Help Understanding Whats Needed With Whippets

[Kit]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hello everyone, we've been looking for a dog for a while and I think that a Whippet might be the right choice for us, and as he/she would be my dog its down to me to find out what we really need to do. There are plently of people in the village to speak to, even a breeder, but I'd like to ask a few more people.

We can tick all the boxes apart from one, thats being home during the day, well at least until I get a new job, there is a lady who can walk the dog for an hour mid way through the day, but ideally we could just leave the new addition on his or her own. I have replied to a post about a 7 year old dog and asking rescue homes, as maybe it might be best we go for a slightly older dog? I have no idea, but that maybe a solution. We have two young children, both would love a pet and are very good with animals, Jess is 4 1/2 and Sebb is 19 months, young yes but both as I say great with dogs. Lots of my freinds have dogs, a boxer is a bit too big ish and bit too energetic in teh house or can be, Viszler is way too enegretic, we also tried a Lab Collie cross who was absolutley lovely for a day or two as our freinds marrige was breaking down, but she proved too energetic and hurded the children everywhere of course being only 9months old.

So what does everyone think, in an ideal world I'd have a Blue, and I think a He rather than a she, but any thoughts will be greatly received. Oh and We may need to get a cat to keep the Mrs happy, I think that would be the deal. Cheers

 

[Julie D]

Hello everyone, we've been looking for a dog for a while and I think that a Whippet might be the right choice for us, and as he/she would be my dog its down to me to find out what we really need to do. There are plently of people in the village to speak to, even a breeder, but I'd like to ask a few more people.
We can tick all the boxes apart from one, thats being home during the day, well at least until I get a new job, there is a lady who can walk the dog for an hour mid way through the day, but ideally we could just leave the new addition on his or her own. I have replied to a post about a 7 year old dog and asking rescue homes, as maybe it might be best we go for a slightly older dog? I have no idea, but that maybe a solution. We have two young children, both would love a pet and are very good with animals, Jess is 4 1/2 and Sebb is 19 months, young yes but both as I say great with dogs. Lots of my freinds have dogs, a boxer is a bit too big ish and bit too energetic in teh house or can be, Viszler is way too enegretic, we also tried a Lab Collie cross who was absolutley lovely for a day or two as our freinds marrige was breaking down, but she proved too energetic and hurded the children everywhere of course being only 9months old.

So what does everyone think, in an ideal world I'd have a Blue, and I think a He rather than a she, but any thoughts will be greatly received. Oh and We may need to get a cat to keep the Mrs happy, I think that would be the deal. Cheers

good luck in your quest BTW you won't need to get a cat for the missus as whippets are very 'cat-like' and she'll be more than pleased with one !

 

[k4tie-d]

i am a little confussed on what you are actually asking :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

to answer the cat thing, if you want a cat, get a cat first, as i have 2 cats and although my whippets put up with them, their is no way they would accept a new one entering their home. i would put money on the fact that a kitten or new cat wouldnt last a day before it became dinner.

my cats only survie because they were here first and the dogs have a little bit of respect for them (not much mind its tuch and go at some points :sweating: )

im not to sure if you are asking if a whippet could be left all day on its own??

if you are then answer from most people will be no,

i wouldnt dream of leaving the girls longer than 4 hours. apart from the fact they would be bursting for a pee, or would pee everywhere. they would be extreamly board and probabily take to destroying things, just to keep themselfs amussed.

sorry if iv taken your post the wrong way.

good luck in your search for the perfect pet :luck: :thumbsup:

 

[FifeJillandIan]

If you're going for an older whippet then a cat might not be a good idea because there is no guarantee that the dog you get will be cat friendly. As whippets are sight hounds they have a strong prey drive. As Katie said, if you have a cat first and then introduce a puppy that is probably the most likely to succeed. I have a cat and a whippet but Hoshi (the cat) was here first and we got Blue as a pup.

My OH works shifts and I work flexible hours - when OH is day shift I work shorter days so Blue is only on his own in the morning and I'm home with him in the afternoon - that's two days out of eight and the rest of the time OH is home with him (albeit sometimes sleeping when he's nights but Blue is more than happy to curl up and sleep alongside him -_- -_- -_- )

If you have good arrangements for walking through the day and perhaps someone who can pop in and see the dog through the day while everyone is at work then you might be ok but it would still be quite a long lonely day, especially for a pup. Hope you don't think I'm being awkward here but a pup might struggle being left alone so much but would be easier to have with a cat and an older dog that might cope better being left alone could be a problem with a cat

I guess where there's a will there's a way but my advice would be to think through all your options very carefully and make sure you have good arrangements in place before getting a whippet.

Oh, whippets sleep a lot and are quite cat-like but they also have their mad moments, especially when they're young - when they can do a wall of death round your living room and be a real wee bundle of energy. They're also the most loving and affectionate dogs I've ever come across - I wouldn't have another breed now.

Good luck with your decision

Jill

 

[Kit]

Katie, thanks not taken the wrong way < I just need the hard facts really, so thanks, looks like cats are out for us, which is no big deal for me. Jill, thank you for a helpfull reply, some good points, so it looks like we'd have to get a dog sitter 1/2 wa through the day. I think we may have to go for an older dog, who may have an environment that would suit us, we'll see, I would so love to have a whippet, very hansome beasties but it has to be right for both of course. Any other comments or advice , thanks in advance. I have a few books on the way to read aswell.

 

[moonlake]

Katie, thanks not taken the wrong way < I just need the hard facts really, so thanks, looks like cats are out for us, which is no big deal for me. Jill, thank you for a helpfull reply, some good points, so it looks like we'd have to get a dog sitter 1/2 wa through the day. I think we may have to go for an older dog, who may have an environment that would suit us, we'll see, I would so love to have a whippet, very hansome beasties but it has to be right for both of course. Any other comments or advice , thanks in advance. I have a few books on the way to read aswell.

Kit, the bottom line is that if you are out at work all day, you cannot offer a suitable home to any dog, let alone a whippet. No reputable breeder would sell you a puppy and not all rescues are so grateful for a roof over their heads that it seems an improvement on what they had before - some of them have been much loved and cared for so if they have lost that home through no fault of their own, it is not kind to take them off to a life of solitary confinement, however desperate the shelter is for space.

My first whippet was an impulse "rescue" while I wasn't working but when I got a job again, I soon found that you cannot rely on other people to come in to look after your dog every single working day, in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer, till death removes the need. My solution was to find someone whose dog had recently died, who lived locally to me and to whom I took my whippet every day on the way to work. This worked well for a couple of years until she complained that it was like being in love with a married man who wan never available at weekends or holidays and got herself a couple of whippets. Then she moved to the country "for the dogs" and I was back with unreliable sitters, one of whom got my dog run over, disobeying instructions to keep it on the lead.

If there is a dog breeder in your village,why don'tyou ask them if you can help with walking when you are free to do so and maybe other jobs when they are confident that you have a genuine interest. If they go to shows, they may well welcome you as a helper and you would then learn more about dogs' needs. Having a dog is not about you, it's about the dog. I daresay it wouldn't be difficult for you to acquire a whippet from some unscrupulous person but you seem a caring sort of person and I wonder whether you would really be happy thinking of yourself as a gaoler of some poor miserable, anxious and distressed dog. Not to mention the damage that would be done to your house in your absence.

Gay

www.moonlake.co.uk

 

[posh totty]

why not foster at weekends or assist with greyhound rescue etc all of whom would love some help , i hope someday you get a whippet as i think in timeand with time you will be an owner to be proud of , by helping with sighthounds this will give you a far better insight to their needs , also you may change jobs later and have someone at home more of the day and then be in a position to take on a puppy ?

good luck and please stay with the forum im sure you will make many whippetty friends :thumbsup:

 

[phill]

Kit,I came on this forum and asked a lot of questions 21 months ago before we got Eric. You have had 2 good bits of advice there off posh totty and moonlake.

Although it seems harsh,I too would not entertain getting a dog let alone a whippy if i was at work all day.It is not fair on the dog.I work shifts so i am there most of the time to walk/run them(we have 2 whippys now),And my wife takes them out in between.

It is a big commitment and as for the cat situation,We have 2 and it is'nt ideal for cats we have to moniter them when they are about.

 

[phill]

Kit,I came on this forum and asked a lot of questions 21 months ago before we got Eric. You have had 2 good bits of advice there off posh totty and moonlake.

Although it seems harsh,I too would not entertain getting a dog let alone a whippy if i was at work all day.It is not fair on the dog.I work shifts so i am there most of the time to walk/run them(we have 2 whippys now),And my wife takes them out in between.

It is a big commitment and as for the cat situation,We have 2 and it is'nt ideal for cats we have to moniter them when they are about.

 

[peppermint lady]

welcome to K9. :thumbsup:

some really good advice on here, but not what your wanting to hear no doubt :wacko:

the problem will be, if your taking on an older dog, its going to be a problem dog from day one, because any owner who is rehoming an older dog would not rehome to a household where the dog would be left all day :nuke: my point being, they just want rid of the dog to let it go into that situation, so you must have to ask yourself if your just taking on someones problem dog, that your not going to be able to meet the needs of.

in my opinion a puppy is out of the question if no-one is home for most of the day.

i do hope things work out, and in a better situation you get to enjoy life with a whippet :thumbsup:

 

[Esty]

Welcome!

I got my two pups in November after waiting 10 years to get a dog because I thought my kids were too young and I was working. The boys are now 12 and 14 and I'm not working now so knew the time was right to get a dog (or as it worked out, two! :thumbsup: ) I'm not saying it can't work out with owners who work but you need to be very flexible and as others have said, they shouldn't be left for more than four hours. I think your main problems would be in the beginning - even if a rescue centre let you have a dog, you need to be around a lot at first for trust and bonding purposes, to get house training sorted etc. If you go out for a long time at this point you will get separation anxiety and destruction!

I would wait until one of you has a part-time time job, and dare I say it, til the kids are a bit older, especially if you are getting a pup. Mine are very nippy at the moment and I've advised friends with small kids to come around only after I've exercised the dogs so I know they'll stay asleep. Whippets don't half have mad times when they just tear around the house and they would knock small uns over, not to mention being right thieves and taking food out of their hands if not supervised! We have an elderly cat who has taken to living upstairs because the dogs chase him even though I thought they wouldn't cos he was here first. I could never leave them alone in the same room - they don't want to kill him, but they jump all over him wanting to play.

I'd still definitely go for whippets with children, but don't add a cat to the mix unnnecessarily and wait til the job thing is sorted - whippets live a long time and any problems that start now have to be lived with for 15 years! My whippets are the best thing ever and were well worth waiting for!

Don't want to sound negative or put you off, just my ideas - we are new to this ourselves and I read loads of stuff on here that I don't think I could have found in a book. People are very patient on here when you ask newbie stuff even when the same question has been asked before. :teehee: Keep reading, keep asking and can't wait to see the pics when you do get your dog.

:luck:

 

[doggy182]

Hello,

Do let us know what you decide and of course we need pics!!

I would say don't let the fact that you work stop you getting a dog! There are a lot of services out there, near us there is a small company that offer many different pet sitting and walking services at a reasonable cost.

We have a lovely 8 month old pup that I stayed at home with for her first 8 weeks, both myself and my partner work all day, Poppy gets a good walk and play at lunch and in the evening. Usually she is in the exact same spot we left her fast asleep. Oh also she is not destructive.... much! Unless its loo roll or gardening gloves. I think you just need to work out what works for you and your family and your dog.

Hope it works out for you :luck: