Dog sitting a 3 year old male Whippet for a couple of weeks due to some unfortunate circumstances. Regards walking I’m fortunate enough to be close by to a range of Munro’s. The dog has excellent recall and I was thinking of doing an 8 hour hillwalk with him. My question is will he cope? (Excellent health) I’m concerned about endurance because of his sprint nature and next to no hair/fur to keep him warm? So are Whippets happy with very long arduous walks?

Has it done anything like that in the past? 8 hours is a big day out without building up to it, irrelevant if your man or dog.

As above it does depend on the dog, has it done an 8 hour day anywhere? If the dog isn’t used to rough going it may be hard on their pads as well first time out.

For reference though, we have a 10yr old whippet and he’s been up snowdon, helvellyn and enjoys looking walks around rhayader. He will however then sleep solidly the following day!

Take plenty of water and food!

Oh yeah if it’s raining he’s a pansy and wears a coat but not too fussed otherwise!

He is well exercised daily on a lead ( total 2 hours per day) Twice a week he gets off for around an hour each time. If I went a big walk would drinking  river water  etc be ok? What snacks? Take his own dry meal or dog snacks ? There is a pet4homes near me, would they be good for nutrition advice etc. I’ve ended up with him as ‘I like to exercise lots’ and truth be told, I’m excited to have a companion.

Not very robust in wet and/or windy weather as lots of surface area compared to mass. They get very cold and stay that way, it’s going to need layers like you would on a big day out. If it’s not done a lot of big days out you may break it. Once they’re fit, they are cracking dogs for exercise but equally happy to snooze on the sofa for 23 hours a day.

EDIT: Pics, you know the rules!

Lurcher owner here. I’d say that is potentially too much unless it is a regular mountain goer. There is a good chance he’ll wear his pads through if they aren’t already toughened. Soft peaty hills better than dry rocky ones.

Lastly what will he do if he sees a hare or deer etc? Whoosh! Fenton!

assuming all good, i’d take a meal of dry food and some salami sticks that are irresistible but he’ll be more interested in your pack lunch IME. River water is fine. My dog won’t drink until thirsty though – there may not be water higher up for example so you might have to share!

Personally id go on a shorter walk to see how he gets on first. And yeah a coat for sure.

incidentally ive seen a couple of dogs that are not used to being on mountains get pretty freaked out by it, they don’t like the wind or it’s just unfamiliar to them. Anyway they just sat and whimpered and wouldn’t go on! Owners had to take them back down.

So are Whippets happy with very long arduous walks?

No, we have two whippets and I’d say that eight hours is way too much; they simply don’t have the energy reserves – nor the insulation. His pads and paws may not cope with the terrain for that length of time.

This thread needs pictures!

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Day 2: Same idiot dogs, different place. #whippetsofinsta #whippet #dogsofinstagram #brockhampton #walkswithmydog #springtime

A post shared by Andy Gines (@fettlin) on Mar 27, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT

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Day 5: Dog No2 is not the full ticket. #saluki #dogsofinstagram #salukicross #dogslife #home #thickasmince #special

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It's definitely his good side! The boy out enjoying the morning constitutional. #whippetsofinsta #whippet #dogsofinstagram #whippetlove #countrylife #herefordshire #edwynralph #lovewhereyoulive

A post shared by Andy Gines (@fettlin) on May 24, 2020 at 3:05am PDT

The blue boy is 10 (whippet) and had lots of adventures with us, the white girl is 18 months (saluki x) rescued and will be coming with us lots!

Don’t take it up a mountain for eight hours unless you already know it can cope.

Or you’re happy carrying it for seven hours.

Not that they are easy to carry, bit of an awkward shape.

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Whassat Tetley? Issa squirrel? #whippetsofinstagram #whippet #whippetlove

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Or you’re happy carrying it for seven hours.

Not that they are easy to carry, bit of an awkward shape.

Had to spit some coffee back into the mug reading that @chakaping!

Our two:

Our Collie/Whippet has a well used carrying handle built in,A full on nervous Skit bag(Shes a Rescue)

We have a lurcher, she’s pretty old now but in general terms would walk further than me! I would er on shorter ones as saud because the pads may not be up to it and they act like they’ve been shot if their feet get hurt!!! Also I would have it on lead so that it cant run too much and also if it sees something to chase, it will get chased, even if that is off a cliff!
On feeding, dont worry, feed a few hours before exercise and even then a light meal. Running dogs can have very serious twisted gut issues if they run on a full stomach. A few snacks would be fine but not a proper meal.

I decided to go for it. We covered two Munro’s and a Corbett. (Narnain, Ime, Arthur in that order). Around 9 miles in just less than 7 hours. I was prepared to turn back if things got too much, but no need, he loved it and I saw no ill effects. Off the lead all day.Initially way out in front but settled to 6 feet all around. No jacket required but I had it with me. I took his dry meal and treats. Loved the treats but not interested in his main meal at any point. He had one of my corn beef sandwiches and seemed happy with that. Back home now and he has scoffed his dinner and seems content in bed. It was nice walking with a dog. He goes back to his owner in a few weeks but I can see me collecting him in the future for more walks together.

Excellent, glad it worked out well. Hopefully he’ll associate you with great days out and get excited when he sees you.
The food thing sounds exactly like what mine would do…not interested in his proper meal until the end, but it’s there just in case. Probably knows there is better things to be had first. But will eat it when he wants it.

I forgot to mention putting your own phone number on his collar in case you lost him. From personal experience it’s a bit embarrassing when the owner gets a call to say their dog has been found, so maybe take the owners off temporarily too. Lastly every time my dog has chased something he’s always gone back to where we were last together…eventually! Oh and clip a little flashing bike light to his collar if it’s getting late.

Any pics of the walk?

No pics sorry. I like to be away from it all when out on the hills. Just found out too that he is not a Whippet but a retired racing greyhound. I assumed he was a whippet because he is so small. I like the idea of a contact number in his collar.

Wow! Can’t believe an ex-racer was up for a 7 hour walk! He must have been completely re-mapped. Fantastic effort! Ours used to stop dead after about four miles. And she was a devil to carry home.

Enjoy the company. And good luck getting your sofa back 😉