Good morning everyone, I have a very nervous whippet and it has been suggested to me to getting another whippet may help give Jovi confidence he is 7months old and we have had him for 7wk now but he is nervous with people and other dogs any thoughts on this? wellybob
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Nervous Whippet
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It sounds like he was not socialised when he was younger, getting another whippet might help, but I think you need to work with him, take him out a lot to meet people and dogs. Is there a big pet store near you? They usually allow dogs in. I used to take mine to the pub, but a lot of pubs don't allow dogs now.
Training club, is there one near you that you could visit?
I hope you can help him and good luck.
Training club, is there one near you that you could visit?
I hope you can help him and good luck.
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It sounds like he was not socialised when he was younger, getting another whippet might help, but I think you need to work with him, take him out a lot to meet people and dogs. Is there a big pet store near you? They usually allow dogs in. I used to take mine to the pub, but a lot of pubs don't allow dogs now.
Training club, is there one near you that you could visit?
I hope you can help him and good luck.
Training club, is there one near you that you could visit?
I hope you can help him and good luck.
It would totally depend on the other whippet - perhaps if you got an older, calmer one it might work? You probably need to find a walking companion with one or two dogs that he can get to know and trust over time. If you just met up and went for a walk a few times a week he would trust the new dog and he could see what it was like when it met others on walks and perhaps learn that way - he needs another dog to show him what to do if he hasn't been taught properly by his previous owner.
If you tell us where you are then I'm sure there would be people on here who would meet up with you and help out.
If you tell us where you are then I'm sure there would be people on here who would meet up with you and help out.
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Difficult one but all the best
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Hiya,
My whippet is very nervous and quite aggressive around other people and dogs but funnily enough he is ok with other whippets. I think this is probably because he was socialised around other whippets but not any other breeds, or people, by his previous owner :rant:
Mine was 6 months when we got him and he is still fairly unpredictable now at 4 years old, he started off just being nervous but then became aggressive (purely fear based though). It is so important that you socialise him as much as possible now but don't flood him or it could make him worse. If you are in any doubt, find a good training class who work using positive methods to help you. Which area do you live in?
My whippet is very nervous and quite aggressive around other people and dogs but funnily enough he is ok with other whippets. I think this is probably because he was socialised around other whippets but not any other breeds, or people, by his previous owner :rant:
Mine was 6 months when we got him and he is still fairly unpredictable now at 4 years old, he started off just being nervous but then became aggressive (purely fear based though). It is so important that you socialise him as much as possible now but don't flood him or it could make him worse. If you are in any doubt, find a good training class who work using positive methods to help you. Which area do you live in?
IF YOU WERE TO GET ANOTHE WHIPET I WOULDNT GET A BABY PUPPY , ITS MORE LIKELY TO MAKE THE NEW PUP NERVOUSE RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY ROUND , IF YOU DO GO FOR IT , SOMETHING OLDER AND WELL SOCIALISED IS A MUST THEN HOPEFULLY YOUR DOG WILL PICK UP ON IT , GOOD LUCK X
My dog is a retired show whippet, he was a nervous wreck when he arrived.....from what I can gather he was not socialised at all as a pup, and kenneled outside so not socialised with a family or anything like that.
He has become less neurotic since he was snipped, but having another whippet (a bitch) has definately helped him. He can still get quite stressy about things, he hates change, likes his routine, and gets worried if there are changes in these. He even avoids furnature for a few days if I move rooms around...go figure.... ! He is also a bit worried around other dogs, and I have no doubt that having the other whippet has brought him out of his shell a lot more. They are a fine pair, and having two is no more work than having the one.
He has become less neurotic since he was snipped, but having another whippet (a bitch) has definately helped him. He can still get quite stressy about things, he hates change, likes his routine, and gets worried if there are changes in these. He even avoids furnature for a few days if I move rooms around...go figure....
! He is also a bit worried around other dogs, and I have no doubt that having the other whippet has brought him out of his shell a lot more. They are a fine pair, and having two is no more work than having the one. 
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When we first had Bandit he was a nervous reck. I started walking him with 1 of my more confident whippets. We went to places were he would meet other people my son played football and went to cubs so Bandit went too. I told people to just ignore him being silly and to let him come to them. It didn't take long to get his confidence back. Then we started taking him on his own although at first he was nervous again he soon came round and now he is a happy sociable dog.
He came to us from a farm and din't see that many people other than his owners.
He came to us from a farm and din't see that many people other than his owners.
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Hi there - it's a dilemma isn't it?
I originally went looking for a whippet for exactly the same reason; I had a very nervous and unsocialised ex-racing greyhound. Audrey had no idea what being a pet was all about and was so scared it was heartbreaking.
Then along came Digit and turned things round completely. I went for an older pup (9 months) so he was old enough to have found some confidence, but still a young lad.....and it really worked. The change in Audrey happened almost overnight; she took her cues from Dij and joined in with whatever he was doing. Now, she will always be a timid girlie, but she is no longer the painfully nervous wee scrap she once was.
Incidentally, Audrey no longer lives with me (she was my partner's dog and we split up some time ago) but I understand that she's kept her confidence, so Digit's influence lasted a lot longer than they were actually together.
Good luck with whatever you decide
I originally went looking for a whippet for exactly the same reason; I had a very nervous and unsocialised ex-racing greyhound. Audrey had no idea what being a pet was all about and was so scared it was heartbreaking.
Then along came Digit and turned things round completely. I went for an older pup (9 months) so he was old enough to have found some confidence, but still a young lad.....and it really worked. The change in Audrey happened almost overnight; she took her cues from Dij and joined in with whatever he was doing. Now, she will always be a timid girlie, but she is no longer the painfully nervous wee scrap she once was.
Incidentally, Audrey no longer lives with me (she was my partner's dog and we split up some time ago) but I understand that she's kept her confidence, so Digit's influence lasted a lot longer than they were actually together.
Good luck with whatever you decide
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