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[doglover12]

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Hi i'm new here i'm a 23 year old female i live in victoria australia, Right now 1 own 1 10 year old male golden retriever named Einstein, 1 8 month old female golden retriever named Shelley, 1 2 year old male chihuahua named Rascal and 2 birds named MoJo and Aqua. I've joined to learn more about whippets, My dad use to own and breed whippets. He said there great little dogs i've meet 2 of them and have fallen in love. My dad said he had his whippets well trained they could be chasing a rabbit and all he had to do was whistle and they would stop. I'm looking at getting a whippet later on down the track right now i have enough dogs. When i do get one i will probably still 1 golden retriever and my chihuahua. The questions i have is

How different in training are they compared to a golden?

can they have a reliable recall? my dogs get mainly off lead runing and swimming.

They say they have no road sense can they be taught road sense? eg like looking both ways before crossing a road.

How samrt are they? my dad said his whippets were hell of alot smarter then my golden retrievers

How easy are they to train? I've taught and still teaching the 8 month old sit,drop,stay,come,halt,ignore, cross a road and wait for there dinner, When i put there bowl down step back wait for a few seconds then told they can eat

Do whippets like the water? doesn't matter if it doesn't just that my golden loves swimming so may end up getting wet by her.

how affectionate are whippets?

How much does a whippet eat? my goldens get 1 1/4 cup with 2 big tablespoons of raw meat a day Shelley my 8 month old also gets 1 cup in the morning still.

Do whippets play with pther dogs? Shelley is kind of a rough player with Einstein so i'm not quite sure how she would take a whippet.

How destructive are they when puppies? eg will they rip up plants,dig holes,chew everything in sight i know puppies chew but how bad will they chew eg will they chew up there expensive bed. I supply alot of toys to my dogs kongs,nylong bones,and other chew toys. It just seems that my 8 month old won't use those toys she seems to prefer to chew up her bed which she has now grown out of. So i guess what i'm asking is how destructive are whippets compared to a golden?

also i exercise my dogs for about hour or 2 day depending on how energetic they are. Some days they only get an hour,some days an hour an half and some days maybe 40 minutes. Would a whippet be able to handle this kind of exercise. Like i said its mainly throwing of toys on land or throwing of sticks in water for an hour or 2. Then later on in the afternoon or night a on leash walk around the block. I want energetic,lean,smooth coated breed,easy maintaince,low to moderate shedding,friendly,easy to train, and has that soft feel to them like whippets do. I'm doing my research now as i want to make sure there the right breed for me. Any first hand information on whippets would be great.

 

[Nicola]

1) How different in training are they compared to a golden?2) can they have a reliable recall? my dogs get mainly off lead runing and swimming.

3) They say they have no road sense can they be taught road sense? eg like looking both ways before crossing a road.

4) How samrt are they? my dad said his whippets were hell of alot smarter then my golden retrievers

5) How easy are they to train? I've taught and still teaching the 8 month old sit,drop,stay,come,halt,ignore, cross a road and wait for there dinner, When i put there bowl down step back wait for a few seconds then told they can eat

6) Do whippets like the water? doesn't matter if it doesn't just that my golden loves swimming so may end up getting wet by her.

7) how affectionate are whippets?

8) How much does a whippet eat? my goldens get 1 1/4 cup with 2 big tablespoons of raw meat a day Shelley my 8 month old also gets 1 cup in the morning still.

9) Do whippets play with pther dogs? Shelley is kind of a rough player with Einstein so i'm not quite sure how she would take a whippet.

10) How destructive are they when puppies? eg will they rip up plants,dig holes,chew everything in sight i know puppies chew but how bad will they chew eg will they chew up there expensive bed. I supply alot of toys to my dogs kongs,nylong bones,and other chew toys. It just seems that my 8 month old won't use those toys she seems to prefer to chew up her bed which she has now grown out of. So i guess what i'm asking is how destructive are whippets compared to a golden?

also i exercise my dogs for about hour or 2 day depending on how energetic they are. Some days they only get an hour,some days an hour an half and some days maybe 40 minutes.

11) Would a whippet be able to handle this kind of exercise. Like i said its mainly throwing of toys on land or throwing of sticks in water for an hour or 2. Then later on in the afternoon or night a on leash walk around the block.  I want energetic,lean,smooth coated breed,easy maintaince,low to moderate shedding,friendly,easy to train, and has that soft feel to them like whippets do.  I'm doing my research now as i want to make sure there the right breed for me. Any first hand information on whippets would be great.

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Hi, welcome to K9. :cheers:

Wow..loads of questions...I'll attempt to answer as many as I can:

1) I don't think a whippet would be as responsive in training as a Golden. Hounds can be more aloof and take longer to respond. They'd probably get bored more easily so training would have to be in short interesting bursts only.

2) Some owners do successfully train recall, but a whippet chasing a rabbit would be very difficult to recall. I've read it can be done, but I think you'd need to put an awful lot of effort in, and be an experienced person. Otherwise my whippet comes back quite happily when i call him, provided there's a reward in it for him. :- "

3) Mine has no road sense. There's no way he'd sit to look right and left etc, but then I've never really persevered with this. Whippets don't 'do' sit very well.

4) they can be quite smart (although mine isn't really), especially when they want to steal food, although their response times to certain commands can be slow i.e. 'sit'. They won't always sit on command because they just don't see the point. Some would call this smart behaviour.

5) Training requires kindness and patience. They prefer to do things in their own time, and would rather run and lark about (as youngsters).

6) Mine hates water and would go to great lengths to avoid walking in a puddle.

7) They love to snuggle against you, probably for your warmth as well as showing affection. Bitches can be quite exuberant in their affections, jumping on you, sticking their tongue up your nose etc. (w00t) Dogs are more quietly affectionate. They are aloof with strangers, except as pups where they will run up and plant muddy paws all over anyone passing.

8 ) depends on their size but mine eats 1.5-2 tubs of Nature diet a day .

9) yes. They are very playful as pups and can get quite rough with other dogs. They love to chase and pin them to the floor, and grab mouthfuls of hair. No worries there.

10) They can be very destructive as pups if left unsupervised. They are big chewers and will rip cusions, chew wooden furnishings, gnaw holes in plaster. Teeth marks everywhere!!

11) Yes, when they are older, but not as a pup, youngster. I don't think they are retrieving dogs i.e. mine won't chase or retrieve a ball or stick (I've heard about a lot of stick injuries, so sticks are best avoided), but it depends how you start off. I've seen lots of phtoos of whippets that love chasing and fetching balls. They love a good run....and chasing other dogs/whippets. That's what they love best!

Good luck :luck:

 

[doglover12]

1) I don't think a whippet would be as responsive in training as a Golden. Hounds can be more aloof and take longer to respond. They'd probably get bored more easily so training would have to be in short interesting bursts only.

With training my goldens there training sesions are always short i only start a young 8 week old pup training for 2-3 minutes adding an minute to training each week eg 9 weeks 3-4 minutes 10 weeks 4-5 minutes. I never go behind 15 minutes. So even when adults they will only get 15 minutes of training twice a day. Like everytime i go to them i tell them to sit before they get patted. I know a whippet probably won't learn as quick as a golden does eg my guys knew the sit,drop,come and stay in 4 days. I know a whippet would probably take a hell of alot longer then that. Depending on the dog really, I never use food rewards training my dogs its always praise,pats and cuddles i use. By the sounds of it i don't think a whippet will do those things for pats,cuddles and praise. I don't mind using food rewards but i like not too as then the dog doesn't rely on food. Like won't exept food everytime it sits or does something. I spend alot of time with my dogs i'm always doing something with them patting,playing,cuddling,walking,bathing,brushing. My parents don't allow large dogs inside, So my goldens are outdoor dogs. But this little whippet will be indoor/outdoor eg on nice warm weather will be outdoors during the day. But cold weather will be indoors, It may have to sleep outside but will have a nice warm kennel with bedding and a warm coat on.

 

[whippetsrus]

1) I don't think a whippet would be as responsive in training as a Golden. Hounds can be more aloof and take longer to respond. They'd probably get bored more easily so training would have to be in short interesting bursts only.

With training my goldens there training sesions are always short i only start a young 8 week old pup training for 2-3 minutes adding an minute to training each week eg 9 weeks 3-4 minutes 10 weeks 4-5 minutes. I never go behind 15 minutes. So even when adults they will only get 15 minutes of training twice a day. Like everytime i go to them i tell them to sit before they get patted. I know a whippet probably won't learn as quick as a golden does eg my guys knew the sit,drop,come and stay in 4 days. I know a whippet would probably take a hell of alot longer then that. Depending on the dog really, I never use food rewards training my dogs its always praise,pats and cuddles i use. By the sounds of it i don't think a whippet will do those things for pats,cuddles and praise. I don't mind using food rewards but i like not too as then the dog doesn't rely on food. Like won't exept food everytime it sits or does something. I spend alot of time with my dogs i'm always doing something with them patting,playing,cuddling,walking,bathing,brushing. My parents don't allow large dogs inside, So my goldens are outdoor dogs. But this little whippet will be indoor/outdoor eg on nice warm weather will be outdoors during the day. But cold weather will be indoors, It may have to sleep outside but will have a nice warm kennel with bedding and a warm coat on.

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Hello and welcome.

Just to say with the exception of my last whippet I have never used food as a reward and have not had a problem with training.

 

[jinnyfizz]

Heya!! Just wanted to say welcome to K9 :thumbsup:

I've only logged on for a short catch up so when I have some time

I'll read your post again and let you know some of the trials and tribulations

I have had with my 6 whippies

........... one thing is for sure, I've had other breeds and they can't compare

with whippets for affection, friendship and laughs :thumbsup:

 

[Hula]

Hi and welcome , you might want to read "Is a whippet for me " in the frequently asked questions section . This might answer some of your questions

 

[FifeJillandIan]

can they have a reliable recall? my dogs get mainly off lead runing and swimming.My whippet Blue has good recall and loves his off lead runs

They say they have no road sense can they be taught road sense? eg like looking both ways before crossing a road. Blue has no road sense whatsoever and I don't think that will ever change

How easy are they to train? I've taught and still teaching the 8 month old sit,drop,stay,come,halt,ignore, cross a road and wait for there dinner, When i put there bowl down step back wait for a few seconds then told they can eat Blue learned 'sit' very quickly after that the most useful command we taught him was 'leave' which works for anything he's doing that we want him to stop - but in particular is useful when he has stolen underwear (his favourite pass time  :b   )

Do whippets like the water? doesn't matter if it doesn't just that my golden loves swimming so may end up getting wet by her. Blue isn't keen on going out in the garden when it's raining but if we're going a walk he'll go out in bucketing rain and will be happy as long as he can have a run

how affectionate are whippets? The most affectionate wee creature I've ever come across - I really never believed a dog could be so very loving   :wub:   :wub:   :wub:

How much does a whippet eat? my goldens get 1 1/4 cup with 2 big tablespoons of raw meat a day Shelley my 8 month old also gets 1 cup in the morning still.  Blue eats Nature Diet or Wainwrights and eats one and a half packs a day - he also has some dog biscuits and markies to top this up and bits and pieces of what we've left over (or he has managed to steal)

Do whippets play with pther dogs? Shelley is kind of a rough player with Einstein so i'm not quite sure how she would take a whippet.  Blue loves playing with other dogs - his favourite game is chase me - he hasn't met another dog that can catch him yet though.  He'll play with them for a while but is usually more interested in coming back to me so i can throw his ball for him to catch.  They look very delicate but whippets are much sturdier than they look - if another dog is playing rough with him Blue will give him a good old body slam and has been known to send a lab flying - 

How destructive are they when puppies? eg will they rip up plants,dig holes,chew everything in sight i know puppies chew but how bad will they chew eg will they chew up there expensive bed. I supply alot of toys to my dogs kongs,nylong bones,and other chew toys. It just seems that my 8 month old won't use those toys she seems to prefer to chew up her bed which she has now grown out of. So i guess what i'm asking is how destructive are whippets compared to a golden? Can't compare with a golden as I've never had one but Blue has not been destructive at all - maybe I'm just lucky though as I've seen some photos on here of sofas etc completely destroyed by whippets 

also i exercise my dogs for about hour or 2 day depending on how energetic they are. Some days they only get an hour,some days an hour an half and some days maybe 40 minutes. Would a whippet be able to handle this kind of exercise. Like i said its mainly throwing of toys on land or throwing of sticks in water for an hour or 2. Then later on in the afternoon or night a on leash walk around the block. Yes, I think a whippet would enjoy that amount of exercise - Blue just loves to play fetch and if I take him to the beach he can just go on and on for ages.  He'll go in the sea after his ball too .

I want energetic,lean,smooth coated breed,easy maintaince,low to moderate shedding,friendly,easy to train, and has that soft feel to them like whippets do. I've found Blue very easy to live with - he's a wee darling, so affectionate and his coat does feel lovely to stroke.  He's energetic when he's out for a run and apart from that just curls up and sleeps like a cat.  I've not taught him loads of commands like you've done with yours and I'm not sure how easy to train any hound would be - as Nicola said, they might wonder 'what's in it for me' and not be too keen if they don't see the point.  Blue comes when I call him, sits for a treat and will leave go of stuff he has stolen if I tell him to 'leave'.  I'm happy with that 

Good luck with your decision - I've certainly never regretted getting a whippet - can't imagine living with any other breed of dog now.  Welcome to K9 by the way and it would be lovely to see some photos of your animals.

Jill

 

[doglover12]

Thanks everyone for the information the more i read and look at whippets the more i want one. By time i get one we will be living in mildura victoria like a city but still classed as country. I never let my goldens off lead near a roadcause i know Shelley my 8 month old runs after anything that moves. The closest we go to a road now is about 100 meters away but its not a busy road. I like the black,blue,black & white,Blue & white and blue brindle whippets the best, These colours seems to appeal to me the most.

 

[whippetmad]

Hi and welcome :thumbsup:

 

[Janimal]

Hello and Welcome...Beware whippets are very addictive... :lol: