Whippet puppies

About the Whippet

The Whippet was bred in the north of England by working men who wanted a sighthound they could afford to keep, crossing small greyhounds with terrier stock and running them at rabbits and later down a straight track. This is a slight, deep chested dog with a short coat, an arched loin and very little body fat, built entirely for acceleration. In the house they are quiet, clean and undemanding, and they sit at the bottom of the barking scale, which is unusual for a hound.

Exercise comes in short sharp bursts rather than long slogs: a hard sprint in a safely fenced space, lure coursing, or a few vigorous retrieving sessions a week will do more good than an hour of plodding. Grooming is a weekly brush and the occasional bath. The thin coat and lack of fat mean the dog feels the cold and wants a padded bed and a coat in winter. They stay on lead outside a fence. That lean outline is meant to be there, so do not feed them up until they look like a heavier breed.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Whippet puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• The Whippet frame is not suited to carrying excess weight, so lifelong portion control is advised
• Orthopaedic problems linked to being kept overweight, which regular body condition scoring at the vet prevents
• Cardiac disease, with a cardiac exam recommended by the national breed club
• Eye disease and deafness, with an ophthalmologist evaluation and BAER testing recommended

Your Whippet puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Whippet.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 11.3 to 18.1 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 30 inch (30 x 20 x 23 in, 76 x 51 x 58 cm) for an adult of up to 18.1 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Whippet

Previous: Wetterhoun · Next: White Swiss Shepherd Dog

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Whippet breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/whippet/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Winky, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.