Want To Give A Home To Two Whippet Pups

[portobelly]

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hello there, i'm new to this site, annsa, suggested i came here to meet other whippet fans.

We are an adult family of four in New Malden, our extended four generation family all live within walking distance, and we are close to Richmond Park and the river side.

My parents are now retired and I work from a studio in the garden, so we think we are well set up to care for dogs. Working from home I will welcome the company and as a few friends now have dogs it will be nice to go for walks together. I also think that my father would benefit from having a reason to go out, and have a daily routine.

As a child i had a jack russell, and my grandmother a poodle, so we're pretty comfortable with dogs, and from what i've read whippets would suit us, so we're looking to find a nice breeder and a good obedience class, in surrey/london

you all seem so knowledgable and enthusiastic so i would be really keen if you could share your advice/recommendations.

best

saga

 

[meddling]

Welcome to k9 :thumbsup: Good Luck with your search for the perfect Whippet(s)

 

[AnnSa]

I'm glad you decided to join, im sure you will

find out everything you need to know here :thumbsup:

 

[peppermint lady]

:thumbsup: welcome to K9 im sure your soon find your new whippety friends :thumbsup:

 

[rls22]

Welcome to k9.

My advice to you, is to spend lots and lots of time doing your research, get in touch with breeders, look at their websites etc and get a feel for them and their dogs and if they would be suitable for you.

It is a bit of a minefield as although there are plenty of reputable breeders out there, there are also some not so reputable. Also, don't just be tempted to go for the first litter you see advertised or see photos of on here!

As for having 2 pups together; to be honest I would not let 2 pups from a litter go together. I think one whippet puppy is more than enough work for anyone to begin with and the tendency to bond with each other instead of their new human family is great. There is nothing to stop you adding another addition in the future - whippets are very addictive and wonderful pets, I am sure that you will never want another breed again!

Good luck!

 

[portobelly]

hello everybody, thanks for saying hello.

I've made a start at finding out who breeds whippets, but I guess the key thing will be visiting them to get a sense of what they are like. so far I haven't identified anybody in surrey/kent/sussex.

your point about having two pups, and them not bonding so well with us, the human family, is a interesting point, so we should we wait a year, eighteen months, two years before getting a second?

wishing you well, and wrap up warm it's cold outside

 

[rls22]

There are people who have litter mates and say they have no problems - but it is not something that I personally would recommend.

It's not necessary to wait that long I don't think - but I do think it is a good idea to get general training sorted and any problems ironed out with your first pup before introducing another.

Again, this is just my opinion; I am sure there are plenty who would disagree!

Have a look on www.champdogs.co.uk for a list of breeders and those who have pups available or litters planned.

Personally, I would not allow people to come to see our pups just 'window shopping'. We exchange several emails, phone calls etc, before deciding if that person is a suitable home for one our pups and if we are the right breeder for them too. If we are both happy then that person is placed on the waiting list. At 4/5 weeks the pups new owners would then be allowed to visit for the first time and if at this point for whatever reason they or us weren't happy then the pup would not be going anywhere.

Everyone does it differently, but I would be prepared to wait for the right puppy and place your name on a waiting list. :thumbsup:

 

[Juley]

Hi, welcome to K9. I also would advise having one pup then getting another about a year to eighteen months later. I know New Malden well, come from Staines myself but Oh comes from Sutton and we met at Bentalls Kingston. Used to be a pub in NM ( on the corner) that had live music every w/end.

 

[bertha]

It is better to have one whippet first!!!!!!!!!! Then when that one is established think about a playmate for him. Having kept two from a litter i bred they were a pain, led each other into trouble, they would go deaf on the walk and ignore me, hard work as they lock onto each other and ignore you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck in your search, they are wonderful family pets. :cheers:

 

[Esty]

Hi

Just to play 'devil's advocate' - I have two pups from the same litter who are now 16 weeks old. I hadn't considered any bonding problems (perhaps naive?) but haven't experienced anything like this. We have two sons aged 12 and 14 and my parents live close and have 'dogsat' for us when we've been out. The dogs have been well socialised with my sons friends, our neighbours, relatives etc and are happy lively pups. They are probably closest to me as I am their main 'pack leader' (Mum!) but happily respond to and play with all members of the family. They are pretty good already with their basic training (sit, come, stay etc) but we have not let them off lead as they have a big garden to burn energy in and we go for lots of walks. My only worry having two would be that if/ when they do go off lead, they may run off together too confidently instead of looking for us.

We originally went to get one pup but my son fell in love with the little black one when I'd already fallen for and reserved the blue and white fella. We went to visit the litter a few times while deciding what to do. My son is currently home schooled as he has Asperger's and after a lot of thought I asked the breeder if I could have both as I thought it would be very good for my son as well as the dogs. My son was responding to the dog in a way he often won't do with people. Roscoe, the black dog, was very reserved and quiet as a pup and the breeder felt he might be better going with a litter mate so she agreed. From experience I know the quiet ones can be the worst when it comes to later dominance issues but because the pups are so well matched in size and age, they resolve differences very quickly. I actually think Roscoe might not have liked getting another dog later if he had been allowed to be an only (top) dog for a while. The whole family is extremely happy with how things are going so far. My son is a natural dog handler and shows responsibility in a consistent way we haven't seen before, although of course I was completely sure of this before getting both pups as you can't gamble with things like that.

So don't discount it completely as I think others on here have litter mates together. It's always better to be aware of any possible pitfalls though, isn't it?

 

[k4tie-d]

i have litter sisters, (went for one came back with 2)

having never had a dog, i have no idea on the difference between bringing up 1 or 2 pups. so i can only give you the 2 pup side.

its hard work, you have to put alot of effort into basic training, (together and apart)

recall can be a nightmare because they get distracted by the other easily.

housetraining is an ongoing problem, if you dont catch them in the act how do you know who it is that has done it?

double the poos to pick up, double the vet bills, double the food, double the collars and coats.

as much as they are a nightmare :devil: they also give you double the love, when we brought them home for the first time they cried for 5mins and then were fine as they wernt so lonley. they play with each other and tire each other out -_- (which is a god send at times :- )

i know lots of people say the bond less with you and more with each other, well my girls love each other and they have a huge bond between them, but at the same time would give it all up for a space beside me in the bed, or even just to chum me to the toilet :wacko: (which by the way getting a whippet means never peeing alone in your house again :teehee: )

my OH and i both say although its hard work we wouldnt change getting 2, seeing them playing together and cuddling up together is worth every bit of the hard work. but its definatly not for everyone, it could quite easily have gone the other way and we may not have coped, and we could have been left having to rehome 1 or both luckly for us it has worked :sweating: :wub:

I would advise you get one though,

purly because i find myself now they are 10months old, desperatly broody for another, which OH says im not aloud to have

where as if we had only gotten one, we would now be looking for a second and the craving for another pup would be squashed for another year or so :-

apart from that its really down to personal choice, just make sure you really think about whats best for your family, esspecaly if other members of the family may be planning on helping out with walks and such, although whippets are small they are strong and holding 2 on a lead while they try to chase a cat/bag/squirl crossing your path can be difficult, if your not 100% aware of whats going on around you, you will quckly and easily find yourself lying on the ground wondering what just happened and where are the dogs? :wacko:

there is nothing stopping you from getting one pup and 3 months down the line getting another, you dont have to wait 1-2 years, but then again you may find you are happy to leave it longer between them :thumbsup:

good luck i hope you find the perfect pup/pups :huggles:

 

[Esty]

Well said about the walks part, k4tie-d. I hadn't remembered that! Mine are great together on walks now, but they will get bigger and stronger and this could well become an issue later. Fortunately my husband or one of the lads helps me out with walks althugh we do have comedy moments tangled up with trees/ lamposts/ each other as the extending leads and two excitable pups do their thing.....

 

[k4tie-d]

Well said about the walks part, k4tie-d. I hadn't remembered that! Mine are great together on walks now, but they will get bigger and stronger and this could well become an issue later. Fortunately my husband or one of the lads helps me out with walks althugh we do have comedy moments tangled up with trees/ lamposts/ each other as the extending leads and two excitable pups do their thing.....

it wasnt so much that, as reading that she plans her retired father to take them out, which i know that some of the older members of family wouldnt be able to handle 2 on a leads, i dont even let my daugter hold the lead of one, as she would be wiped out if the bolted.

i was coping quite well untill it started getting icy, not so good now its bad enough me walking on the ice myself with out 2 whippets giving you that extra pull every now and again, just to test your balance :sweating:

the strength in them is really quite amazing for a little dog, my gran used to have a lab and they are definatly as strong on their own, if not stronger than the lab, so its somthing i definatly didnt think about.

 

[johnthewhippet]

We have kept four lots of litter mates in the past with very few problems. One good reason for doing so is that they keep themselves amused. Probably better to keep two bitches rather than one of each. Our last two are 12 months old now and are absolute rascals and full of it.

Anyhow whichever way you go, good luck to your efforts in finding suitable dogs.

 

[portobelly]

It's been lovely to hear your different thoughts and stories. I've a stinking cold just now, so not online really, and certainly not thinking straight!

best

portobelly

 

[FifeJillandIan]

It sounds like to you have a lovely home to offer to a whippet (or whippets) especially as you are going to be around all day - you'll not get much work done when it's a pup though - too tempting to let them sit on your knee and waste hours just looking at how cute he is and stroking him /her :wub:

Hope you're feeling better soon :huggles:

Jill

 

[Angel44]

I have had littermates, both in german shepherds and whippets. I have never had a problem and thought it was lovely for the pups to always have a playmate. Although they were obviously very bonded to each other, they were equally bonded to me so it was never a problem. Good luck with your search and I hope your cold gets better soon.

 

[teachtrinity]

It sounds like to you have a lovely home to offer to a whippet (or whippets) especially as you are going to be around all day - you'll not get much work done when it's a pup though - too tempting to let them sit on your knee and waste hours just looking at how cute he is and stroking him /her :wub:
Hope you're feeling better soon :huggles:

Jill

so true, you sit with them on your lap and browse this site for hours :thumbsup: it's a nice life!!!

Gaynor

 

[FifeJillandIan]

It sounds like to you have a lovely home to offer to a whippet (or whippets) especially as you are going to be around all day - you'll not get much work done when it's a pup though - too tempting to let them sit on your knee and waste hours just looking at how cute he is and stroking him /her :wub:
Hope you're feeling better soon :huggles:

Jill

so true, you sit with them on your lap and browse this site for hours :thumbsup: it's a nice life!!!

Gaynor

I know just what you mean - the trouble is when they still want to sit on your lap when they're fully grown :teehee: