Anyone got a Whippet?

What do you think of them as a first dog?

Brilliant dogs – any if the true sight hounds make fantastic pets.
Happy to run happy to sleep – 20mins and they are done.
Incredible with kids too – can do anything with them.
They will even be happy with a cat – just don’t expect them to love next doors though unless its for lunch….

Amazing. Loyal and well tempered. My new 8mo is on my lap now. This will be number 3 got number 1 at 16, lived to be 13/4, his son and heir got run over coursing a hair. Then had a gap of 6 years or so got a new one who follows me everywhere and is extremely Intelligent. Despite being Swedish.

Brilliant dogs. Dad has a whippet / collie cross. Managed to pull it off and has the speed of the whippet with the intelligence of the collie. Slightly hardier than normal whiplets, no coat needed in cold weather.

Edit: Oh, and the cat adores her despite being chased from time to time.

Brilliant dogs. Dad has a whippet / collie cross. Managed to pull it off

Come again?

Probably did.

STW has a Woppit, does that count?

Wasn’t the dog I would have picked, however my other half was determined.

Now coming up for four years old and she’s been brilliant.

Great temperament, great personality and makes a very fast trail hound!

Don’t have one myself, but all the ones I know are great dogs. Great fun, love a chase (even if it’s them jogging with Molly (BT) in full sprint thinking she might catch them) and I haven’t met one with a bad temperament. Lovely pooches.

Hasnt moved all night after a spot of sheep herding..

A few of our friends have Whippets which are great, we’ve got a couple of Whippet/Lurcher crosses. As said above they have a fabulous temperament, great with kids and they will genuinely make you smile every day. They are complete wusses though.

They’ll walk if you want to then sleep the rest of the day, almost like a cat in that respect.

We’ve got a Whippet/Collie cross, he’s a bit of a dick at times if I’m honest. At his best he is as the others have eulogised above, alas I think he has too much collie in the brain department. He’ll chase anything from a mobility scooter :face palm:, to a train in fact anything moving faster than a walk, although he prefers to be chased than chase other dogs, more sport in it I suppose.

He loves these

more than anything else in the world, in fact you can see his eyes refocus and change as he goes into “ball mode”, he will run 500m across a park to hassle someone with a ball chucker. He is the sneakiest food thief ever, if the kitchen door is ever left open he’ll realise in 0.25s and be in and up on his hind legs checking out anything left on the side, if there’s nothing out he’ll just give it a good old lick down just to make sure he hasn’t missed a crumb.

Still I think most of his faults are down to his collie brain, he also seems to have collie levels of endurance combined with Whippet speed and maneuverability and will run almost any dog he has met into the ground, he’s a phenomenal sight in the woods running and bounding over obstacles. Some proper dog people (always men) with big hunting dogs (Weimeraners, Ridge backs etc) get the hump when our rescue lurcher tears up the wood leaving their pride and joy dogs a panting confused mess and Barney wanting more.

Despite his faults he has a great temperament is great with kids and (most) other dogs (he will bully wussie dogs) even eliciting playful responses from dogs whose owners have thought them well past such youthful japery. He does make me smile everyday and cry out in frustration too. I’d not hesitate to get another Whippet or any other sight hound/lurcher but I’d think twice about a collie or collie cross. My dog Barney, he’s a dick but I love him all the same.

Brilliant dogs. Dad has a whippet / collie cross. Managed to pull it off

Come again

Well, if you get it wrong you get the speed and neuroses of the collie with the intelligence of the whippet…

Thanks all

Our lurcher has a fair amount of whippet in her she is the best dog ever in the history of dogs. Whippets can be a bit nervous around people from what I’ve seen they arent on the face of it overly friendly with people. But when the get to know you they are fine and are very loyal with family. Whippets and my lurcher dont really like the rough and tumble that a young familly may provide but she has never even looked like retailating to the odd slap, hair pull and pinches shes had and a few dogs have been put firmly back in their box if they have looked funny at anagallis junior.

Second best rough bitch in Berkshire…. and there are a quite a few rough bitches in Reading!!