Whippets Function

[Noise]

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ok, possibly this can seem a bit contraversial...

It kinda rubs me the wrong way when people aquire a whippet (or any other sighthound) for the first time and straight of go on about how they want to to do agility, obidience, retrieving, doggy dancing, etc. with their pup. coz they've always had border collies. but they worry it won't be bright enough, whippets ain't intelligent. they'd like one with as little pray drive as possible.

I am not saying that to do agility or obedience with a whippet is a travesty, and I know many do well, but why do new owners don't want to try coursing/racing/working? something that comes naturally for them, something they were bred to do and love doing? why get a sighthound?! they are different, they are not like any other dog, they are the best.

wonder what response I'd get if I went on a BC board and said I am getting a pup and want to go rabbiting with it and rubbish the breed because they can't reach speeds of 35 mph.

there, got it off my chest.

 

[Lisa S]

I do agree that they are the best but many types of dog have traditionally been bred to do a function but I don't think that means an owner should feel obliged to carry out that function with the dog. if someone gets a collie they do not necessarily want to round up sheep or go ratting with a terrier.

I got my lovely boy as a pet as I have always been drawn to the whippet because of the lovely nature, the funny character, the intelligence, beautiful elegant shape and joy of life. I would not work him as I really would not be interested in seeing him kill something and I do not feel he is missing out on his birthright by not doing this.

BTW, I have done agility with him and he is brilliant at it.

But at the end of the day I am not here to judge anyone and it is each to their own really as long as we love em

 

[Noise]

I don't do anything with my boys atm, I am agreeing that you should not do something because they're supposed to, rather the fact that some people ''force'' upon sighthounds to do things they're not naturally meant to do, and if they don't do it to a standard they expect, call them stupid.

 

[jinnyfizz]

I had to smile as, whilst reading this, I have been witnessing a "normal" incident in our household ..............

Jinny wanted the chew that Tizzy had

In order to get the result she wanted she first went and took another chew which Irie was in possession of :blink:

Then she brought that chew to the bed next to the one that Tizzy was chewing the ultimate prize in ...........

Tizzy became curious about the chew which Jinny had brought along and took her attention off her chew for a nano-second

Hey Presto!! Result!!! Jinny quickly sneaks in and gains possession of the chew that she wanted all along

Now if that's not clever, I'm a monkey's aunt :lol: :lol: (ok, no comments there please )

I see dozens of incidents similar to this on a daily basis and Jinny has become more and more devious and clever over the years. She is the smartest of my gang and yes, levels of intelligence in whippets definitely vary, but I believe they are just as clever as a border collie (if not more so :thumbsup: )

.......... and, incidentally, if I ask Jinny to chase a plastic bag on a string she looks at me as though I am one brick short of a full load :wacko: :wacko: but show her a live bunny and she becomes the fastest and most lethal weapon in the whippet world ........... now that's clever too

 

[whippetfan]

Noise:

I am not saying that to do agility or obedience with a whippet is a travesty, and I know many do well, but why do new owners don't want to try coursing/racing/working? something that comes naturally for them, something they were bred to do and love doing? why get a sighthound?! they are different, they are not like any other dog, they are the best.

Speaking from an Australian perspective, all coursing of live game is banned in this country. Lure coursing is not widely available.

Agility is not a 'natural' activity for any dog. However, the athleticism of the Whippet lends itself to the sport, provided you can develop the necessary focus and control. The myth that sighthounds are not trainable is just that - a myth. Most of those ideas stem from a time where a check chain and aversives were the only standard training tools. With the introduction of more positive motivational methods, there are now sighthounds performing at the highest levels in dog sports. Here in Australia there are Whippets with the highest obedience and agility titles.

Many dogs enjoy agility and sighthounds are no exception. Personally I think embarking on any dog sport is a great idea because it gets the dog out of the backyard and keeps it mentally and physically stimulated. As I have a Whippet that shows a strong interest in retrieving and a love of water, in addition to agility I'm hoping he might show some potential for dock diving - a sport very new to this country.

My personal belief is that dogs have an amazing ability to live up or down to our expectations of them. "Trainability" is less about the intelligence of the breed than about the capability of the trainer to analyse a dog's drives and use them to achieve results. Whippets may not be the easiest of dogs to train but they are far from untrainable. Howard is my first Whippet after three poodles - he holds his own in the intelligence stakes with them.

 

[Suerose]

I had to smile as, whilst reading this, I have been witnessing a "normal" incident in our household ..............
Jinny wanted the chew that Tizzy had

In order to get the result she wanted she first went and took another chew which Irie was in possession of :blink:

Then she brought that chew to the bed next to the one that Tizzy was chewing the ultimate prize in ...........

Tizzy became curious about the chew which Jinny had brought along and took her attention off her chew for a nano-second

Hey Presto!! Result!!! Jinny quickly sneaks in and gains possession of the chew that she wanted all along

Now if that's not clever, I'm a monkey's aunt :lol: :lol: (ok, no comments there please )

I see dozens of incidents similar to this on a daily basis and Jinny has become more and more devious and clever over the years. She is the smartest of my gang and yes, levels of intelligence in whippets definitely vary, but I believe they are just as clever as a border collie (if not more so :thumbsup: )

.......... and, incidentally, if I ask Jinny to chase a plastic bag on a string she looks at me as though I am one brick short of a full load :wacko: :wacko: but show her a live bunny and she becomes the fastest and most lethal weapon in the whippet world ........... now that's clever too

I know exactly what you mean. A friend and I were amazed (and amused) a couple of days ago when Grace, absolutely silently, pulled the zip on her closed handbag and extracted a bundle of tissues which she fancied having. Whippets know exactly what they want and they are darned good at getting it

 

[~Annie~]

Interesting post

Personally I don't much care for collies, so when I was looking for a new agility dog after the cocker we'd kind of fallen into agility with passed on I started looking at whippets (having wanted a whippet from childhood but somehow missed out on getting one), and I took advice from other's running agility whippets as to what kind of whippet to get and why. All whippets can do well at agililty, although some do better than others, and some will tell you that's down to the breeding (working versus racing, showing etc.) but few whippets can beat collies (much as I'm reluctant to admit that). Finn did very well but since changes at our club we now do less agililty but moved on to lure coursing about a year ago. There he really is in his element and does extremely well. I didn't buy him to lure course him but having discovered the joys of that sport with him I now have three whippets - two already coursing and a pup in training - and plans for another pup next year.

I suppose I'm saying two things here. Sometimes you have to have the dog before you find your niche with it activity wise. And that in my experience (with apologies to anyone I upset) most collie owners in agility, rightly or wrongly, are breedist ... they really should stick to collies as in their eyes nothing else will ever compare.

Oh and Jane ... that sounds so familiar. I have a book on animal behaviour that suggests only apes and man behave in that way - there's a name for it, will have to look it up - and I keep meaning to write to the author to correct him!

 

[TTT]

Some interesting views there. I posted on the lurcher section recently to ask peoples experience of lurchers in obedience and agility as i am considering a smallish whippet/beddy/collie type as my next dog to take part in these activities, mainly agility, where collies excel. Having said that, one of the very top dogs on the local circuit is a lurcher, probably with whippet/collie in its make up....

 

[Noise]

whippetfan, it wasn't directed at anyone on this board, rather what I've witnessed over time on all breed boards and bumping into people out on walks and snide comments about whippet's brain.

yes, of course they can be trained, but they have so much more than other breeds - it's like their intelligence come from whitin, they are wise. Eskil hasn't had any formal training, but by treating him as an equal, as a friend - he is very well behaved and a joy to live with, I don't need a clicker - I can just have a conversation with him and he'll know exactly what I want.

I guess the bottom line for me is that sighthounds are the most intelligent dogs.

 

[Janet]

Hi Jinnyfizz I know exactly what you mean. If someone is sitting in Alfie's place on the sofa he will go and get a toy, throw it up in the air a couple of times which means that the other 4 all get off and then he hops on and settles down looking like butter wouldn't melt!! Clever or what.

I do obedience and agility with one of my other boys and when I decided to take him training I didn't think of him as being a whippet and different from previous Dobes/GSDs that I had worked, he was my boy and I thought he would enjoy it. He loves going training and quite often is an "Honorary GSD" because there aren't any other breeds at the class. Show him an agility course and he's off and it's me that can't keep up with him and I know by the big soppy grin on his face that he's having the time of his life. Not all collies take to obedience/agility, the same as not all whippets would take to lure coursing - show Alfie a plastic bag to chase and he'd think I had seriously lost the plot! Not always horses for courses! I think whippet (all breeds) pups would benefit from going to a puppy class as we all know how important a recall is and also, of course, the socialisation aspect of the class.

 

[TillynPip]

Just adding something from my experience. I started taking Gracie to obedience from 12/14 weeks and she had done really well and earned her puppy badge in double quick time, with the trainer saying that she has had her eyes opened to whippets and their capabilities. Having said that, my 4 year old whippet X Tilly takes intelligence to a different level altogether and can learn something new first time shown and remember it. She would have been a great candidate for obedience or agility from an early age (before we had her). Unfortunately, Gracie hasn't been well recently so I have been unable to take her to puppy training where she is doing her bronze/silver but as soon as she is fit, we shall go back and for as long as we both enjoy it, shall continue. As soon as I see her getting fed up or bored, we'll call it a day. Different breeds have different instincts but if an individual dog shows a flair for something, then just go with it and enjoy it.

 

[peppermint lady]

I had to smile as, whilst reading this, I have been witnessing a "normal" incident in our household ..............
Jinny wanted the chew that Tizzy had

In order to get the result she wanted she first went and took another chew which Irie was in possession of :blink:

Then she brought that chew to the bed next to the one that Tizzy was chewing the ultimate prize in ...........

Tizzy became curious about the chew which Jinny had brought along and took her attention off her chew for a nano-second

Hey Presto!! Result!!! Jinny quickly sneaks in and gains possession of the chew that she wanted all along

Now if that's not clever, I'm a monkey's aunt :lol: :lol: (ok, no comments there please )

I see dozens of incidents similar to this on a daily basis and Jinny has become more and more devious and clever over the years. She is the smartest of my gang and yes, levels of intelligence in whippets definitely vary, but I believe they are just as clever as a border collie (if not more so :thumbsup: )

.......... and, incidentally, if I ask Jinny to chase a plastic bag on a string she looks at me as though I am one brick short of a full load :wacko: :wacko: but show her a live bunny and she becomes the fastest and most lethal weapon in the whippet world ........... now that's clever too

Jane are you calling my racers think :lol: :lol: :lol: they will chase anything that moves

out of mine, Cally is bright in as such she can open the crates to let herself in :wacko:

but at meal times the brains award goes to Smudge, who out of 6 is the only one with the sence to put her foot in her empty bowl to lick it clean.....everyone else follows theirs around the kitchen (w00t)

 

[T Hoare]

My mothers cousin is always saying how brilliant her brothers spaniel is, how bright it is etc. Our comment is well gundogs have to have their prey shot down for them, whereas a Whippet can (if allowed) catch & kill it's own dinner.

Whilst on a walk ours know exactly where all the cats are & if one is seen, then they look for several days at the exact same place!!

 

[cairo]

I don't do anything with my boys atm, I am agreeing that you should not do something because they're supposed to, rather the fact that some people ''force'' upon sighthounds to do things they're not naturally meant to do, and if they don't do it to a standard they expect, call them stupid.

Sorry but I have to say ....with no offence meant towards showers....that standing on tables doesn`t come naturally either but most show dogs seem to enjoy it!!!

 

[jakers]

We got a whippet as primarily it was the only dog our very intelligent gsds ( tounge in cheek!) didn't react to! Likewise we did lots of research and realised the numerous benefits of being owned by a whippet.

ALL our dogs do some form of obedience, agility and the whippets as the one GSD show, I have never experienced anyone saying that whippets don't have brains and yes ours will chase if the mood takes them. We would love to do lure coursing and/or racing however our location/occupation doesn't allow, likewise we don't have happy farmers round these parts for true working.

My whippets certainly wag a lot when doing what they enjoy whether that be showing or competing in an agility ring, indeed our oldest whippet 'queues' at the car to go to agility on a tuesday at the right time - now if that ain't intelligent I dunno what is!

This is a question many are asking of all sorts of breeds at the moment, owning a predominantly guarding breed as well as the sighthounds, there 'function' has to be subdued as us humans find it socially unacceptable.

 

[beaker]

both border collies and whippets are high IQ dogs

the key difference being.. BC's will jump through burning hoops to get your attention where as with whippets it's the other way around

 

[cairo]

We got a whippet as primarily it was the only dog our very intelligent gsds ( tounge in cheek!) didn't react to! Likewise we did lots of research and realised the numerous benefits of being owned by a whippet.
ALL our dogs do some form of obedience, agility and the whippets as the one GSD show, I have never experienced anyone saying that whippets don't have brains and yes ours will chase if the mood takes them. We would love to do lure coursing and/or racing however our location/occupation doesn't allow, likewise we don't have happy farmers round these parts for true working.

My whippets certainly wag a lot when doing what they enjoy whether that be showing or competing in an agility ring, indeed our oldest whippet 'queues' at the car to go to agility on a tuesday at the right time - now if that ain't intelligent I dunno what is!

This is a question many are asking of all sorts of breeds at the moment, owning a predominantly guarding breed as well as the sighthounds, there 'function' has to be subdued as us humans find it socially unacceptable.

Stunning dogs Jakers......both whippets and gsds!!!

 

[jakers]

We got a whippet as primarily it was the only dog our very intelligent gsds ( tounge in cheek!) didn't react to! Likewise we did lots of research and realised the numerous benefits of being owned by a whippet.
ALL our dogs do some form of obedience, agility and the whippets as the one GSD show, I have never experienced anyone saying that whippets don't have brains and yes ours will chase if the mood takes them. We would love to do lure coursing and/or racing however our location/occupation doesn't allow, likewise we don't have happy farmers round these parts for true working.

My whippets certainly wag a lot when doing what they enjoy whether that be showing or competing in an agility ring, indeed our oldest whippet 'queues' at the car to go to agility on a tuesday at the right time - now if that ain't intelligent I dunno what is!

This is a question many are asking of all sorts of breeds at the moment, owning a predominantly guarding breed as well as the sighthounds, there 'function' has to be subdued as us humans find it socially unacceptable.

Stunning dogs Jakers......both whippets and gsds!!!

why thank you, I think they are the best, but then I would say that wouldn't i? :lol: :lol:

 

[Suerose]

both border collies and whippets are high IQ dogs
the key difference being.. BC's will jump through burning hoops to get your attention where as with whippets it's the other way around

Love it :lol: & how true! My previous (much loved) dog was a border collie and he would lie in the middle of the road until total strangers would come and speak to him. Grace is far more selective with her affections.

 

[annie2]

interesting views on this topic, maybe as whippet people we need to rise above 'snide comments'

Noise I envy your ability to have found a whippet that understands conversation and needs little training-what is your secret? I'm sure others would welcome you sharing the technique with us!

Interested in others views about what comes 'natural' to whippets, seems to me as a very new owner that just about anything comes natural and that most exist to please themselves first and the rest of us second. Having said that I guess really they like doing most things when they want to, be that show work lure obedience agility and anything else we think may be fun for them.

we are lucky to have such a wonderful obliging breed-lets all just enjoy them for what they are.