Whippet Advice Please

[Lynnie]

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Well I'm not sure if this is good news or not so good and I know you are just the people to ask I just got a call from my puppy's 'breeder' to tell me that my pup (Misha) will be ready on Wednesday as her mother is tired of her pups now. This will make her just 6 weeks old which worries me as I have heard that leaving the mother so early is not a good thing, what are your thoughts? Will she be okay? When I viewed her last weekend I was told they were already eating solid food. I hope I'm not being a pain, I realy appreciate all your helpful advice as I really do want to do whatever is best for my gorgeous whippy.

Oh, and for those of you who crate train, what is he best size crate to buy for her please?

 

[NickyVN]

It is ideal for them to saty with mum till at least 8 weeks even if not to feed from her, to learn from her, not sure what I would do - I suppose it depends on if she seems fit and healthy. I got a 36" cat from dog health , it came with divider which I used when he was small so he wasn't swamped by it - very good sturdy cage and meant I didn;t hve to upgrade when he grew.

 

[whippetwise]

I got my whippet Lucy at 13 months old so thankfully she was past the destructive chewing stage. She has never destroyed anything, not even her cuddly toys. The only thing she chews are the chew treats I give her. We already had a cat when she came to us and there have been no problems but the cat is the boss. Another thing to keep in mind is how noisy some pups can be when left on their own during the day or at night. Neighbours will probably need to be informed. Try to think of all the things that could possibly happen in the future before you make your decision. Any puppy will be noisy and destructive to some degree. Like others have said crate training is a must, once that is in place you wont need to worry so much about destruction. Good luck whatever you decide.

Oops didnt see your last post Lynnie, six weeks is very young. The breeder should hold on to her till she is 8 weeks if you ask.

 

[RAGGIE]

Hello All

I'm new to K9 Community.

Like Lynnie, I too have wanted a whippet for ages. I've contacted J P Whippet Rescue but have been put off adopting an adult whippet because of my two house cats. It has been suggested that I get a puppy. My husband is just excited about this as I am and we have started to look for local breeders.

There is a potential problem, though. My husband works full time and, although I am not working at present, I anticipate getting a part time job at some time although this will involve being out of the house for around 6 hours a day. I have friends living in St Albans who have had people pop into to see to their puppies whilst they have been at work. Does anyone know of someone in the Pitstone (Tring) area who might be able to do this for me?

 

[~Sarah~]

Hello All
I'm new to K9 Community.

Like Lynnie, I too have wanted a whippet for ages. I've contacted J P Whippet Rescue but have been put off adopting an adult whippet because of my two house cats. It has been suggested that I get a puppy. My husband is just excited about this as I am and we have started to look for local breeders.

There is a potential problem, though. My husband works full time and, although I am not working at present, I anticipate getting a part time job at some time although this will involve being out of the house for around 6 hours a day. I have friends living in St Albans who have had people pop into to see to their puppies whilst they have been at work. Does anyone know of someone in the Pitstone (Tring) area who might be able to do this for me?

If you look up the web site for NARP (National Association of Registered Petsitters I think it is called) you should be able to find someone in your area who will come in and feed/play/walk your puppy while you are at work.

Good luck when you get your new puppy. :luck: :luck:

 

[FifeJillandIan]

Well I'm not sure if this is good news or not so good and I know you are just the people to ask I just got a call from my puppy's 'breeder' to tell me that my pup (Misha) will be ready on Wednesday as her mother is tired of her pups now. This will make her just 6 weeks old which worries me as I have heard that leaving the mother so early is not a good thing, what are your thoughts? Will she be okay? When I viewed her last weekend I was told they were already eating solid food. I hope I'm not being a pain, I realy appreciate all your helpful advice as I really do want to do whatever is best for my gorgeous whippy.
Oh, and for those of you who crate train, what is he best size crate to buy for her please?

I would definitely not recommend taking a pup at only 6 weeks old. She may be fine with eating solids etc but you may end up with a pup that isn't very well behaved or well socialised with other dogs which could lead to lots of problems down the line - pups learn a lot from their mum as they get more boisterous and need to be put in their place occasionally. I think you should ask the breeder to keep the pup until around 8 weeks old - if they're not prepared to do that then I would be really surprised. Good luck with the pup though when you do get her :luck:

Jill

 

[Eceni]

Hi

I don't have a whippet (yet), but do have a lurcher who went through a very brief chewing phase as a pup - but given that I'm puppy-hunting now, I've just re-read Dr Ian Dunbar's book 'Before and After getting your Puppy' for about the 6th time. It's easily the best book on the market (IMO) on the topic of introducing a new dog to the house whether it's a pup or a rescue - he goes through all the necessary developmental phases with an emphasis on teaching appropriate chewing - how to teach your pup only to chew the things you want it to chew, and not to chew anything else (along with ways to ensure you have an impeccable bite reflex)

It's not expensive and is truly worth a read.

good luck

e

 

[rls22]

Well I'm not sure if this is good news or not so good and I know you are just the people to ask I just got a call from my puppy's 'breeder' to tell me that my pup (Misha) will be ready on Wednesday as her mother is tired of her pups now. This will make her just 6 weeks old which worries me as I have heard that leaving the mother so early is not a good thing, what are your thoughts? Will she be okay? When I viewed her last weekend I was told they were already eating solid food. I hope I'm not being a pain, I realy appreciate all your helpful advice as I really do want to do whatever is best for my gorgeous whippy.
Oh, and for those of you who crate train, what is he best size crate to buy for her please?

I would never ever let a pup go to it's new home until 7 and a half weeks at the very earliest. And the breeder saying the Mum is fed up of them now is just a poor excuse, I am afraid to say it is more like she is fed up of them now they are very active and hard work and their Mum is no longer doing the majority of the feeding and cleaning up. I'm sorry but it makes me really annoyed to hear of this kind of situation.

I may be wrong, but I would certainly go back to her and say you would not be happy to take a pup away from her litter mates and mother so soon - these final few weeks are such an important stage.

 

[affieluver]

hi lynne i am due to have a new addition in 2 weeks they are 6 weeks old and are not ready to leave their mother yet i would seriously leave it for at least another week and a half 2 if you can like rachel says its more like the breeder has got fed up not the mother of the pups sadly, to be honest i would be wary if the breeder was adamant that you take her at 6 weeks too good luck with your new addition when you do eventually get her home

 

[Kimbo]

Hi Lynnie

I bought Otis home when he was 8 weeks and looking back now wonder whether I should have left him with his mum for another week or so. He came from a litter of 12 and I think it was a big move coming to a home with no other dogs. He was very tiny and didnt settle at night in his crate for several weeks. I ended up sleeping by him in our lounge on a sofa bed to settle him down - it may not have been the done thing to do but it worked for him - We dont allow him down the bedroom end of the house - it is a cat sanctuary so couldnt have his crate by the bed as some people advised.

I researched how big a whippet would grow and bought a large crate - high enough for him to stand in fully grown and when he was tiny filled it will blankets (one of which was with him when he was with his mum) and a pet electric blanket buried way down deep.

I guess you could get a puppy size one - then progress up to a bigger one later on - as long as they can stand up and stretch out then IMHO you should be fine. Definitely get a metal one not a soft crate as little whippy teeth can be fairly determined - as I found out!