Dog Breed of the Month - Whippet

The Whippet is a medium sized, short haired sighthound. They are usually 17 – 20 inches tall and have a lifespan of 12-14 years. They are quiet, sweet, affectionate dogs and make great family pets.

Whippets are generally considered to be a very healthy breed, with no genetic illness or hereditary conditions. Because they are lean and muscular dogs they are structurally sound, so they are easy to keep fit and healthy.

Whippets are sighthounds which means they were originally bred to course hare and like most sighthound breeds can take off in a moment if they see something small and moving in their eye-line. They are generally easier to train than most sighthound breeds and quite often happy to chase a ball. Training is advised to get that recall up to scratch though!

Whippets are quiet dogs, not known as barkers and after they’ve had a run, very happy to sleep the rest of the day. They don’t like going out in the rain and cold and usually need a coat to cope with the elements. Because they have no body fat when fit (and no-one wants to see a fat whippet, so keep them lean!), they can need an extra layer of fleece in the winter at night.

If you are happy to adopt a dog, then there are often whippets in rescue, but even more so whippet crossbred lurchers who are usually similar in size and temperament, depending on what they are crossed with.