The Whippet, sometimes confused with an Italian Greyhound, is a site hound with a high prey drive and equally as high pack drive. These dogs, which are versions of the original Greyhound, came about in England when people bred Greyhounds with terriers to create an effective small game hunter. Known then as the poor man’s Greyhound it has since been recognized as a highly intelligent hunting breed and is one of the fastest breeds of dog in existence. In fact, it’s the only breed of dog that lifts all four legs off the ground at once, extending its body into a full stretch in the air when running.
Even though a Whippet is considered a family pet and even though Whippets need lots of love and attention, they are still very independent dogs. And, although they are very much couch potatoes when they aren’t active, that doesn’t mean they don’t need constant exercise and mental stimulation.
Whippets need to run and not only do they need to run, they need to run AFTER something. They are bred to chase prey and that is what motivates these animals. If you are not a very active person and do not want to spend a lot of time and effort training your Whippet and exercising it, but instead only wish to give your Whippet lots of love and attention and nothing else, then a Whippet is not the right breed of dog for you.
There are a lot of problems that can arise within the Whippet breed if not exercised and trained properly such as the following:
- They will become stir crazy
- They will become incredibly annoying, bothering you to take them somewhere, which many people can translate as nothing more than bad behavior.
- They can develop destructive chewing habits. Because, unlike humans, dogs can’t start doing drugs or smoking cigarettes or picking up other habits that quench their frustration they will take their frustration out in other forms such as chewing, urinating inside, barking uncontrollably or biting people – all of which can happen when your Whippets doesn’t get enough daily exercise.
- Your Whippet can become mopey, bored and depressed. This dog is hereditarily designed to run, hunt and be active for a purpose. If these inbred needs are not met, then your Whippet will be unfulfilled and become incredibly depressed and destructive.
- Whippets can become generally annoying. When a dog becomes annoying then you, as the owner, can become indifferent and further neglect the needs of your dog. You may even misinterpret this annoyance as bad behavior, which it isn’t – it’s just a lack of exercise and stimulation.
Even though Whippets are incredibly independent, they must not be left alone for very long. If you work a lot and have to leave your dog in its crate for eight hours a day or out in the backyard for that amount of time, then a whippet is not for you. Also, if you’re expecting to come home from work and just relax – think again. When you come home you will need to exercise your Whippet and then proceed to give your Whippet lots of love and attention.
Another thing you need to take into account before you get a Whippet is its health needs. Whippets not only require the correct diet, but they also need a daily all-in-one supplement such as the famed Proud Dog Health Complete Wellness supplement. This is actually the easiest part about owning a Whippet, especially if you use the Proud Dog Health Complete Wellness supplement. Because its in powder form, you need only sprinkle a scoop of it in your dog’s food once a day in order for your dog to get all of the vitamins and minerals it needs.
Whippets need added supplemental support with joint health, immune system, skin and coat, digestive system and needs all of the essential fatty acids and 24 vitamins and minerals essential to any dog’s long term health. Proud Dog Complete Wellness provides all of these things.
If you’re active and have the time and effort to spend on your Whippet then you’ll have no problem as an owner. But, if you work long hours and are looking for a calmer, less active companion then you should consider a different breed.