The Breed

Whippets love to chase but they also make great inside pets - they love the comfortable life.

Whippets are a speedy medium-sized dog - capable of speeds around 60kph. They are keen chasers. Originally bred for coursing rabbits, they can still be housed with other small animals if introduced correctly.

In the past, whippet 'sporting' events have included snap competitions, in where the whippet was thrown into a pen filled with rats or rabbits, and the winning dog was gauged by how many animals it killed in a given time. Less blod thirst events have included Ragging, which is a form of racing without game. A handler would release the whippet at the start of the race course and the owner would stand at the finish with a piece of rag, the winner was the first dog to grab the rag off its owner. Nowadays mechanical lures are used.

Whippets are easy to train, eager to please their owners (but require no training as a hot water bottle).

Breed History

There seems to be a bit of variation on the history of the whippet. Some claim the breed came from a greyhound type dog that was crossed with the smaller Italian Greyhound. Other sources claim it was a type of terrier crossed with a Greyhound or Italian Greyhound, and some believe the whippets origins are in Greece or Egypt due to ancient art showing whippet looking dogs. What ever the claims to the origins are one thing remain standard throughout all claims is that the breed was developed by British miners in the north of England.

The Whippet was recognized as a breed in 1891, with Whippet Club of England forming in 1899. But it wasn't until 1902 that the breed was officially recognized by the English Kennel Club.