Whippets 101: Lesson 2: "It's How You Raise Them!"
The Good the Bad & the Ugly: Don’t Consider a Whippet Before You Read This.
People discover the whippet breed for a variety of reasons… sometimes they know one personally or met one on a walk. Sometimes a whippet was recommended on an internet quiz. Or maybe it was a photo on Instagram.
As much as we love whippets, they are definitely not a good fit for everyone! So before you jump into the search for your next family member, be sure that the breed is right for you - read on for inconvenient truths and answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.
We hope you enjoy the second lesson in our Whippets 101 blog post series!
2 | Prey Drive? But It’s How You Raise Them!
THE SKINNY: THE SIGHTHOUND FACTOR
Different breeds of dogs have been bred to fulfill different roles for mankind for thousands of years. Collies and gundogs (such as spaniels and retrievers) have been bred for the characteristics required for herding or retrieving, in tandem with a human handler and enhanced by man, over many centuries. Whippets and sighthound breeds have been designed to hunt independently by sight. Please note the “independently” part.
Because of this, all purebred sighthound breeds have a deeply ingrained natural ‘prey drive’ and an innate desire to pursue quarry upon impulse. While there may be variations in intensity level, this trait is hard-wired into their genetics.
INCONVENIENT TRUTHS
SPEED, LEADS & CRITTERS
Whippets are very good at doing what they were bred to do - chase, catch, and kill small animals. Although there are some whippets do well living with indoor cats, there is always a significant degree of risk involved due to their inherent natural strong prey drive.
While many online resources describe whippets as “cat-like”, this does NOT mean that they will like your pet cat.
Those who keep whippets and cats together most successfully have a mature (not senior), large, very confident, and strictly-indoor cat that will not run if chased and has easily accessible safe spaces to escape to if need be. The whippet must be introduced to the cat and learn respect from puppyhood, and will never be left alone loose unsupervised. Again, this absolutely does not guarantee the safety of the cat.
PROTIP: If you are deeply offended by the frequent hunting/dispatching of backyard wildlife, a whippet is most definitely not for you.
Remember how a sighthound is designed to function independently from their handler? This means that they make their own decisions before they will take any requests from you (yes, your months of training will always be just that - a request!).
And what if, doing what they bred to, decided to chase something while not attached to a lead? Sprinting at speeds of 40 MPH+, how long will it take them to be out of earshot? And out of sight? Not long, I can assure you. When lost and frightened, even the friendliest of hounds can revert to spooky, almost feral behavior.
This makes them notoriously difficult to catch (even by people they know), and prone to being hit by cars. Please read “Trust: A Deadly Disease.”
If you do not plan on keeping your dog on a lead or in a fenced area 100% of the time, for life, please consider a breed that is trainable for an excellent recall. A whippet is NOT for you.
