A small slender breed of dog developed in Britain by cross-breeding small greyhounds with terriers; resembles greyhound but slightly deeper body; occasionally used for racing or hunting rabbits.
| Whippet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Whippet | ||
| Country of origin | ||
| England | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| FCI: | Group 10 Section 3 #162 | Stds |
| AKC: | Hound | Stds |
| ANKC: | Group 4 (Hounds) | Stds |
| CKC: | Group 2 (Hounds) | Stds |
| KC (UK): | Hound | Stds |
| NZKC: | Hounds | Stds |
| UKC: | Sighthounds & Pariahs | Stds |
The Whippet is a breed of dog, specifically a member of the sighthound family.
Appearance
Whippets are a medium-size dog ranging from 25 to 40 lb (11–18 kg), with a maximum height of 22 inches (56 cm). Because color is considered immaterial in judging whippets, they come in a wide variety of colors and marking patterns, everything from solid black to solid white, with red, fawn, brindle, blue, or cream.
Temperament
Whippets are generally quiet and gentle dogs, content to spend much of the day sleeping.
Whippets are not well adapted for living in a kennel or as outside dogs. Whippets are quiet and thus well suited to apartment life, although they do need regular exercise.
Whippets, as their heritage would suggest (they have been called a "poorman's greyhound"), are outstanding running dogs and are top competitors in lure coursing, straight racing, and oval track racing. With new methods of motivational obedience training being used, whippets are becoming successful obedience dogs. The elegance and ease of grooming of the whippet have made it a popular show dog, but to be successful at this sport, you must purchase a puppy who is considered by its breeder to be show quality.
Health
Given proper nutrition, exercise, and veterinary care, most whippets live for 12 to 15 years. Because of this threat, the American Whippet Club recommends that all breeders have the eyes checked clear on their breeding stock. The heart of a whippet is large and slow beating, often being arhythmic or even intermittent when the animal is at rest, sometimes causing concern to the owner, or to the vet not experienced with this breed. In the Nineteenth century, whippet racing was a national sport in England, more popular than football but the modern whippet was created when the English Kennel Club recognized the whippet as a show dog in 1890 and starting recording pedigrees. The whippet's versatility as a hunting, racing, exhibition or companion dog soon made it the most popular of the sighthound breeds.
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