A Whippet is lightning fast with the elegant, graceful body of a sprinter. There is much more to this breed than the centuries of lure coursing and Whippet racing, running up to 35 miles per hour-- no, in him you will find a loving personality that cannot be beat. These dog are also eye catching with their muscular yet lithe silhouettes and deer-like faces. Below you'll find some basic Whippet information and breed info can also found in video form via Animal Planet's Dog's 101 Whippet episode.
1. Intelligence- Since this sight hound breed acts without direct commands from the hunter, they may seem independent or stubborn when it comes to training, however, with patience, praise, and treats you'll eventually get there. Impatience and anger will only hinder your Whippet's progress and hurt their sensitive feelings. Keep in mind, this breed retains a high prey drive and will need early socialization and training to not chase small critter (including cats) indoors and, especially, outdoors. The American Whippet Club also highly recommends training them to not excessively greet you or strangers and that this behavior can turn into an obsession and actual disorder!
2. Kids, Pets, Strangers- Whippets are velcro dogs that MUST be around the family and enjoy playing with kids outdoors. They are frequently caught in photos snuggling with children! Unfortunately, rambunctious and rough kids may cause them to hide. This breed certainly does not make for a good guard dog or watchdog since they don't bark and it is virtually unheard of to run across a stranger-aggressive Whippet. Finally, while this breed meshes pretty well with other dogs, they need immediate socialization to live peacefully with cats (if that's even enough).
3. Exercise- Hare coursing and Whippet racing in the UK quickly became popular "across the pond" here in the U.S. and, as such, the breed remains highly active outdoors; however, they are perfectly serene indoor dogs. Time to run outdoors, everyday, is mandatory so, unless you are an athletic runner, you will need a large yard (fenced). Taking them out on walks, hikes, trips to the dog park, etc. should be done in addition to the outdoor playtime. A bored, under-exercised Whippet can be destructive to themselves or your home.