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Whippets and Whippet Crosses

The elegant and graceful whippet is often to be seen competing at agility shows.  The pure bred whippet can be anything from 17ins to 21ins (44-51cm), but the ones I've seen in the competing have all been in the large classes.  The weight is around 27 to 31lb (12.5 to 14kg).  Whippets always look very light on their feet when they're jumping and they do have a different style to collies. Pictured left is a pure bred whippet. (Photo by kind permission of Morguefile)

The breed is built for speed and some of them do very well in competition.  People who have had whippets give mixed reports on how easy they are to train.  Most people say that they have a gentle, even temperament but you have to remember that the whippet is a hound and it will be inclined to chase.  Some people have found them difficult to train.  One problem with whippets is their very fine skin which is easily damaged.  They also need protection from the hot sun and from cold weather. 

Pictured on the right is Phoebe, a whippet/spaniel cross.  Phoebe stands about 19inches high and would come into the large category if she was an agility dog.  She has an excellent temperament and is very easy to train and to handle.

Respondents to the survey said that they would choose a whippet cross for agility again.  The whippet terrier/cross mentioned below came into the medium category for agility.

Comments from the respondents to the survey:

Conure:
I find whippets easy to train if you give them a reason to obey. Most of the dogs I've met are very very food motivated though they do have the attention span of a gnat (Heehee). Once they get it down they'll trip over themselves to do it for you. Mind you I've lived and trained with birds and dogs are FAR easier to train!

Judi Broad:
Because she is part whippet Dasha can get a bit fast and hyper but once she is under control she can channel all her energy into the agility course. She is fantastic at jumping and the pause, but she is quite nervous so the a frame was a real challenge!

Jess (Whippet / collie cross):
Always lovely natured and a very calm dog indoors. easy to train, needs quite a lot of exercise, gets bored quickly, can be very fast.

Velva:
Whisky is a whippet Husky mix. He is still a puppy but my son and the puppy get along wonderfully.

Lucy:
I'm thinking of getting a whippet and teaching it agility! Has anyone got any advice to help me out.
Pat comments:  If you join our forum you'll find lots of  people who are willing to help.  A whippet might not be the best choice for a first agility dog as they are typical hounds.  They don't all have a great attention span and as others have commented they love to sniff.  It's not a fault, it's part of their make-up.  A whippet needs consistent and careful training and you may have to be a bit firmer than you would be with other dogs.  Good luck.

Deborah (Sasha - Alsatian x Whippet):
Easy to train, obedient and cute!

Annyetta (greyhound/whippet cross)
She's fast doing contacts well and fun.  Not the easiest to train but she gets it in the end.

Charlene (Whippet terrier cross)
 I have a whippet cross terrier she has a lovely temperament and is very playful. She gets on with other dogs when she's out. She thinks that she can play with cats but I don't let her. she lives with me and my carer and also with my 3 Guinea pigs, 1 hamster and 2 Gerbils but she leaves them alone.

Elaine (Whippet and possibly pointer cross)
Sasha is the most graceful, kindest, most loving dog I've ever owned, and she excels at the athletic part of agility, but...she has a training attention span of about 20 minutes and is not very treat motivated.  When boredom sets in, she'd just as soon go home and snuggle on her couch, thank you very much.  Can she do the physical part of agility?  ABSOLUTELY YES, and she looks stunning!  Does she want to?  Only if the mood strikes her and we don't do it too long (but I love her anyway!)

Jack Russell / Whippet Cross (small and easy to train):
She is very fast!!

SLM (Cavalier /Whippet cross):
This type of breed would be brilliant at agility as the obstacles themselves are no problem, keeping her attention and preventing her from sniffing is the stumbling block!!
(This one came into the "Oh Dear" category for ease of training.)

Shaun Jackson, who has a whippet/doberman cross, says:

"She is very fast and enthusiastic, she beats my collie by 5 secs on a easy jumping course. Not for the faint hearted. We are both still beginners."

Comments received on the whippet/terrier cross were:

"Terriers have a mind of their own but their smart and quick to learn (once they put their minds to it!!) - training was challenging - but the hard work pays off... they may not be as quick as a Collie but they add a little variety!"

Kay Oxley writes:
I have a kelpie x whippet (probably, as she is a rescue) She is a delight to train and very, very athletic, but doesn't have the 'drive' that you see in many herding breeds. Of course it depends on what else is in there other that whippet, but I would suggest that these dogs are excellent for people new to the sport as they are keen and capable without being manic.

Kay adds further comments:
"My little lurcher is a delight and has managed lots of top 10 Starter places this year. She is sweet, willing and incredibly athletic. The only consideration is that - like lots of lurchers - she has limited concentration and would be very easy to overtrain. The only reason I am not going for another one is that my pure bred kelpie (a flaming nightmare to train!) has got so far under my skin with his character, intelligence and 'kelpie traits'(nothing to do with agility) that I can't imagine having any other breed in future, but this is in no way detrimental to the lovely lurchers."

Comments on cavalier/whippet cross
"Lots of obedience training before starting  agility.  Our dog has a tendency to wander off sniffing if there is anything more interesting on the ground!" 
 

Some further responses on whippets and whippet crosses have been sent in:

One person has found the pure bred whippet difficult to train, but others with a whippet/patterdale cross and a whippet/Jack Russell terrier have found both of these crosses fairly easy and recommended them for agility.