Training Strategies

[Suerose]

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I'd be really interested to hear what works for people training whippets, and how obedient they expect their whippets to be. After having a beautifully behaved border collie for 11 and a half years that I only had to whisper instructions to - no credit to me, he was a rescue - it has been a learning curve to be bringing up a very lively whippet pup who definitely has a mind of her own. She is 10 months now and very sweet natured, will usually come when called but sometimes just ignores me and does her own thing. Very good at sit and stay when there is a treat involved, not so great other times. If I go on working at it can I expect her to always obey, or is this just not what whippets do? I'm finding that making her do something causes sulks; it works much better to give her an incentive or make what I want her to do look attractive somehow. What do other people find?

 

[Holliepup]

:b I saw some one whose 'signature' reads something like, "most dogs have owners, whippets have staff"

I think that should just about answer your question! :wacko:

 

[Suerose]

:b   I saw some one whose 'signature' reads something like, "most dogs have owners, whippets have staff"
I think that should just about answer your question!  :wacko:

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Oh dear, I thought someone might say that!

 

[meddling]

Loads of time and loads of patience...and if that fails beat them soundly (w00t) I AM joking!!!

I have just spent loads of time taking Bluebell into different situations, meeting people and going on trains and buses, I think if you spend the time the natural training comes with it, without feeling the need to do formal training sessions - I too have a Border Collie now 13+ he never needed more than a nod or a wave to do as he was told - whippets are a bit different!!

But time is the best thing you can give a whippet in my humble opinion

 

[Rosie]

My first wippet was also my first dog 3.5 years ago and what I realised after several months and after going to puppy training is that imo she didn't really need structured training as in the words of my mum in law 'she understands everything I say'. She doesn't of course but she does have a desire to always do the right thing and is very perceptive as to what that is .

We learnt how to teach sit and recall plus not pulling on the lead and these to me are the important things. But I can't honestly say she will do a sit every time I ask for no good reason but she does naturally sit for a treat, for her dinner, for a toy to be thrown and to ask to come up on the sofa so in other words she has lovely manners which I think comes from just treating them with affection and understanding .

So my advice would be to relax the formal training and not expect obdience without question as you probably won't get it :lol: . But you can still have a beautifully behaved dog but by tuning into their wavelength and using telepathy rather than commands like you would a collie (w00t) .

 

[Foxglove]

Ditto Rosie :thumbsup: If you want instant obedience get a collie :lol:

I was told on another site that I would never be able to trust Tina off the lead and that she would run off whenever I least expected it But she's doing fairly good with her training *touch wood!* and I've only had her nine weeks.

For the first fortnight I kept her on a long line so she could still have a bit of freedom but not actually disappear after anything tempting :lol: I ALWAYS had treats in my pockets/rucksack/coat (everywhere!!!) and on walks I would keep calling her in when she least expected it in a happy excited voice and gave her LOTS of praise and hugs and the treat when she came :huggles: After just a few days she automatically came straight away and I made coming to me even MORE exciting by playing with her etc. The trick is to make YOURSELF the most exciting fun thing in her life and even if the little sods.....whoops, darlings :- " take ages to come because they've ran off after a rabbit or whatever you still have to give them LOTS of praise :wub:

Tina tends to play my husband Neil up more than she does me because he's never trained a dog before and can't quite get his voice/body language right :lol: She went through a phase a few weeks ago where she would keep running ahead on the beach and finding some lovely stinky rotting seaweed or a dead bird to roll in and by the time we'd reached her she was absolutely stinking to high heaven!!! :x I would growl at her to get off it and the SECOND she did I'd instantly change my voice to call her in and she'd come running up to me for hugs and treats. But poor Neil had to be taught that training is all about timing and that if he went mad at her because she was covered in stinky stuff and it took him ten minutes to catch her he could NOT punish her because, to her, she'd be getting told off for coming to him :wacko: He soon cottoned on to what I meant though......though he still can't QUITE get his voice right :lol: He was complaining to me that she wouldn't come back to him on Tuesday morning when he took her to the beach but when we both took her out that afternoon I realised he was using the wrong command He was telling her to 'come' whereas I've realised (two weeks ago!) that the command with Tina is actually ''Here''

I think with most dogs it's just a case of being consistent 100% of the time............and bribing them with LOTS of treats and cheese and smokey ham :lol:

We are getting there with Tina but there ARE still occasions on the beach when she'll have her nose buried in some obviously gorgeous smell and it's as though we are not even ON the beach with her, never mind her feigning deafness :lol:

And I find with her it's a case of being fully aware of what's around you and taking the appropriate action to make sure she doesn't misbehave :b Whippets can be into full acceleration and over the horizon in seconds before us humans can even blink so I soon learnt to keep my eyes open on walks :lol:

Tina absolutely ADORES children but I never let her run up to them in case she scares them or knocks them over so if I see kiddies up ahead of us she goes onto her long line so she can still have some freedom but is also under control. Same with joggers and other dogs as she tends to try to entice them to play (the dogs that is, not the joggers LOL) and will run in huge circles around and around them. It's brilliant to watch as she's SO fast and graceful but I don't want her to be one of those awful dogs who just bounces up to other dogs and causes mayhem nor me to be one of those ignorant owners who let their dogs do this :rant: Nine times out of ten the other owner will say their dog's ok and we'll let them play for a bit and this has the added bonus of tiring both dogs out :lol:

Anyway, I'll shut up now :b

 

[June Jonigk]

We don't want obedient whippets (just as well :- " ) You expect general good behaviour, like not biting visitors etc - but I think that's generally more down to their temperaments rather than teaching. I think generally they want to please you, so they will do things like "go to bed", "out for a wee" type thing - but we never teach our dogs obedience as we want them to be headstrong for racing - they need to be able to race without looking to us for commands, like a collie would look to a his master :thumbsup:

 

[Foxglove]

We don't want obedient whippets (just as well :- " ) 

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:lol: Yes, they DO have their own translation of what constitutes obedience, don't they! :- "

I'm not obsessed with the kind of obedience I used to do at training club many years ago with my other dog (labrador X) - all I want from Tina is for her to be well mannered and the type of dog that CAN be taken anywhere :thumbsup: We are getting there slowly but surely We popped into the RSPCA charity shop today and she had about half a dozen kids cuddling her and making a fuss of her and she just stood there and LOVED it - I was so proud of her :wub:

 

[doggy182]

Hi,

We are getting our first pup on saturday :lol:

But I was around when we trained our whippet Patches who is my mums dog.

She doesnt do 'tricks' but is very well mannered, she just wants to please us so she does what we say.

My mums friend has had her whippet pup for bout 3 months now and its similar, she is well behaved, and was very easy to train to come, sit but she doesnt do obedience or tricks either.

Sorry if that was nonsense!!

 

[Strike Whippets]

Some great advice above ..... I think the train ability goes with the breeding / type of Whippet ..... I know I have a line that are VERY easy to train this is partly because they are incredibly loyal from the start .....their brothers and sisters owned by other people are just the same :wub: .... I have a collie and collie cross that I trained myself and did obedience and agility with and to be honest I find the Whippet MUCH brighter .... they think for themselves and its up to us to really, REALLY make it worth their while to want to be with us and please us .....

My lot love their frisbee's or tennis balls, so just like a collie once they play fetch and retrieve that's over 1/2 the battle. ....... ALL of my lot do obedience, frisbee, ball etc .... Some dance to music and others retrieve rabbits to hand. They know that at racing they can do as they want, but in the fields they have to behave or they won't get the frisbee :lol: ........ At the end of the day an obedient dog is a happy dog as it knows its boundaries, limits and expectations ..... I love being able to free run all of my dogs together daily (9 Whippets a Collie and Collie x) knowing that they are very well behaved and know the correct order of pack behaviour ..... :luck:

 

[meddling]

Some great advice above ..... I think the train ability goes with the breeding / type of Whippet ..... I know I have a line that are VERY easy to train this is partly because they are incredibly loyal from the start .....their brothers and sisters owned by other people are just the same  :wub: .... I have a collie and collie cross that I trained myself and did obedience and agility with and to be honest I find the Whippet MUCH brighter .... they think for themselves and its up to us to really, REALLY make it worth their while to want to be with us and please us .....
My lot love their frisbee's or tennis balls, so just like a collie once they play fetch and retrieve that's over 1/2 the battle. ....... ALL of my lot do obedience, frisbee, ball etc .... Some dance to music and others retrieve rabbits to hand. They know that at racing they can do as they want, but in the fields they have to behave or they won't get the frisbee  :lol:   ........ At the end of the day an obedient dog is a happy dog as it knows its boundaries, limits and expectations ..... I love being able to free run all of my dogs together daily (9 Whippets a Collie and Collie x) knowing that they are very well behaved and know the correct order of pack behaviour    .....  :luck:

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That must be a wonderful sight :wub: :wub:

 

[Foxglove]

Oooooh we need a piccie/video of all those gorgeous dogggies together :wub:

 

[Strike Whippets]

Oooooh we need a piccie/video of all those gorgeous dogggies together  :wub:

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You should have seen Rae and my lot free running together as we had 17 between us (w00t) ...... I'll get OH out with his camera tomorrow just for you and Meddling :thumbsup: ....

 

[Suerose]

My lot love their frisbee's or tennis balls, so just like a collie once they play fetch and retrieve that's over 1/2 the battle. .......

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Thanks, that's encouraging. Grace loves to retrieve a ball, so that sounds like something to build on. I didn't want to give the impression that I want military style obedience, but a good recall for example is obviously important for her safety and my peace of mind. I realised that her psychology was going to be different to that of a collie, the interesting thing is the ways in which it differs. I chose not to have another collie because Taff had been such a wonderful dog that I knew I would be tempted to compare. I love Grace to bits and am grateful to everyone for help in getting inside her head a bit more.

 

[maggie217]

Your whippet can be taught to be well mannered and basic obedience, but it will be harder job than with a collie. After all she is a hound, and the hound characteristics are quite different to non-hounds (CURS!!). Just don't expect her to be like your collie, but you can expect her to learn whats necessary to be a good companion.

Pauline

 

[vs1]

My two are fantastic now. Sit, stay, down, wait, retrieve (Chloe won't retrieve but Busta is fab). And they will both stay whilst I walk the length of a field and away from them before I recall. The most useful skill they both have is the ability for me to stop them and sit them at a distance whilst they are off leash in case of any dangers/traffic etc. To be honest they were a bit tougher to train than other breeds I've worked with. The key to whippets seems to be consistency. Just because they did something yesterday doesn't mean they'll do it today! Calmness, consistency, rewards and lots of fun were the key to it. Whippets definately have the 'what's in it for me' attitude! The big issues I faced with my two were over excitement and distractions. Busta also constantly challenges me for pack leader status and I have to assert my alpha female status consistently with him otherwise he tries to take over. I've been working with a mixture of traditional rewards based obedience training but enlightened with the methodologies of Cesar Milan and Jan Fennell. It seems to be going well so far and I firmly believe that whippets are trainable. Good luck with yours.

Vicky

x

 

[vs1]

Forgot to mention....none of the above applies if Busta spots a squirrell at any time. Squirrells are apparently SO exciting that all obedience flies out of the window! (w00t)

Vicky

x

 

[Strike Whippets]

The key to whippets seems to be consistency. Just because they did something yesterday doesn't mean they'll do it today! Calmness, consistency, rewards and lots of fun were the key to it. Whippets definately have the 'what's in it for me' attitude! The big issues I faced with my two were over excitement and distractions.

You are spot on there ....I found Collies said OK and never really challenged whereas Whippets say why ?? and really think about everything 8)

Busta also constantly challenges me for pack leader status and I have to assert my alpha female status consistently with him otherwise he tries to take over

Yes there's another great point ..... I have one of these to .... Hard work aren't they ?? ...... I just resort to alpha bitch behaviour to stop her ..... I can do a great growl with full eye contact ..... :lol:

Thanks, that's encouraging. Grace loves to retrieve a ball, so that sounds like something to build on. I didn't want to give the impression that I want military style obedience, but a good recall for example is obviously important for her safety and my peace of mind.

Whippets love to chase, so to retrieve a prized toy is perfect .... Theres nothing wrong with wanting a very obedient Whippet and it is easily achievable :thumbsup: ....We don't really race much at the mo, but ALL of my lot would do their best at Cotswolds (a club we ran for 5 years) then after racing they'd be out whilst the traps, lure etc ... was put away and they'd slip straight back into walking behind me and listening to commands ....The key really is like all dogs just get them to want to be with you

 

[Tesa]

I'd be really interested to hear what works for people training whippets, and how obedient they expect their whippets to be. I expect mine to come when they are called.  Beau I trust, Phoebe no, but as I said Beau ALWAYS.  Thats because I put a lot of time into training him.  His first two years were spent at club training, starting with puppy class, and ending up in Agility. He wasn't the star of the class, that position belonged to a working dog, but we got round, he got better as time went on, and we enjoyed ourselves. 

Phoebe didn't get the same effort, but that is not saying she is badly behaved.  I also accept that they have different personalities

After having a beautifully behaved border collie for 11 and a half years that I only had to whisper instructions to - no credit to me, he was a rescue - it has been a learning curve

Congratulations of crossing over to the joy of owing a whippet :thumbsup:   What you need to do now is throw MOST of what you know about training your BC out the window and start again.  Of course your whippet is trainable, all dogs are!!  It is the methods we use to train them that affects the results we get.  Firstly you need to understand your dogs drive.  I would imagine that your BC was a high drive dog.  You whippet is more likely to be a low drive.  This dosen't mean she is untrainable, it just means she will shut down more quickly if she is bored or worried.  Keep it short, keep it fun, keep it simple.

 



to be bringing up a very lively whippet pup who definitely has a mind of her own.  Thats because she has!!!! I found the biggest obstacle Beau and I had to overcome, was the mindset of our training instructors who were so use to working with working or utilty dogs.  They just didn't get sighthounds.  One night when Beau was around 18mths old, my agilty instructor came up to me with a wonderful article she had found in Clean Run magazine.  It was a story from a woman who had successfully accepted how to train her whippet.  It mirrored Beau's training and personality to a T.  Finally after reading that, my instructors understood Beau why Beau would shut down; and when this happened, instead of trying to continue to get the result WE wanted, it was okay to stop. 

She is 10 months now and very sweet natured, will usually come when called but sometimes just ignores me and does her own thing.  Very good at sit and stay when there is a treat involved, not so great other times.

Then keep the treats coming.  As well as teaching come, try adding "Touch" to you commands.  "Come" usually means to us and the dog "get yourself overhere, I want you for something".  For Beau "Touch" means "I HAVE to touch mum's hand"  This puts him so close to me and looking for a treat that I have not trouble putting a lead/coat/whatever on him.

To teach "Touch" simply hide a treat in the palm of your hand, by holding it under your tumb.  Hold your palm out and let them know you have the threat.  As soon as they TOUCH your tumb, release the food and give the command "Touch"

If I go on working at it can I expect her to always obey, or is this just not what whippets do?

I'll bet your BC had it's own little quirks.

I'm finding that making her do something causes sulks; it works much better to give her an incentive

this sounds like the low drive kicking in

or make what I want her to do look attractive somehow.  We already know she is beautiful  :thumbsup:  

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Hope my above answers help, good luck with your new girl :luck:

Here's my beautiful boy Beau at training. Sorry the tunnel photo is blurry, but that's because he was flying. He just loved the tunnel and jumps :thumbsup:

 

[Vicky@Eukanuba]

Although I have not got a Whippet myself, the problem you are experiencing sounds very familiar as I work for the Eukanuba Care & Advice Team and many dog owners come to us with similar questions. I would say that it’s fairly normal for a Whippet to be a bit stubborn when it comes to the recall. Whippets are hounds, bred to have strong hunting instincts. You mention that she pays more attention when treats are involved. Although Whippets are sight hounds, like all dogs, she uses her nose first, then her ears and her eyes last (although sometimes you may feel she does not use her ears at all ). That’s why a tasty treat is still the number one training aid!

Hounds in general can be harder to train as they get bored easily. Try making training fun, and I would suggest not to ask her to do anything more than 2-3 times. To keep her safe, it is important to keep practising the recall. The easiest and safest way to practice the recall is to use a long training lead (by doing this, she still feels free to run around whilst she is safely on the lead).

Positive reinforcement and fun training is definitely the way forward. You could for example try clicker training with her. The idea of the clicker is that you establish a link between the sound it makes and the delivery of a treat. Let me know if you would like to know more.

Vicky :luck: