Dog Or Bitch?

[das]

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Hi,

I'm new here and thinking of getting a whippet pup sometime in the future as a pet and hobby racing it.

I have already got 2 Border Terriers heading for their 9th year - both litter sisters, therefore bitches.

After being the family pets for nearly 9 yrs, will they resent or accept a puppy coming into "their" territory?

Would another bitch puppy create more problems than a dog (male) or vice versa?

Both BT's have always slept, eaten, played together from 9 weeks - until last year when one became aggressive towards the other - two terriers, neither will back down - so fur flies!

This happens occasionally , rest of the time they get on fine, still act like pups. How will a whippet puppy affect (or be affected) by this situation, especially as sometime in its life, the whippet pup will learn to race and therefore have its instincts sharpened?

The BT's race around the garden like wild things - their speed, colouring and size resemble a rabbit, can I expect one day that playing together, the whippet will give chase and injury/kill one of them?

The last thing I want to do is upset the status quo. I also wouldn't want a separate routine (other than schooling the whippet at a local club), ie, whippet never mixing with terriers, separate walks etc.

Any advice and experiences on the subject from forum members most welcome! :blink: Cheers!

 

[Esty]

Hopefully we can put your mind at rest about the whippet hurting the borders. A whippet brought up with terriers will not think that the terriers are little bunnies :thumbsup: I have known many ex-racing greyhounds who might, but that's because they've never known of any other breed of dog than their own kind. A well socialised whippet will know the difference!

Re: dog/ bitch - are your two girls spayed? If not, then another bitch would make more sense unless you fancy the problem of separating them whenever you have a girl in season - this usually means having someone look after one of them for you as a boy whippet would go mental if he was just put in a different room. I have two litter mates (whippet boys) who have been together since birth and when we had a foster boy whippet recently it had a positive effect on them in many ways as our 'lower' rank dog had a pal on the same level of the pecking order as himself. It made him much less dependent on his brother so now he is more likely to move to a different room to sleep etc whereas before they hated to be separated. Much better if they have to go to the vets etc as the one left behind doesn't get stressed like they used to before. Even though our foster dog has gone to his new home, our two have remained a little more independent.

Lots of people on here have bitches so can comment better on the dog/ bitch question. Some are in favour of keeping same sex packs whereas some people happily have large mix sex packs. It's interesting to me as I will want another whippie in the future and always thought a bitch would be better but having had a very positive experience bringing in a third dog, now I'm not so sure )

 

[FionaS]

I did have 3 females (2 italian greyhounds) and 1 female whippet and 1 male whippet. I have to say i do find that the male whippet is very loving and mine is a bit dopey aswell!! e is very chilled out but my female whippet Dolly was the opposite. All mine are neutered and when i introduced my two female Igs into the pack there were no problems at all.

My Mojo doesnt race but he still loves a good chase.

 

[das]

Hopefully we can put your mind at rest about the whippet hurting the borders. A whippet brought up with terriers will not think that the terriers are little bunnies :thumbsup: I have known many ex-racing greyhounds who might, but that's because they've never known of any other breed of dog than their own kind. A well socialised whippet will know the difference!
Re: dog/ bitch - are your two girls spayed? If not, then another bitch would make more sense unless you fancy the problem of separating them whenever you have a girl in season - this usually means having someone look after one of them for you as a boy whippet would go mental if he was just put in a different room. I have two litter mates (whippet boys) who have been together since birth and when we had a foster boy whippet recently it had a positive effect on them in many ways as our 'lower' rank dog had a pal on the same level of the pecking order as himself. It made him much less dependent on his brother so now he is more likely to move to a different room to sleep etc whereas before they hated to be separated. Much better if they have to go to the vets etc as the one left behind doesn't get stressed like they used to before. Even though our foster dog has gone to his new home, our two have remained a little more independent.

Lots of people on here have bitches so can comment better on the dog/ bitch question. Some are in favour of keeping same sex packs whereas some people happily have large mix sex packs. It's interesting to me as I will want another whippie in the future and always thought a bitch would be better but having had a very positive experience bringing in a third dog, now I'm not so sure )

Thanks Esty - it did occur to me the other day, watching the BT's racing around that there may be a problem - but your reply has laid that to rest (just a little bit!!). On thinking about it - the whippet pup may come to believe it's a terrier as well, but just a lot faster!

Both BT's are not spayed - and never had a litter - not sure if they have had a season recently, I thought they might be too old to have pups/season (forgive ignorance!).

Good to know and reassuring that others have whippet combinations with other breeds

- THANKS AGAIN for replying. :sweating:

 

[das]

I did have 3 females (2 italian greyhounds) and 1 female whippet and 1 male whippet. I have to say i do find that the male whippet is very loving and mine is a bit dopey aswell!! e is very chilled out but my female whippet Dolly was the opposite. All mine are neutered and when i introduced my two female Igs into the pack there were no problems at all.
My Mojo doesnt race but he still loves a good chase.

Thanks FionaS - for reply. I was worried that another bitch might cause problems with acceptance, whereas, I have some vague memory of being told as a child that bitches accept dogs better than other bitches in a pack. Good to hear you had no problems, but my two are not neutered/spayed, so it looks like leaning towards a bitch puppy as a new introduction.

-THANKS AGAIN!