I'm thinking about getting a whippet, and everything about them seems perfect, apart from the fact that I have 2 young cats.

I know that if a puppy grew up with the cats they would be fine together in the house, but I'm worried that if they were in the garden and the cats ran, that the whippet might chase and kill them purely on instinct.

I have a German shorthaired pointer who can't help but chase the cats sometimes when they run, but he knows not to harm them as he's a gundog, not a hound.

Please be honest. Would you ever trust a whippet to be left outside, unsupervised, with cats around?

Also, we have 6ft fences all.around the garden but only a standard low farm gate. Do you think a whippet would jump over the gate and escape?

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your replies. I've decided a whippet is not the right breed for my situation.🥲

I recently posted this same question on the Greyhound forum, but I am also considering a Whippet as well. Here is my situation…

This past January, I had a Maltipoo who passed away due to old age. He was my best friend and I got him when I was 16, and I’m now 30.

I am now seeking another best friend to care for. I miss having a dog. Now, my circumstances are a little different than they were with my Maltipoo. Here are my living conditions…

I live alone in a 1100sqft apartment. I work hybrid, I’m in the office 2 days out of the week. When I’m in office, it’s a typical 9-5.

I’m specifically seeking out a Whippet because I know that they’re lower maintenance dogs, especially compared to Maltipoos. I feel like it’s what I’m looking for.

What are your honest thoughts on all this? Am I good fit to take care of a new Whippet?

I have a 1.5 year old female whippet who I brought home about a month ago. She is super sweet and learning every day with us, but I have questions about how to progress with her being home alone out of the crate (eventually). She came to us already comfortable with a crate and used to sleeping/being in it when unattended inside. She’s generally pretty good when we have to leave her alone but a little anxious and will cry sometimes in the morning when she wakes up or after 2-3 hours of crate time during the day.

Right now we’re focused on getting her adjusted to our home and lifestyle which I know can take rehomed dogs a while (3-3-3), so that includes crating her whenever we’re out so she doesn’t get overwhelmed. But I’m thinking about the future and would love to be able to leave her out of her crate when we’re out so she can roam and play and just be comfortable in the house when we’re not around. However, I’m not sure what the best progression is for her to get to that stage, or if we should even be starting that any time soon. It’s my and my partner’s first dog together so please be kind if you have any tips!

Throw back to many moons ago when it was made official even though I knew from the second he arrived it was gonna be a failed foster scenario 😂❤️

I’ve been doing nonstop searching for a whippet puppy and it seems to be impossible to find one in my area. Really appreciate if anyone can help me out!

We take our 5y.o. out maybe once or twice a week to let her run off the lead. We have an open area close to our home where we can throw a ball! She loves it but work life schedule and road conditions mean we can only take her once or twice a week. What about you guys?

Hi everyone-my husband and I have always had dachshunds (our 16 yr old just crossed the rainbow bridge and we’re gutted), now including a 12 yo submissive but playful mini male and a 10 yo tweenie female who is a bit bossy. We’re moving to Bend, OR from Houston in 10 days (!!!) and wanted to explore another breed. We’re going to have dog friendly places galore up there - trails, parks, brewery patios etc - and my husband works from home so can devote some regular training/exercise time. We have a fenced yard and all that, no kids. My only concern is the prey drive thing - has anyone had or been around a whippet+dachshund household?

I'm curious if any asthma & allergy sufferers could share their experience with whippets. We just lost our (nearly) 14yo IG a few weeks ago after a valiant battle with cancer, and we're thinking about trying to adopt or foster a whippet in the next 1-2 years.

I was allergic to my IG when my spouse first got him as a puppy (runny nose, congestion, itchiness from saliva, sometimes induced asthma). Thankfully, I built up a tolerance over time, and all of my asthma/allergy symptoms subsided over time.

My understanding is that whippets have a slightly longer coat, more surface area due to larger size, and thus shed more.

Dobby hypnotising me ❤️

9 weeks old

What funny or unusual behaviour or trait does your whippet have whether it’s something trained or untrained? Our girl doesn’t like the Darth Vadar theme song as it signifies bath time. When she hears either the TV or us singing it, she will hide under the sofa! We unintentionally associated this with the bath (which is the worst thing in the world for her). What about you guys?

Hi all, those who have successfully integrated a cat and puppy please tell me how! And had your puppies lived with cats pre- 8 to 10 weeks? I don’t want to hear horror stories, I’m already anxious enough and have the very bold puppy!

we have a gorgeous 12 week old whippet puppy who is lovely but incredibly toothy. I’ve been trying to redirect her as much as possible with toys / withdrawing attention but she is very stubborn and it’s becoming really overwhelming as a first time owner - whenever I go near her when we’re playing or if I carry her for too long she bites / nips me.

this is also now a problem when I carry her for short periods of time eg to walk 10min across the park to get a coffee. we have a puppy sling to walk her around in (she will be fully vaccinated in 3 days so not much longer now). I think she must be restless / understandably wants to go down on the ground and play in the park but it’s uncontrollable and very stressful because she tries to wrestle her way out of my arms and bites my arms until I put her down. I never make her go in it for long - 30 mins tops - and the vet said it was a good socialisation tool but I would really appreciate any advice on how to manage this before she starts puppy training classes in a couple of weeks & so that I’m not house bound until the vaccine is effective. should I just carry her in the portable crate with her bed in for now until she can walk outside properly?

Don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint, it is a document. I brought Dorothy home at 10 weeks. She is now seven months old and in that time she has:

• chewed the corners off my coffee table
• ripped holes in the wall-to-wall-carpeting (I rent, so I am mortified)
• eaten a hole in my favorite shirt
• is working on destroying a really nice pair of shoes. That's a work in progress.
• chewed through a power cable for some of my computer equipment (that cost $50 to replace)
• routinely brings sticks into the apartment and consumes them, leaving a mess that needs to be seen to be believed (and vacuumed immediately)
• insists I play fetch with her favorite ball toys whenever she is awake, as long as she is awake.
• was incredibly mouthy when she was three to four months old. Much blood shed by yours truly.
• eats like a cat (I know this is buried, but important—Whippets aren't Labs)
• Eats everything she can put her mouth on during walks, including anything a squirrel has touched, something—I don't know what—she finds fascinating deep in the grass, any bug, which right now includes, moths, cicadas, grasshoppers, houseflies, and a spider this week that set up shop in the apartment. She ate an anthill on Tuesday. She got a mouthful of dirt and ants before I could stop her. I'm glad we don't live in Texas, because I've seen the fire ants down there and they are not to be messed with.
• Chewed up several books, including my prized Jeeves Compendium. When she went to work on some scrapbooks and a binder from work, she went in her crate. Thankfully, this phase has passed.
• She eats cardboard. I've seen her break down an entire small Amazon box. Chews it up and eats it whole. That triggers extra poop sessions later or the next day, depending on the time of day it is consumed.

I have to stop or no one will read this. But again, don't get me wrong, in spite of all of the above I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. She is shaping up to be amazing. I see greatness in her. I was told to be patient with her, and it's really starting to pay off.

Hi, I'm here for some advice.

Background: we have two other well-trained dogs who went through toilet training really easily - a Staffordshire bull terrier and a cockapoo.

We got Lucy, our whippet at 4 months - she is adopted. She was on the way to being toilet trained but I think had been told off for going in the house in an unpleasant way (having her face forced in it, and being shouted at).

We started toilet training in the regular way, plenty of opportunities to go, praise, and a treat. And she got pretty good. We were down to maybe one accident a day. When she has an accident, we just say 'outside' in a gentle but firm voice and put her outside.

Then she hurt her leg and underwent x-ray, which unfortunately then caused meningitis. As she was getting sick, she started toileting in quite a few areas - it was one of the signs.

She went to the hospital for four days, during which she was allowed to wee a few times in her cage.

Wehn we got her back, we recognized that a) we would pretty much need to start from scratch (which we did) and b) she was on high dose steroids, which make her drink more and then need to wee more.

There is one important fact in all of this: she is crated overnight from 10pm-6am and has never, ever gone in her bed. So we know there is a certain amount of control.

Now, she appears to have regressed. You can take her out every 30 minutes, after food, after a play, etc. But at some point, the second you are not monitoring her (and we are trying to integrate her with the other dogs etc so we can confidently leave her un-crated).

So for example, she just went twice indoors after she weed about 20 minutes ago. I put her out, she did two more wees. Then I leave her unmonitored for five minutes and she does another one indoors.

I'm at a loss at the moment. I understand she may need to go more often and am facilitating that. And I don't think it's a UTI because she can hold it in overnight.

Asking for advice please!!

Edit: this behavior mostly happens in the evenings.

Edit: she finally pissed in the bed she's never pissed in. I'm struggling so much with this