Whippet Breed Standard
| Group: | Group 4 (Hounds) |
| General Appearance: | Balanced combination of muscular power and strength with elegance and grace of outline. Built for speed and work. All forms of exaggeration should be avoided. |
| Characteristics: | An ideal companion. Highly adaptable in domestic and sporting surroundings. |
| Temperament: | Gentle, affectionate, even disposition. |
| Head And Skull: | Long and lean, flat on top, tapering to muzzle with slight stop, rather wide between the eyes, jaws powerful and clean cut. Nose black, in blues a bluish colour is permitted, liver nose in creams and other dilute colours, in whites or parti-colour a butterfly nose is permissible. |
| Eyes: | Oval, bright, expression very alert. |
| Ears: | Rose shaped, small, fine in texture. |
| Mouth: | Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. |
| Neck: | Long, muscular, elegantly arched. |
| Forequarters: | Shoulders well laid back with flat muscles. Moderate space between the shoulder blades at the withers. The upper arm is approximately of equal length to the shoulder, placed so that the elbow falls directly under the withers when viewed in profile. Forearms straight and upright with moderate bladed bone. Front not too wide. Pasterns strong with slight spring. |
| Body: | Chest very deep with plenty of heart room. Well filled in front. Brisket deep. Broad, well muscled back, firm, somewhat long, showing graceful arch over the loin but not humped. Ribs well sprung. Loin giving the impression of strength and power. Definite tuck up. |
| Hindquarters: | Strong, broad across the thighs, with well developed second thighs. Stifles well bent without exaggeration with hocks well let down. Able to stand naturally over a lot of ground. |
| Feet: | Oval, well split between the toes, knuckles well arched, pads thick, nails strong. |
| Tail: | No feathering. Long, tapering, reaching at least to the hock. When in action carried in a delicate curve not higher then the back. |
| Gait/Movement: | Should possess great freedom of action. In profile should move with a long, easy stride whilst holding the topline. The forelegs should be thrown forward and low over the ground. Hind legs should come well under the body giving great propelling power. General movement not to look stilted, high stepping, short mincing. True coming and going. |
| Coat: | Fine, short, close in texture. |
| Colour: | Any colour or mixture of colours |
| Sizes: | Desirable height Dogs 47-51 cms (18.5 - 20 ins) Bitches 44-47 cms (17.5 - 18.5 ins) |
| Faults: | Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. |
| Notes: | Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. |
About Whippets
Background
Man has used dogs to help him hunt since time immemorial and different types of hounds have evolved to deal with the various quarries. Larger, heavier hounds would have been needed to deal with wolves and wild boar, but in areas where small deer, rabbits or hare were hunted, the speeder, more agile Greyhound type would have been more suitable. The more enclosed area meant that a smaller hound would have been preferred over the Greyhound. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the medium-sized running dog appears to have acquired a name of its own - the "whippet" or "snap dog" - and was a popular breed among the working men in the north of the country. These dogs were used for rabbit coursing and later for racing to the rag. Whippets became known as "the poor mans Greyhound" and were highly prized possessions, living curled up by the fire and it is said, often fed better than members of the family. They were expected to earn their keep at race meetings where betting took place, so a dog that lacked speed would not be considered of any value. Only the best bitches would be bred from, and only the fastest dogs used at stud, so once more, the Greyhound type of animal predominated and the Whippet quickly reverted to type.
Average Lifespan
When considering a dog, please realise that you are taking it on for its lifetime. Whippets live from between 12 to 14 years of age.
Breed Personality/Characteristics/Temperament
Whippets have a very even temperament and make an ideal companion. Whippet bitches can be somewhat feline in their nature, more aloof than a dog and less inclined to join in games of chasing sticks or balls. The dogs tend to be more outgoing and friendly.
Compatibility with other pets
The vast majority of Whippets are not aggressive towards other dogs. Like most animals blessed with great speed, they prefer to use their speed to get out of a fight - and in fact tend to avoid other dogs.
Care Requirements
Whippets are much tougher than they look and will happily go for a walk in weather that would deter most owners. Being high on the leg, they bring in relatively little dirt after an energetic walk, and their short coats require only a minimum of grooming to keep in trim. Whippets have been described as the lazy mans dog, which is true in that they are an easy breed to look after and to feed. They do need daily exercise, though not the amounts that many prospective owners fear. Like most dogs, thirty minutes walk daily on a lead will keep them healthy and reasonably fit, but having an in-built need to run, they will also appreciate fifteen minutes free running where they can really stretch out. Most Whippets, when let off the lead in a field or park, will chase around and around, to let off steam, coming back very pleased with themselves and quite ready to settle down in front of the fire. A piece of fur on the end of a string and swung from a long pole provides incentive for lots of chasing and running.
Please Take Note
Although in many breeds it is considered that bitches make better house pets than dogs this is not necessarily the case with Whippets.
Ideal Owner/s
Almost everyone.