Whippet Care
Clarriott Whippets
Whippet Care
A dog is never, just a dog. Dogs have been bred with purpose for hundreds of years. Some dogs have been bred to hunt, chase, retrieve, and rat…but nothing has been purposefully bred to be a loving couch potato. Whippets are no different. Known as a “sight” hound, and bred as such, whippets WILL chase anything given the chance. Through domestication they have also become the loving couch potatoes that we are desire. Never under-estimate your loving couch potato, there will always be that underlying chase, that you never see coming. Below is some information pertaining just to whippets, to help you understand the breed specifics.
Personality– Whippets are extremely smart, clever, and mischievous. The younger your puppy the more mischievous it will be. Things like chewing furniture, burrowing holes in your couch cushions, stealing your socks and underwear, then hiding to chew them. As they start to grow and learn how easy it is to jump, they will start counter surfing, to see what food that can find, or jumping on the dining room table because you have food up there. This is the time that if you leave the home on a grocery run, you make sure that your puppy is contained in their crate. You never know what you will come back to otherwise. Use these instances while you are at home to train that this behavior is NOT acceptable, in a positive manner.
Why in a positive manner? Well firstly, all training should be positive. Whippets love their human pets and take it very hard if we are annoyed with them. They are much more apt to learn, by making sure that they do everything that can to make YOU happy, and getting rewarded with food, hugs, praise, or even that silly little baby voice we tend to use.
As your puppy ages, these things like stealing shoes, will diminish and you will end up with a well-rounded, sensible, and smart adult.
The “Velcro” dog. Whippets LOVE being with their people. Don’t be surprised or annoyed if you end up sleeping with a whippet in your bed..they love you and don’t want to be away from you. This also leads to your whippet wanting to be everywhere that you are, including the bathroom. This doesn’t mean that you need to allow this, just talk to them through the door so that they know you are safe and haven’t fallen in. lol
Since whippets are slender and athletic dogs, they do not have much padding between the skin and bones. You will likely never see a whippet chose a hard floor over a couch or dog bed. They love the soft areas. Put a nice soft pad in their crate and they will be happy to go in it. They also love to be under the cover…my couches have blankets on them that the whippets sleep under, there are also blankets in their crates that they cuddle with. Whippets skin is also very thin, and the added blanket keeps them warm.
Another note about the thin skin…Whippets do NOT do well at dog parks and often end up at the vets office. They have a natural instinct to chase and play, then a simple nip from another dog, ends up in gashes in the whippets’ skin because it’s so thin….MY rule with my whippets is NO DOG PARK, or if you do, go early in the morning when no one else is there.
Whippets WANT to please you in everything they do, and don’t do well with scolding or screaming. If your whippet is left alone for longer times, it’s often beneficial to have two whippets.
Living Area – Whippets are not to be left outside in a yard while you go to work for the day. The main reason for this is their structure. The thin skin, and minimal fat causes whippets to freeze quicker than other dogs. They, by all means should go outside, and be allowed to lay in the sun for an hour, but not all day. The other reason is that they get bored, and a bored whippet left in a yard becomes a lose whippet roaming the streets. They WILL get out, you can count on it.
When walking your dog in the winter, if you live in a colder area, be sure to provide a sweater or coat for him. If you are walking where there is a lot of road salt, you will also want to get some booties. Road salt burns the pads, and a piece stuck between the pads is agony. I’ve seen whippets with blisters on their feet from road salt.
We use sand as traction at our back door and by the steps, it stops the slipping and doesn’t burn.
Cats and small animals – If you have a cat, rabbit, hamster, lizard, etc., PLEASE do NOT ever leave your whippet alone with them when you go out, EVEN is they grown up together. You may come home to a dead animal. Whippets were originally bred to course and kill small game such as rabbits. The slightest quick move from any animal can kick in the “chase” drive. I hope you are not squeamish, I can almost guarantee that at some point your whippet will present you with their best gift ever, a dead rabbit, chipmunk, etc…they usually don’t eat them, but shake them until deceased and then bring their gift to you.
A healthy whippet at good weight should show the outline of the ribcage, and about 2 or 3 vertebrae. Some people will comment that your whippet is too skinny, as long as it’s the rib outline and the couple vertebrae, rest assured that you are doing the right thing. If you have questions about weight, send me some pictures and I can let you know.
Strangers – Whippets are not guard dogs. Barking on occasion is rare and may occur if someone walks in front of your home. Smaller in stature and friendly in nature, you can almost be sure that you will need to protect your whippet, and it won’t be protecting you. They are generally welcoming to strangers, introduced or not. I often have friends come over, and my whippets just jump on their lap as if to say “hey, someone else to love me”. I’ve never heard my whippets growl at any houseguest, but certainly houseguest dogs.
Children – Whippets are generally good with children when they are adults. They are gentle, careful, and observant, however as puppies they have little shark teeth, are clumsy, and haven’t learned that jumping on a 1- or 2-year-old child will likely send the child flying. Children age 4 or older usually do best with the puppies’ stage and all children of ANY age should be taught to interact appropriately and be monitored at all times..
Training – One of the best attributes of whippets is they NEED to please you. Positive training methods will be your best friend. Once the whippet learns that you really like when they do x,y, or z, they will do these things for you effortlessly. Our mission as owners is to teach them what the x,y or z are and how to do them.
Spraying water on your puppy with the infamous spray bottle, will not work!!! Yelling or forcing will also not work. Treats and clickers are the preferred method of training and are extremely effective. Once your puppy knows that an action gets a click, and the click gets a treat..you are on your way…your puppy is clicker trained…
As the basics are accomplished, you can slowly add more advanced instruction. Chokers should NEVER be used on your whippet, even if a training school recommends it, while they work on some dogs, you can literally crush anatomy in the slender neck of your whippet, this is why we use martingale collars.
NEVER hit or scream at your whippet, this will only make for a shy, intimated whippet who becomes afraid to try new things for fear of being yelled or hit.
Whippets can be corrected with a sharp “NO”! they hear the tone and know they have done wrong., that is all that is needed.
Manners – Puppies BITE- all puppies bite as they do not know any better. Some chew on your fingers. The common notion is to say, it’s okay, she’s teething. This is not okay. To allow a puppy to chew on your or your furniture now, will results in bites and damaged furniture until the dog leaves your home. If playtime turns into bitey time, sternly say “NO”, and replace with a chew toy and stop playing with him. Do not use your hands as toys by grabbing the snout or feet, this encourages that it’s okay to bite the hand that started the play. If the puppy insists on biting your feet, shoes or pant legs, you can either remove him and put him in crate to settle down or you can spray those items with bitter apple. The repeated returning to crate, however, will teach the puppy that when I bite that I have to stop playing…maybe I shouldn’t bite that next time.
Some think its great to hear the puppy bark or growl and will start hand to mouth play, because it’s so cute to hear as a puppy. Well this action will lead to bigger problems down the road, never use your hand or foot as the toy.
Biting should always result in toy distraction or crate for rest.
Traveling – Whippets sometimes get car sick, this is normal, and they usually grow out of this with age. At one time it was suggested to me to give my dog Dramamine or Bonine, however after talking with my heart test vet, that advised him that this causes heart rate to drop and the wrong dose could stop it. I have found that no food the morning of travel, or 2 whippets in a larger crate usually eliminates the issue. The worst of mine grew out of it about age 2.
Whippets, and all dogs for that matter should be crated in the vehicle, and the crate should be secured to the vehicle. A car accident can result in a dog being thrown from a vehicle and either injured or terrified hiding. Either way, usually not found. Being in a crate doesn’t eliminate the risk of injury, but it certainly reduces it, and definitely keeps the animal in the car in the crate, even if injured, you know where the dog is and can seek treatment, if you are ambulance bound an officer can gather your dog to hand off to family, etc.. They are not going to spend hours looking for it.
Your dog may poop in the crate in the car…mine are lined with disposable potty liners or washable blankets, and I always have paper towels in my vehicles. They only do this because they are so nervous…this is in no way an, I’ll show you tactic…they are genuinely scared.
Exercise – Whippets need to run. Ultimately a 100’ long fenced yard is perfect for this…but if your fenced area isn’t that big that’s okay. Whippets can leap from furniture to furniture and even spin around in circles to release energy…A run is usually the best though. If your whippet has too much energy in the home, then he’s not getting enough exercise outside. DOG PARKS are NOT recommended because that can chase smaller dogs or be chased by larger, usually resulting in a fight. Try finding places like fenced tennis court, enclosed school football fields, etc.. Make sure to get permission to run your dog there first.
If that doesn’t work, you may want to look into some agility or coursing activities, flyball, etc.
Health – Whippets are generally in great health. They require the same care as most other dogs, vaccines, nail trimmings, exercise, an occasional bath when warranted, and keeping an eye on ears and teeth. Flea control, regular worming and intestinal parasite checks are due with regular maintenance.
All breeds and even cross breeds are susceptible to certain health concerns.
The whippets health concerns are primarily the heart, eyes and hearing.
Deafness is NOT common, but parents should be tested and clear of any defects.
Eye Defects – usually genetic. NOT common, but parents should be tested and cleared.
Heart Disease – Mitral. This disease is on the rise in whippets. The whippet Health Foundation is studying the problem current and on-going. All whippets should be cleared by a veterinarian cardiologist prior to breeding.
- Puppy murmurs are not considered heart disease…a lot of puppies have this, it’s normal, and goes away.
The parents of this and EVERY litter Clarriott has, have been tested and cleared for all three defects.
Whippets are very sensitive to anesthesia due to their low body fat, and some other medications. Make sure that your vet is aware of this if they normally don’t see sighthounds in the office. I remind mine every time I’m in.
Whippet skin is thin and tears easily. This means that a normal scratch on a regular coated dog can be fine, but on your whippet can actually caused a gash that will need a stitch or two, unless it’s gushing blood, don’t panic and calmly call your vet. These wounds actually heal quite well and scars are even allowed on dogs in the show ring, because if used for what they were bred for, would normally have scars.
Getting loose – Whippets are not usually diggers, so digging under your fence to get out is usually not a problem. They are also jumpers…we seriously recommend a 6’ fence.
Dogs in general will stay around your home, on the porch, hanging in the back yard with you, never leave the driveway, etc. Whippets are NOT like this. Catching the glimpse of a squirrel, car, child, will instinctively have the whippet leave your property. Whippets can run about 35 mph, and at that speed, where most whippets would return home, your whippet will be long gone and VERY LOST.
Training in recall while fully recommended, should never have to be used. Your whippet should never be out of a fence or not on a leash. We leash our whippets going from the house to the car, we leash them from the car to the camper…it’s not worth it to me to let them get lose.
Should your dog get loose however, it will generally not even hear you if it’s in chase. DO NOT chase the whippet, one you wont catch it, two you need to outthink, not run!
What do I mean by out think???
I did have a whippet get lose ONCE…her favorite treat was cheese….
Now while she was not in chase, I knew something COULD get her attention…I sat on the ground and called my other whippet, (knowing she couldn’t come to me) as started yelling the other dogs name and asking e.g. (Storm, do you want Lucy’s cheese, wha hoo, you want the cheese, good boy here you go”, the female at the time, thought I was losing my mind, and came back to see what the heck I was doing. You look like an idiot to your neighbors, but who cares, you got your dog back. I recommend if you find a treat that your dog absolutely loves, you call it what it is. Lucy’s actually is cheese, so when we go to the fridge, I sound almost squeaky, (high pitched baby talk), “Lucy , you want cheese”…if they get loose say it just that same way.
Again, ALWAYS fenced or leashed. Training vs instinct = instinct wins.
While walking your dog, we highly recommend that you use martingale collars. These are the collars that cinch tighter if the dog pulls. They will keep your whippet on the leash and under control. Make sure your ID collars, rabies tags, etc. are on this collar. Wide martingales, 1 1.2” and 2 “ are preferred. I do make these available for purchase on my website, but you can also get on there to see what I’m referring to.
We do NOT recommend harnesses and may whippets can easily get out of these.
Chokers are an absolute – DO Not USE. These can crush elements in the throat of a whippet, and are absolutely not needed for correction.
Conclusion – Whippets have great personalities, and the best part is that you get to watch your puppy grow into an adult. They are loving, cuddly creatures that aim to please. Enjoy your puppy/dog!!
Please call us or contact us with any questions you have, we are here to help you for the life of the dog.
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