This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, March 2014 issue.
The American Whippet Club has long promoted the Whippet as “the Versatile Breed,” and that’s not just a catchy slogan—versatility is in the Whippet’s very DNA. This trait dates back to the earliest efforts of canny working-class people in northern England to develop a dog that was cheap to feed, easy to house, and capable of providing many kinds of sport.
The genetic origins of the breed are still a subject of debate. It has generally been held that the original Whippets first described by dog writers were crosses between a now-extinct long-legged terrier and Greyhounds, with Italian Greyhound blood added later for elegance as they became more standardized in appearance and participated in conformation dog shows.
Recent research, however, has cast doubt on that timeline. It corroborates at least one earlier report that the original cross was between terriers and Italian Greyhounds, with a small amount of Greyhound blood possibly added later. Regardless, the end product was a small, tenacious sporting hound, bred to share hearth and home while providing companionship, small game hunting, ratting ability, and racing sport. These roots can still be seen in the nature of the Whippet today.
Perhaps the first thing that someone new to Whippets will notice is their utter fearlessness in the face of mortal peril. Whippet puppies climb, run with scarce regard for obstacles, and leap from great heights. They have little road sense and show scant natural caution when it comes to hurling their young bodies into whatever they have a mind to do. When they do become injured, they have a much higher pain tolerance than one might expect—perhaps a legacy of the tough old terriers lurking in their pedigrees.
The second thing one notices is that EVERYTHING you do with them becomes a competition. Whippets compete to be the first one out the door in the morning and the first one back inside. Walking several Whippets on a leash becomes a contest to see who can, on identically long leads, still be the lead dog.
Their competitive nature is on full display in one of their traditional purposes: racing on either the straight or the oval (bend) track. While many breeds will pursue an artificial lure, Whippets, when running against each other, truly RACE. They “trade paint,” box out competitors, and gain strategic advantages. A good racing Whippet does not shy from clean contact but will deliberately run alongside another racer, putting its head down and exerting extra effort to make the pass—much like stock car drivers going two or three wide to measure strength and handling.
The roots of the Whippet also show in their ease of care and relatively low expense. While some Whippet owners opt for more expensive feeding strategies, most Whippets do not require anything special to remain healthy and live a normal lifespan. Food allergies and digestive problems are rare. Grooming is minimal, and beyond orthopedic injuries (often a result of their fearlessness and high pain tolerance), Whippets generally need only routine veterinary care. They usually breed naturally, whelp easily, and most dams are instinctive, excellent mothers.
As with the Whippet owners of old, who took their ratters and rabbit hunters and molded them into racers and show dogs, modern fanciers are continually finding new things to do with Whippets. For over 125 years, the breed has been a show dog, and for even longer, it has been used as a racer and rabbit hunter. However, as new dog sports are invented, the game, tenacious, and athletic Whippet proves its ability to adapt, providing fresh sources of sporting fun for its owner.
While one would expect to see Whippets excel at anything to do with running—and they are certainly top-flight racing and coursing hounds—their athletic ability has suited them very well to some of these newer sports. Perhaps the fastest-growing of all canine sports is Agility. While the Whippet is unlikely to seize the crown away from Border Collies and “sport mixes” atop the agility heap, among its hound brethren, the Whippet’s jumping ability, agility, and fearlessness make it a top contender. At the 2013 AKC Nationals held in concert with the Eukanuba, Whippets swept the top three placements in the Hound Group.
Anecdotally, the most difficult element for Whippets to master is the weave poles, but they can be spectacular on portions of the course that call for athletic displays of aerial excellence.
Not all Whippets are natural retrievers, but for those who are—or who can be trained to retrieve—Disc Sport, Dock Diving, and Flyball are three venues where Whippets have demonstrated serious talent. The Whippet who did the most to expose the American public to Whippets was, of course, the famous Ashley Whippet, whose halftime shows thrilled all who were fortunate enough to see one. Whippets today still enjoy competing in flying disc competitions.
Two newer activities have shown great growth potential among Whippet owners today. Dock Dog or Dock Diving is perhaps the most surprising, given that Whippets have never been noted for their love of water or swimming ability. However, the Whippet’s natural power and athleticism give it an advantage in the “Big Air” division, and the current world record holder in this event is a race-bred Whippet from Washington State. Flyball, another fast-growing sport, is heavily populated by Border Collies and sport mixes, but purebred Whippets can, and have, achieved advanced titles. This loud and fun team sport requires significant investment in training time, but the Whippet’s fearless nature and speed make a well-prepared Flyball Whippet an asset to its team.
Recently, the Whippet has had an opportunity to go back to its very ancient roots as a ratter with the new sport of Barn Hunt. Whippet owners have taken rapidly to this sport, and Whippets are racking up titles and having a wonderful time finding the rat among bales of hay. While not as talented in trailing as the Scenthound breeds, the Whippet nonetheless possesses a perfectly functional canine nose and enjoys using it in both Tracking and the newer activity of Nosework. Tracking is, of course, the sport version of search and rescue, while Nosework is the sport version of security work, such as drug and bomb-sniffing tasks.
Truth in advertising—Whippets are not generally noted as a breed that an OTCH-level competitor should choose for an obedience prospect. That said, their disposition is steady and amiable, and with modern motivational training methods, they are perfectly capable of earning their titles. Rally Obedience seems to be particularly well-suited to Whippets, who enjoy a more “active” form of obedience and receiving verbal encouragement from their trainers. In 2013, an amazing Whippet obedience achievement occurred: High in Trial at the AWC National went to a Whippet bitch who received her third qualifying leg in Utility with an impressive score of 193! This inspiring performance proves that, with the right Whippet and a very dedicated and talented trainer, the breed can excel.
Racing, coursing, hunting, jumping, retrieving, and even performing a series of trained exercises on command are all admirable sporting pursuits that make use of the foundational qualities of the Whippet breed. But the most important quality is their value as steady and loving companions. In those roots as the companion of hearth and home, we find a modern application—the Whippet as Therapy and Personal Comfort Dog.
So valued is this aspect of the breed’s capabilities that an award is given each year at the AWC National—the Willow Award—privately sponsored and publicly awarded to the Whippet Therapy Dog of the Year. Whippet Therapy Dogs are active in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. They have proven their worth, laying quietly with the sickest children as they receive chemotherapy, comforting the elderly, and sitting patiently for hours as schoolchildren practice their reading skills in the READ program. The gentle, non-reactive nature of the breed and their medium size make them ideal Therapy candidates, and we in Whippets are so proud of the owners who dedicate themselves and their Whippets to this valuable work.
So, if you have a Whippet—what’s holding you back? Give one of these many activities a try! You may find your Whippet has a real talent for it. And whatever you choose to do with your Whippet, no matter how much or how little—the most important thing is to HAVE FUN.
