Whippet/puppy Advice

[Winslow Mum]

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Hello, I am new to the forum (in fact, new to forums!) and don't really know whow they work. However, I have read the rules and realised I'm not supposed to ask other members about puppies and they aren't allowed to tell me they have ones available.

Am I just missing the right bit of the forum? If there isn't anywhere advertising puppies or giving advice about specific breeders, can anyone suggest where I might look?

I've looked on the Kennel Club website, but they had 29 (!) breeders listed, more than any other breed, it seemed. I'm not looking for a pup to breed or race or show; just a good, well-natured, all-round family pet.

Any suggestions?

 

[Susan]

Your looking for a whippet pup :cheers:

You have came to the right place then :thumbsup:

My advice is tell us a wee bit about yourself,,,Where you live,,working hours,,pup will left home alone for, kids, other dogs you might have, other pets, eg,cats/rabbits, budgies :- " ,,Your looking just for a pet,,,do you want a kc pup or are you happy with a non ped racing line .

You will get a great welcome from everyone one here,,,so WELCOME :cheers: o K9 :thumbsup:

 

[em21]

Hello!! Welcome to k9 :cheers: I pick my first whippet pup up in just a week :wub: Everyone on here is very helpful (I read lots on info on whippets and pups etc and this forum has been the most useful source of information and you get to talk to some lovely peeps too )

Lots of luck finding your pup, it's a fun journey so enjoy :thumbsup:

Love Emma xxx

 

[Winslow Mum]

Well, I'm a mum of three girls aged 9, 7 and 4. My husband is Japanese but raised in England. Now my mother-in-law ahs come over to live with us, so I would say we are a busy but not chaotic family. There is someone home more or less all day long (my husband works out of the house, and I have been focused on raising the children, so only do the very odd bit of freelance work).

Over teh past two years (!) we've looked at all sorts of breeds (perhaps I take my research too seriously?), and we keep coming back to whippets. We just love them.

We don't need a pup from a racing line. In fact, given that it will be a family pet, one that is a bit less speedy would probaby be better. Nor do we want a nervous, high-strung showing prima donna. We are just looking for a lovely little whippet with a nice calm steady personality. Ideally, the pup would be ready at the end of July.

Any ideas?

 

[Winslow Mum]

Oh, forgot to add: no other pets. The last hamster departed tis mortal coil about two years ago and I've told the girls they can't get another one if we are going to get a dog...

 

[Juley]

Well, I'm a mum of three girls aged 9, 7 and 4.  My husband is Japanese but raised in England.  Now my mother-in-law ahs come over to live with us, so I would say we are a busy but not chaotic family.  There is someone home more or less all day long (my husband works out of the house, and I have been focused on raising the children, so only do the very odd bit of freelance work). 
Over teh past two years (!) we've looked at all sorts of breeds (perhaps I take my research too seriously?), and we keep coming back to whippets.  We just love them.

We don't need a pup from a racing line.  In fact, given that it will be a family pet, one that is a bit less speedy would probaby be better.  Nor do we want a nervous, high-strung showing prima donna. We are just looking for a lovely little whippet with a nice calm steady personality.  Ideally, the pup would be ready at the end of July.

Any ideas?

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hi, Welcome to K9, I have 5 whippets, all show bred and none of them, nor most of the show whippets I have met in 10 years would fit that description. All whippets are fast and will chase rabbits and the neighbors cat given the chance (w00t) it is the nature of the breed. You have to be aware of this and keep your eyes open when you walk them.

 

[Foxglove]

Ditto Juley :thumbsup:

My girl Tina is bred from show stock too and you couldn't meet a more bomb-proof, unfazed-by-anything loving dog :huggles: In fact I have to leash her as soon as I see kids because she trots over to them and will cover them in kisses given half the chance! :lol: Her previous owner had grandchildren so she's very loving towards children.

She's also a total fruit-loop though and will run round and round and round in circles on the beach with excitement (w00t)

Wherever you get your pup from, you can't get a better breed than a whippet! They're happy with long walks or short and as long as they have a run every day they'll then be happy to crash out on the sofa (or your bed LOL) and they just LOVE human contact :wub: :wub: :wub:

They are VERY addictive though......we've only had Tina six weeks but already Neil is talking SERIOUSLY about getting Tina a little sister (w00t)

 

[doggy182]

Hi there,

I am in a similar situation to Emma.

I get my first whippet pup in just under 3 weeks! Although my mum has a whippet cross that I grew up with. They are lovely dogs, so affectionate and I just love to watch them run! They will all be very speedy I'm sure!

Our pup is not KC registered as she is just a pet and we are not paying as much for her, which means she can have more toys and collars and things!!

As Emma said, this is a great forum will loads of advice and support from lovely people!

Hope you find a pup soon :luck:

Carla x

 

[Eceni]

General things on dogs, particularly if this is a first dog....

most of the scientific research shows that around 35% of the dog's final 'behaviour patterning' is genetic and the other 75% is entirely dependent on how it's brought up. Dr Ian Dunbar, one of the world's foremost experts in behaviour and the 'sorting of behaviour problems' reckons that a prospective owner should choose their future pups entirely on the basis of how they're reared by the breeder, and worry about breed and the like next. That said, in a recent book by Jean Donaldson who is one of the superstars of intelligent dog behaviour, she cites an evening when she and a group of her dog-behaviour friends (they all work in a rescue centre, dealing with behavioural issues) sat down and were ruthlessless about what breeds they would 'allow to keep going' on the basis of being sane, safe, intelligent, easy to train if you do it right and unlikely to cause problems. Of the list of 8 breeds in total, whippets came, I think, 4th or 5th... which isn't bad given the hundreds of breeds they see....

so - good choice of breed, but pick a breeder who is assiduous about handling the pups and exposing them early to lots of people, kids (particularly if you have your own) and, if they can, cats. Some breeders play CDs of other noises so the pups won't be phased by them.

and then before you get your pup, find a good (to my mind 'good' means on that trains by positive reinforcement) puppy socialisation class with someone who has sane, sound training. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) is good and their trainers are well qualified. There's a window from about 7 - 14 weeks when your puppy will be open to learning new things. Make the most of it. Learning dog behaviour and training is one of the single most rewarding things about dog ownership, and if your kids learn to teach a dog, it'll stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. If they only learn that you say 'sit' once, and reward for a sit, rather than screaming 'sitsitsitsitsitforgod'ssakewillyoubloodysit' they'll be light years ahead of 99% of all dog owners....

When I was a vet in general practice, I used to encourage all prospective owners to buy and read two books: "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor and 'Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson. To those now, I would add 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training' by Pam Dennison. Actually that one might come first. They're all available on Amazon.

Good luck.

manda

 

[Winslow Mum]

Thank you all so much for all of the advice. It is very nice to get it direct from people who have whippets. (Or whose whippets have them!)

Of course, so much of a dog's personality depends on the person's attitude rather than the dog's genes. All of my previous dogs have been very chilled out, so I'm not too worried about things on our end. That said, because the pup will spend the first formative bit of its life with someone else, this was my polite way of asking not just about the dam and sire, but also about the breeder.

So, can any one point me towards a good breeder? (Apologies if I'm not allowed to ask this.)

 

[Eceni]

Thank you all so much for all of the advice. It is very nice to get it direct from people who have whippets. (Or whose whippets have them!)
Of course, so much of a dog's personality depends on the person's attitude rather than the dog's genes. All of my previous dogs have been very chilled out, so I'm not too worried about things on our end. That said, because the pup will spend the first formative bit of its life with someone else, this was my polite way of asking not just about the dam and sire, but also about the breeder.

So, can any one point me towards a good breeder? (Apologies if I'm not allowed to ask this.)

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and apologies for my useless finger slip on a Monday morning - that should be 25%/75%, not 35/75 unless it's a particularly miraculous dog.... :b

good luck in your search

ms

 

[yoyo]

hi, Welcome to K9, I have 5 whippets, all show bred and none of them, nor most of the show whippets I have met in 10 years would fit that description. All whippets are fast and will chase rabbits and the neighbors cat given the chance (w00t) it is the nature of the breed. You have to be aware of this and keep your eyes open when you walk them.

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Ahem! I would like to point out that Whisp our Black Tux whippet will NOT chase cats,rabbits ,squirrels even accidently a Deer!!.

But a cat ooohh no they have claws, true story:

When we visit our dad's most time's whisp gets to the top of the front garden first he looks in gingerly to check for a cat.any cat if there is he pretends not to have seen it & either walks back towards us or suddenly needs to relieve himself at which point we have arrived. I think we should rename him HERO

Good luck with your search :thumbsup:

 

[Eceni]

also forgot to mention Ian Dunbar's seminal book 'Before and After Getting Your Puppy' which highlights all six 'Developmental Deadlines'. Jean Donaldson is more readable, and her new book 'Oh Behave' is outstanding, but not specifically related to pups.

good luck

m (who firmly believes that sighthounds can be trained not to chase using +ve techniques.... but it does take time)

 

[whippetmad]

Welcome to k9 :thumbsup: Good luck in your search for the right puppy :luck: :luck: When looking for a pup,do not be afraid to ask the breeder loads of questions,and vice versa.Any good breeder should give you all the answers you need and be there for you and the pup for the rest of its life.

 

[Nicola]

If I were in your position, I would do the following to find a pup:

Contact the Whippet Club breed secretary, and enquire about puppies there. They will probably have a list of puppies from breeders who are members of the breed club.

There may be some reputable breeders advertising on the web, but this is a minefield and you need to sort out the wheat from the chaff, which is not easy to do if you don't know the signs to look out for. :wacko:

Start contacting breeders you have chosen from your various sources.

Then:

Ask the breeder if they show/work/course/race the parents of the puppies. You may want to eliminate race/working whippets from your enquiries, as you have already indicated you don't want to race/work your whippet. Your personal choice.

I'd personally avoid breeders that boast that there are a lot of champions in the 5 or 7 generation pedigree, but the actual parents haven't been shown/raced/worked/coursed or the breeders do no showing or similar activities at all with their dogs. Not everyone will agree with this, but to me this indicates that the breeder is riding on the success of previous breeders of their dog without any of the hard work to achieve these titles, and probably don't have as much experience/knowledge of their dogs pedigrees.

If the breeder asks you nothing about your circumstances, be suspicious. Expect breeders to ask you some questions about your circumstances, before you are invited to look at the litter.

Once you go and have a look at the litter, there are a number of things you need to look out for i.e. everything should be clean and spotless, nails on pups well trimmed etc etc. Someone typed out a good checklist of what to look out for, but i think it's on the Whippet Forum rather than this forum.

All of the above would indicate that you are dealing with knowledgeable, caring breeders who have a great deal of experience with their particular breed line. I'm happy to be corrected.

As I say, this is what I would do in your circumstances. There may be some differing opinions on this subject. You may get some private pm's through your initial post, but if not, then the Whippet Breed Club secretary would be a good start :thumbsup:

 

[Winslow Mum]

Thank you for this. Those are good places to start. Does anyone else have any opinions on breeders found through the Kennel Club? Also, does anyone know the link to that list on the Whippet Forum? (I am not very good at navigating these sites yet...)

Thanks, everyone!

Oh, and lastly, what is a PM? Does that mean a private response? And if so, how do you do one? (You see, I really am new to this...)

 

[JAX]

Excellent advice Nicola

should you want any phone numbers , here are a few whippet clubs( we have 11 ) numbers

Whippet club sec

Mr Mayger 01494 523372

national whippet

Maureen Blanks 01268 288091

South west whippet

MrsVickerstaff

01209 821979

As I think you are `down south` I thought these might be the best for you

jackie

and the MULCAIR whippets

Welcome to K9

 

[midlanderkeith]

Excellent advice Nicola
should you want any phone numbers , here are a few whippet clubs( we have 11 ) numbers

Whippet club sec

Mr Mayger 01494 523372

national whippet

Maureen Blanks 01268 288091

South west whippet

MrsVickerstaff

01209 821979

As I think you are `down south` I thought these might be the best for you

jackie

and the MULCAIR whippets

Welcome to K9

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ooooh ya little bugger Jackie my all round fave k9 pic

fankoooooooooo

 

[FifeJillandIan]

Hi Winslow Mum and welcome to K9 :cheers:

You've already had lots of good advice on this thread so I've nothing really new to add. Blue is a year and a half old now and is from show lines. He isn't highly strung at all and is content snoozing on the couch for most of the day as long as he gets a nice walk and a good free run. You do have to be careful where you let them off for a run as they will chase small furries and have no road sense (well Blue doesn't anyway) so a nice field or large park or beach is ideal. I really think it's important that they get the chance to run free and it will take your breath away when you see your whippet running full pelt - poetry in motion and so bloomin' fast!!!

Of course all puppies are quite hard work and whippets are no exception. They can also be little thieves at times!!! :- " There was a good thread on here a few days ago about the average whippet. I'll try to work out how to put a link to it as, although light hearted, it does give quite an insight into the breed.

Oh and a PM is a personal message - if you look at the top right of your screen you'll see a bit saying if you have any new messages waiting for you. If you want to send one to another member of the forum, just click on their name and you'll get options - one is 'send a PM'. Send me a practice one if you like!!!

Good luck in your search for a whippet pup ... I really don't think you'll regret it. I wouldn't have any other breed now ... and your home sounds like a perfect place for a whippet - lots of people to cuddle :huggles:

Jill

edited to (hopefully) add that link:

average whippet post

:thumbsup:

 

[Ann Glews]

Thank you for this.  Those are good places to start.  Does anyone else have any opinions on breeders found through the Kennel Club?  Also, does anyone know the link to that list on the Whippet Forum?  (I am not very good at navigating these sites yet...)
Thanks, everyone!

Oh, and lastly, what is a PM?  Does that mean a private response?  And if so, how do you do one?  (You see, I really am new to this...)

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Welcome :thumbsup: yes PM is a private message through the site - like an e-mail. You will get an e-mail if you get one, just follow the link. Keep your eyes open on here and I don't think there is anything stopping you pm'ing people who post that they have a litter.

Keith of Millerand Keith user name who has posted has mated his dog Jill I think