Longhaired whippets

[Artfish]

I love sighthounds. I love the "lean," the personality, the mindset, the prey drive, the running, everything. I really like borzoi but I enjoy the smaller size of whippets. The other night "Dogs 101" had a segment on whippets and I really like what was said about them..... but "Dogs 101" isn't exactly the most factual around so I would love it if Chazzers here could tell me about whippets, specifically longhaired ones because I *LOVE* HAIR!!! Is this a breed that enjoys being brushed out? I know it's a breed that likes to lounge in between mad dashes. My guess is the whippet is a typical sighthound that cannot be let off-leash to run except in a very securely fenced area? The show pointed out that the whippet is more biddable than the other sighthounds, is this true? Thanks in advance.

 

[jess2416]

Dekka has 2!! hopefully she will see this

 

[vanillasugar]

Dekka has 2!! hopefully she will see this

This is what I was coming in to say

Bounce and Dash are awesome dogs!

 

[Artfish]

Yes I am hoping Dekka sees this.

 

[Dekka]

Hey

Was at an agility trial all weekend so just saw this.

I LOVE Bounce.. she is nearly perfect for me. And I am really picky in what I like for dogs for 'me'.

They are much less aloof than other sighthounds. Bounce is very mom focused but loves all humans. They don't require much at all in the way of grooming. Just check to make sure no knots behind ears or in the pants.

They are busy puppies. Mine were extremely busy from what I hear lol. But as adults they are very easy. Bounce is ready to run and play when ever I am ready, but if I am busy she just wants to chill in her crate. (its beside my desk) She will ask for the door to be opened if its closed lol.

This weekend was Bounces first agility trial. It was also her first hotel stay. She wasn't so sure about the hotel. She was good but you could tell it was a bit stressful for her. She became a lot more happy when 'her' house was set up and she knew she had a place that was hers. She did well at the trial. She was a little stressed but picked up a Q and had some nice runs, and some not so nice ones where she kept getting distracted by the ring crew.

They are more sensitive and soft than the dogs I am used to dealing with. I am fine with sensitive but am not a fan of soft. Bounce is less soft than most. They are extremely easy to train as long as you keep training sessions short.

if you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer them.

 

[Pops2]

among old time lurchermen (at least if you read their books) they considered the deerhound & whippet the two smartest breeds.

 

[Artfish]

Dekka, good info. I suppose they would be great clicker dogs. Soft is not something I am too crazy about but I think that comes with the sighthound territory. Would you say the stress levels you describe is normal to whippets? I've got a very sharp, nervy dog right now that is absolutely not a good "PR" dog so at the top of my list is very sound nerves and high confidence. A busy puppy is not an issue at all.

Congrats on Bounce's Q! Very nice.

Pops, that is good information, thank you.

 

[Dekka]

Whippets tend to be more confident.. well more resilient than many other sighthounds I meet. Bounce is easily upset, but it doesn't last more than a few seconds. But many tend to be worriers.. so it depends on what you are ok with. LOL you have to remember 'my' breed is JRTs so take that into concideration lol.

 

[Romy]

Resiliency depends a lot on the individual. I've met both borzoi and whippets who were gibbering wrecks, and then met some, like Kaia and Strider, who you could scream at the top of your lungs at and they just look at you like, "Nice job! You can be loud!" Not that I scream at them, but there is a toddler in our house, lol.

Some female borzoi are pretty small, I've seen a couple under 25 inches. Not super common, but if you wanted a borzoi you could contact some breeders and have them put the word out on borzoi lists. Most breeders when they get an undersized female like that try to get them in a pet home, which can be hard to find for them because part of the reason folks are drawn to borzoi is their size.

ETA: resiliency, IMO is just a matter of good breeding. A good breeder of any sight hound breed should both be producing stable dogs.

 

[Dekka]

I dont' mean resiliency in that they dont' care about things. Its if they are upset how fast do they bounce back.

Most Zoi I have met are fairly resilient. Greyhounds and iggies not so much. Yes its breeding but there are breed characteristics too.

Its like saying just cause you meet a lot of barky spun JRTs that is what the breed is. I have met a fair amount of sight hounds that are not terribly resilient despite being outgoing, drivey happy dogs.