic condition, some whippets are born with deafness in one or both ears. Hearing-impaired dogs have special training needs and care, and there are many resources to help give a hearing-impaired whippet the best life possible.
• Hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a common condition when the head of the thigh bone doesn’t fit neatly into the hip joint. If left untreated, this can lead to arthritis later in life.
• Anesthesia sensitivity. Because of their low body fat, a normal dose of a brand of anesthesia known as thiobarbiturates for most dogs can be lethal for the whippet. The whippet struggles to break down barbiturates found in this brand of anesthesia.

Cost of caring for a whippet

Adding a whippet to your family will certainly incur costs for the duration of your dog’s lifespan. Pet health insurance is an excellent option to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for your pet. Alternatively, starting a pet savings account can help offset emergency costs. While whippets aren’t prone to an excess of health issues, expenses for your pet’s health will vary throughout their life. If your whippet develops a condition such as hip dysplasia, you may spend around $1,500 per affected leg on surgery for your pup.

A descendant of the ancient breed of the greyhound, whippets were bred from this originally Egyptian dog in 19th century England. Working-class coal miners in Victorian Northern England were fans of dog racing and small game hunting, popular dog sport pastimes of the period. But since working laborers didn’t have the financial means to kennel and care for the larger size greyhound, English miners bred them with smaller dogs, and the resulting dog was the whippet.

Nicknamed the “poor man’s racehorse” or the “lightning rag dog” for the rag lures they would chase in the early days of lure-coursing, these powerful sprinters competed in racing and hunting competitions with ease. Their powerfully agile and sleek forms allow them to reach up to thirty-five miles per hour.

Introduction to the U.S.

The whippet came to the United States around the late 1800s, when English mill workers from Lancashire emigrated to Massachusetts and brought with them the whippet and whippet racing competitions such as lure coursing. The whippet breed became enormously popular almost immediately, and dog races became a popular trend for all walks of life almost as fast. The American Kennel Club registered the first whippet in 1891, and today the breed is a popular show dog and loyal companion.

Introducing a whippet into your family will add plenty to your to-do list. You’ll need to make your first trip to the vet and schedule your dog’s vaccinations. Whippet puppies have sharp teeth and can be a handful, so puppy-proofing your home and preparing for teething is a must. You’ll want to make sure your pup has sufficient playtime — FidoAlert provides a free Fido ID and tag, just in case your new whippet puppy gets away from you.

Exercise

Whippets do well with a moderate amount of exercise in short bursts. Because they’re historically sprinters, brisk 30-minute games of fetch in the (fenced-in) yard or a couple of 20- to 30-minute walks a day is plenty for a whippet. Agility training or lure-coursing is an excellent exercise option for whippets. Whippets should always be on a leash when not in a fenced-in area, as their high prey drive could lead to them running off after a squirrel or rabbit. And with speeds up to 35 miles per hour, humans can never hope to catch up with a whippet if they get away. Whippet puppies need plenty of exercise too, but it’s important not to exercise them too vigorously, or it could hurt their growing joints.

👉A good guideline for whippet puppy exercise is five minutes for every month of age.

Grooming

Whippets have velvety, sleek, and short coats that are relatively easy to care for and require minimal grooming. Whippets do shed a little but do not have shedding seasons like other breeds. An added benefit to the whippet is they have little doggy odor and will only need a bath once every few months or whenever they get exceptionally muddy. Regularly trim your whippet’s nails, as overly long nails can be uncomfortable for any dog. Although their ears don’t retain moisture as other breeds do, whippets still need maintenance ear cleaning every so often. Regular teeth brushing is necessary for every dog, as it helps with gum and heart health and can prevent heart disease.

Diet and nutrition

Whippets are a medium-sized dog breed that does well with a healthy diet of dry food. As with any breed, you should consult with your veterinarian to calculate how much to feed your whippet. Generally, vets recommend between 1 and 1.5 cups of high-quality dry food divided into two daily meals. Weight management is especially tricky for whippets, which should have a lean, sleek physique with no visible ribs showing but thin enough that two of their vertebrae are pronounced along their spine. While treats are an important part of training and bonding with your pet, limit the amount you give to your whippet to help keep them at a healthy weight.

Whippets are smart and very anxious to please their humans, which generally means whippets are easily housetrained. However, whippets can have a mind of their own and are also very sensitive dogs. Never use punishments or harsh training methods with a whippet, and keep training sessions focused on positive reinforcement and games-based training methods. Because whippets were originally bred for racing and lure-coursing, agility training is an excellent option for this breed and will help keep them exercised and their minds sharp. Because whippets are mainly sprinters, these training methods will tire them out quickly but be excellent bonding tools for you and your dog.

Not quite sure that a whippet is right for you? Even if you are, it’s worth taking the time to research and consider other similar breeds. Here are a few to get you started:

• Greyhound. The original breed from which the whippet was bred, the greyhound is larger than a whippet, but just as gentle and affectionate.
• Basenji. A little smaller than the whippet, basenjis are considered a healthy breed that makes for excellent dogs for families with young children.
• Saluki. Another great family dog, the Saluki is playful and high-energy. The long silky hair on their ears and tails make for a little more maintenance than a whippet.