Whippets E-Book

Jane Eastoe

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 101

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

A beautifully illustrated guide to whippets, forming part of a new series and packed with tips and tricks to keep your furry friends happy. There are many things to consider when you become a dog owner. How often should I walk them? How much training will they need? What is poisonous to my pet? Should I trust those doe eyes? This playful and informative book takes a fresh look at the wonderful world of whippets and explains everything you need to know about this energetic breed while celebrating their gentle personalities. Breed character, reasons to own a whippet and likes and dislikes are covered along with advice on training, grooming, diet and health. Illustrated by Meredith Jensen and packed with adorable photographs of beloved pets, dog lovers will adore this playful celebration of whippets.

Leseprobe

Contents

Introduction

Puppies

Training

Diet

First Aid and Health

Grooming

Tiny Companions

Fascinating Whippet Facts

Whippets

Introduction

Let me introduce myself: I am a whippet, absolutely the best breed you could choose. The crème de la crème. Other breeds may tell you the same thing, but just take a look at the evidence. I am an athlete, a beautifully proportioned physical specimen. I like to think of myself as the supermodel of the dog world. I am elegant. The greyhound, my close relative, is handsome, certainly, but not as refined as the whippet. The Italian greyhound, who is notably smaller and lighter than me, is also speedy, but does not quite have my beautiful line.

My breed was only formally recognized by the British Kennel Club in 1891, but my type has been popular for centuries. We have featured in paintings and statuary throughout history, and in the grandest houses we have been immortalized for posterity, curled up with our owners on their tombs.

But back to me. I have excellent manners and I am not pushy, greedy or noisy. As dogs go, I am remarkably clean. I don’t like mud, I might paddle in the river but rarely much more than that, and I certainly won’t arrive back at your side covered in smelly pond weed. Like a cat, I will lick myself clean, although I do not slobber. My coat is short and fine, so expensive trips to the grooming parlour are not a necessity.

I don’t bark very often, so you’re highly unlikely to get complaints from the neighbours about the noise. I may bark when someone comes to the front door or if I am excited to see another dog. I am talkative; I will whimper if I am cold, or if I want a favourite toy that has rolled under the sofa, or a dog chew that I know is in the cupboard. I might even yowl with excitement in the car when I think we are getting close to one of my favourite walks.

I don’t like to be cold and I hate the rain. If it’s pouring, I will nip outside to relieve myself, but I won’t appreciate a long walk, certainly not without a good waterproof coat and even then I won’t be happy until I can curl up back at home in the dry.

I am very loyal and loving. My idea of heaven is lying beside you on the sofa, preferably with a blanket. If you give me the opportunity I will not only sleep on your bed, but under the duvet with you. Wherever I sleep, I will require a good soft mattress and a blanket I can snuggle under. On the subject of sleep, I am not naturally an early riser and quite enjoy a lie-in. If you are asleep, I will doze contentedly until you get up.

With regard to exercise, many people mistakenly think that whippets need masses of exercise. However, it’s important to remember that we are sprinters, not marathon runners. We LOVE to run. We are built to run. Running is our happy place. We show off to other dogs; ‘Chase me, chase me,’ we might say, before taking off like a speeding bullet. Off-lead running in a safe space is important to us, but after 30 minutes of exercise we are content to curl up quietly. We do appreciate two such walks a day, unless, of course, it’s raining, in which case – as I mentioned earlier – we would prefer a very short walk. A wet whippet is a miserable whippet.

On the whole, we are mild-mannered, not known for any aggressive tendencies. We generally like other dogs and aren’t inclined to start a fight, which makes for relaxed walks.

Whippets are sighthounds; our breed was developed to hunt but we use our eyes rather than our nose. Given half the chance, we will take off after rabbits, hares, squirrels and deer. At the sight of such prey we tend to become deaf to all calls. We can tolerate other animals at home, such as cats and chickens, if introduced as puppies, but these are our cats and our chickens. We will not have the same regard for any other cats or wildlife outside the home: we will chase them and we may kill them. Not to put too fine a point on it, you can never trust us off lead with wildlife or farm animals.

Children, on the other hand, we rather like. Curious creatures, they have a variety of toys that are of endless interest, especially anything squeaky. Children also seem to be in possession of a lot of small snacks, which we are more than happy to share or steal. We like being stroked and petted, so enjoy the attentions of children, and we are really quite patient and tolerant, although we do have our limits. At worst we might snap but will usually give some warning growls first if we are getting fed up. If the attention gets too much, we are likely to take ourselves off to find some peace and quiet rather than cause any upset.

Whippets are an intelligent breed, but we are not slavish and can’t always see the point of doing what you want us to. We quite enjoy short bursts of training, but as we are not especially food orientated the incentive is not always there. High-status treats like cheese, chicken or ham help to maintain our focus; a standard dog biscuit might motivate a labrador, but it won’t do much for us. We are also quite sensitive, so need a gentle, patient teacher.

Recall is probably the single most import piece of our training. Basically, you will never, ever catch us unless we willingly return to you.

Whippets are like heat-seeking missiles: we gravitate to any source of warmth. We like to bask in the sun like cats, so keep an eye on us as we can get sunburnt if we are allowed to stay out for too long. For this same reason, we appreciate being wrapped up in a fleece or a jumper when the weather is cold. This is not an affectation: whippets are naturally lean, and with no fat and short fur coats we struggle to maintain our body temperature and will shiver uncontrollably. Some whippets are more robust and manage the cold better than others, but take your cue from us – we will probably need wrapping up in cold weather.

Our deep chests will require you buy garments designed specifically for us, otherwise they will rub when we run. If we start running around a lot, you may need to remove our coats so that we don’t overheat. This is not as much trouble as it seems, and we will obligingly lift up our paws for you once we get used to being dressed.

How will we reward you for all this effort? We are incredibly loyal and form a deep attachment to our owners and their wider family. Ideally, we like to be close to you. You are our whole world, aside from rabbits. We won’t be a bother: give us a bed and we will curl up, preferably in the same room as you, and we will stay there until we sense the next walk is coming up.

Didn’t I say we were the best breed you could choose?

Bowie

Owned by Peter | Lives in Ontario, Canada | @whippetbowie

Bowie loves chasing squirrels, playing with frisbees, and eating (in no particular order). He’s super smart: his most impressive trick is jumping into people’s arms on command.

Puppies

As a puppy I don’t look much like my adult form. I am not long of limb or muscular, my snout is of regular proportion, but right from the start I have those melting whippet eyes. These will be dark blue to begin with, but gradually mature to brown.

My idea of heaven is either to snuggle up with my siblings in a great, warm pile of puppies or to tear around like a mad thing, tripping over my feet. Our breeders will assess us all with a critical eye, analyzing which they think are the finest physical specimens with the potential for a future in the show ring.

When you come to meet us for the first time you will be questioned carefully by the breeder about what you want from us. Do you want a show dog, a breeding dog or a pet? What kind of a pet do you want: loving or lively? Depending on your answers, you may only be shown a couple of puppies to choose from that best suit your requirements.

You should meet my mother and quite possibly some of my other relatives too. My father might not be around to view as he may live some distance away, but you should see a picture of him at the least.

A litter of whippet puppies is adorable but let me give you some words of wisdom: even if you plan to have two dogs, don’t get them from the same litter at the same time. Whippets have selective hearing at the best of times, but if you take me and one of my siblings, we will become very reliant on one another and will pay you little heed. What’s more, as we mature, we may fight to determine which is the dominant whippet in the pack. If you want two whippets (and why wouldn’t you?), start with one and only get a second when the first is well trained. The first dog will lead the way with all the basic training techniques.

Preparing My Home

Once a sale has been agreed, you should make a few preparations at home.

•Security Please check that your garden has adequate fencing – I am a great escapologist and when small I can, and will, wriggle through very small holes or gaps in the fencing. Repair as required or plug small holes with logs or chicken wire. Once I grow this will become less of an issue, but as my limbs lengthen, so my ability to leap over things will increase.

•Bed I will need a lovely soft bed, but you’ll probably find that a big adult one may overwhelm me. Initially, it is good to have something with nice soft sides so that I am protected from draughts. This will also stop me slipping off in my sleep, as I am quite lightweight to begin with and tend to just slide off big flat beds and end up on the floor. Soft cloth baskets with tall sides and a cushion inside will suit me very well when I am little. I get quite attached to my bed and as I grow you may find me determinedly wedged into my tiny puppy bed just to prove that I still fit. Whippets can fold up very small!

•Crate You might want to get me a crate, not to keep me in, but to give me a nice safe bolthole. I will appreciate it if you cover this over with a blanket so it stays nice and warm, and a heated pad will simulate the warmth of my siblings. If you put paper or a puppy pad on the floor of the crate I can relieve myself in the night. I never usually soil my bed, but accidents happen, and when I am very small, I will need to pee during the night.

•Bowls Buy two bowls, one for food and one for water, which you’ll leave down for me the whole time. Stainless steel is durable and easy to keep clean.

•Poo bags You should also purchase a supply of poo bags so you can dispose of my poo; compostable bags are available.

•Toys