The Whippet is a
dog breed
A dog breed is a particular strain of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing around 450 globally ...
of medium size. It is a
sighthound
Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are a Dog type, type of dog, hounds that hunt primarily by sight and speed, rather than by scent and endurance as scent hounds do.
Appearance
These dogs specialize in pursuing prey, keeping it in sight, an ...
breed that originated in England, descended from the
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the
hound
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Description
Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. T ...
group, Whippets have relatively few health problems other than
arrhythmia
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
. Whippets also participate in
dog sports
Dog sports are sports in which dogs participate.
Herding sports
* Herding
* Sheepdog trial
* Treibball
Obedience sports
* Heelwork to music
* Musical canine freestyle
* Obedience trial
* Rally obedience
Protection sports
* Schutzhund ...
such as
lure coursing
Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. Competition is typically limited to dogs of purebred sighthound breeds. The AKC has a pass/fail trial for all breeds called the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) a ...
,
agility
Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's list of human positions, position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance (ability), balance, coordination (physiology), coordination ...
,
dock diving
Dock jumping also known as dock diving is a dog sport in which dogs compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock into a body of water.
There are dock jumping events in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdom,
A ...
and
flyball
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from the start to the finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their ha ...
. The name is derived from an early 17th-century word, now obsolete, meaning "to move briskly".
There has been continuity in describing Greyhound-types of different sizes: large, medium and small, recorded in hunting manuals and works on natural history from the Middle Ages.
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York
Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415) was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was the eldest son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and a grandson of King Edward III of England. He held significant appointment ...
confirmed in his early 15th-century translation and additions to the original late 14th-century French ''
Livre de chasse
The ''Livre de chasse'' is a medieval book on hunting, written between 1387 and 1389 by Gaston III, Count of Foix, also known as Fébus or Phoebus, and dedicated to Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Fébus was one of the greatest huntsmen of his ...
'' the advantage of maintaining the great, the middle, and the small size of greyhound for different sorts of game. The English physician and academic
John Caius
John Caius (born John Kays ; 6 October 1510 – 29 July 1573), also known as Johannes Caius and Ioannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Biography
Early years
Caius was ...
refers in his 16th century ''De Canibus Britannicus'' to ''lesser'' as well as greater sorts of ''Leporarius, Grehounde'' (greyhound) and notably to a type which has been connected to the Whippet, the ''Tumbler'', a lesser sort of ''mungrell Greyhounde'' and excellent warren dog for catching rabbits, also recorded by the early 19th-century Scottish curator and editor
Thomas Brown. The
Victorian English writers describe the emerging modern breed of Whippet or ''snap-dog'' bred for catching rabbits, coursing competitions, straight rag-racing, and for the novel show fancy
This has led to Whippets being described as "the poor man's greyhound".
They are a popular companion breed frequently used in amateur racing, lure coursing, and dog shows; they have the highest running speed of breeds for their weight: and are possibly the fastest-accelerating dog breed.
__TOC__
History
![Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Charles_Compton%2C_7th_Earl_of_Northampton.jpg)
Whippets were bred to hunt by sight, coursing game in open areas at high speeds. There are numerous representations of small greyhound-like hounds in art dating back to
Ancient Egyptian times.
In medieval England, a small Greyhound breed became popular for use as a ratting dog; the first written English use of the word ''Whippet'' with regard to a type of dog was in 1610.
Whippets were commonly known as "snap dogs" for their tendency to "snap up" nearby prey. In the picture by
Jean-Baptiste Oudry
Jean-Baptiste Oudry (; 17 March 1686 – 30 April 1755) was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Ch ...
(1686–1755) of two dogs presented to
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...
, they are either Whippets or small Greyhounds, but are probably related to an early form of Whippet.
Oudry also painted a second painting of Misse with a different, non-sighthound dog. There is a 1758 painting by
Pompeo Batoni
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign visitors tra ...
entitled ''Portrait of Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton'' which features a similar whippet-like dog.
In the 19th century, Whippet racing was a popular sport in parts of England.
The Whippet was held in high regard in the northern parts of England and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, but was generally disregarded in the rest of the country.
At the time, there were two varieties of Whippet. The first type had a smooth coat, was more popular in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, and the
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
, and became the modern Whippet.
The other had a rough coat from
crossbreed
A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...
ing with
Bedlington Terriers. This type was more popular in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
*Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...
and
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
and was frequently referred to as a "rabbit dog".
Early specimens were taken from the race track by the
dog fanciers of the time and exported around the world.
John Taylor said that "In all the shapes and forms of dogges; of all which there are but two sorts that are useful to man's profits, which two are the
mastiffe and the little curre, whippet, or house-dogge; all the rest are for pleasure and recreation."
The age of the modern Whippet dawned in 1891 when
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...
granted the breed official recognition, thus making the Whippet eligible for competition in dog shows, and commencing the recording of their pedigrees.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the Whippet was recognised in 1888 by the
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
.
Whippets arrived in the United States with mill operators from England, and the first populations were established in
.
The Whippet is the 55th most popular breed according to the American Kennel Club.
In 1964, Ch.
Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth
Courtenay may refer to:
Places Australia
* Courtenay, Western Australia
Canada
* Courtenay, British Columbia, a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island
* Courtenay River, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
France
* Courtenay, Isère, a '' ...
won
best in show
''Best in Show'' is a 2000 American mockumentary comedy film co-written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and directed by Guest. The film follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show as they travel to the show and compete once there. Much of ...
at the
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show, traditionally held annually at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is one of a handful of benched shows in the United States. Dogs ...
.
In 1992,
Pencloe Dutch Gold won
best in show
''Best in Show'' is a 2000 American mockumentary comedy film co-written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and directed by Guest. The film follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show as they travel to the show and compete once there. Much of ...
at
Crufts
Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, first held in 1891. Organised and hosted by The Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world.
Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for do ...
, a Whippet known as
Cobyco Call the Tune won in 2004 and in 2018 the award was achieved by Ch
Collooney Tartan Tease
Collooney or Coloony () is a town in County Sligo, Ireland.
Toponymy
Collooney is thought to derive from . Reverend Terrence O'Rorke has previously also suggested ''Culmaine'', as Collooney is designated this way in such works as ''the annals ...
. In 2011, GCh. Starline's Chanel, a female Whippet, was chosen as the
hound
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Description
Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. T ...
Show Dog of the Year by the
Westminster Kennel Club
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show, traditionally held annually at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is one of a handful of benched shows in the United States. Dogs ...
.
Racing
Dog racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
was originally an extension of
hare coursing
Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent.
In some countries, it is a legal, competitive activity in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and tur ...
.
Whippets began to be bred to race in the mid-nineteenth century.
The first form of the sport was a rudimentary form of coursing known as 'ragging', and dogs who participated were said to be 'trained to the rag'.
Dogs were kept on a leash by a person known as a ''slip'', who was frequently also the race judge.
The slip would release the dogs from their collars at the same time, and they would race towards their owners, who were standing at the opposite end of the track waving towels.
Whippet rags were a popular Sunday event in the north and
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
at the time.
There were also international events; in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, at a track known as Gurney's Paddock, there were races of more than 300 whippets every Saturday, and three nights a week at the White City track.
Eventually, the sport evolved and dogs were divided into four groups: those who hunted rabbits, which was not governed by rules; those who coursed
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...
, for which a set of rules was established; those trained to the rag; and those trained to chase a mechanical lure in a fashion similar to
Greyhound races.
Few of the Whippets if any of the four types were
purebred
Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "pedigreed". Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the p ...
, as maintaining a purebred bloodline was not considered as important as breeding dogs that could win races.
Many racing dogs were part-
terrier
Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...
, part-Greyhound, or part-
Lurcher
A lurcher is a cross-bred dog resulting from mating a Greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type, commonly a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher was for hundreds of years strongly associated with poaching; in modern times it ...
.
In 1967, the
British Whippet Racing Association
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
was established to bring around reform and consistency in race rules and procedures for races involving non-purebred Whippets.
A year later, viewing the non-purebred dogs as a threat, the
Whippet Club Racing Association
The Whippet is a dog breed of medium size. It is a sighthound breed that originated in England, descended from the Greyhound. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller Greyhound. Part of the hound group, Whippets have relatively few ...
was established exclusively for purebred animals.
Description
Appearance
Whippets are a medium-sized dog weighing from .
There are two height ranges for Whippets, depending on whether or not the dog is being shown in North America. The
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) (English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium.
History
The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspices ...
and
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...
both call for heights of for males and for females.
Whippets tend to be somewhat larger in the United States and Canada as the
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
and
Canadian Kennel Club
The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agriculture ...
standards are larger; for males, and for females.
Because colour is considered immaterial in judging Whippets, they come in a wide variety of colours and marking patterns, everything from solid black to solid white, with red, fawn,
brindle
Brindle is a coat (animal), coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cattle, guinea pigs, Cat, cats, and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger-striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger' ...
, blue, or cream.
In 2019,
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...
announced it would no longer accept registrations for
merle
Merle may refer to:
People
*Merle (given name), a given name used by both men and women
*Merle (surname), a surname of French origin
Others
*Merle (dog coat), a pattern in dogs’ coats
*Merle (grape), another name for the wine grape Merlot
*Akaf ...
Whippets as it is not a naturally occurring colour in the breed. The coat is short, smooth and close.
They are the fastest dog of their weight, capable of achieving speeds of up to .
This is due to their ability to run in a
double suspension gallop
The gait of a dog is its quality of movement. It is given a great deal of importance in the breed standard of some breeds, of lesser importance in other standards, and in some breeds gait is not described in the standard at all. A dog's gait is ...
.
This gait results in four of the dog's legs being off the ground twice in each stride, once when the legs are completely extended and again when they are tucked under the body.
Temperament
Whippets are quiet and reserved but also exhibit a playful side, and require regular exercise.
They are generally gentle dogs and are often content to spend much of the day resting.
The AKC describes them as "quiet and dignified in their owner's living room"
and says they make "excellent house dogs."
Whippets have been called a "poor man's racehorse"
by the
colliers in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
.
The whippet will form a strong bond and devotion to their owner and as such can often suffer from
separation anxiety
Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g., a parent, caregiver ...
like many other breeds when left alone. They do not bark often but do occasionally in the presence of intruders, making the whippet a passable watch dog similar to other small-medium dogs. However a whippet would likely never attack or guard against anyone due to their gentle and often shy demeanour.
Health
Whippets
course
Course may refer to:
Directions or navigation
* Course (navigation), the path of travel
* Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...
, work, and race; they have been bred for these jobs for years. This has kept them a structurally sound breed which is predominantly free from the physical exaggerations that can lead to certain health problems. Whippets are, like other sighthounds, intolerant of
barbiturate
Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as we ...
anesthetics. This is in part due to their low concentration of body fat and their liver's inability to metabolise the anesthetics.
Given proper nutrition, exercise, and veterinary care, most Whippets live for 12 to 15 years. A UK breed survey puts the median lifespan at 12 years 10 months. They are generally healthy, and are not prone to the frequent ear infections, skin allergies, or digestive problems that can afflict other breeds. Genetic eye defects, though quite rare, have been noted in the breed. Because of this, the American Whippet Club recommends that breeders test for this defect in their breeding stock.
Hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...
is rare in Whippets, with only 1.2% of 161 evaluations performed by the
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a nonprofit organization based in Columbia, Missouri, that aims to research and prevent orthopedic and hereditary diseases in companion animals.
As a private not-for-profit foundation, the OFA has f ...
being determined as dysplasic.
The heart of a Whippet is large and slow beating, often being arrhythmic or even intermittent when the animal is at rest. This sometimes causes concern to the owner, or to the vet not experienced with the breed. Whippets will, however, demonstrate a regular heartbeat during exercise. In a health survey conducted by
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...
, cardiac problems were shown to be the second leading cause of mortality in Whippets.
![MyostatinMutantWhippet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/MyostatinMutantWhippet.jpg)
A 2007 study identified a
myostatin
Myostatin (also known as growth differentiation factor 8, abbreviated GDF8) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MSTN'' gene. Myostatin is a myokine that is produced and released by myocytes and acts on muscle cells to inhibit muscle ...
mutation particular to Whippets that is significantly associated with their athletic performance. Whippets with a single copy of this mutation are generally unaffected; those with two copies have disproportionately large musculature and are known as "
bully whippets". These bully whippets experience no significant health problems beyond those experienced by a normal whippet, but may be more prone to muscle cramping.
The mutation has not been seen in Greyhounds or other sighthound breeds, or in heavily muscled dogs such as
Bullmastiff
The Bullmastiff is a British breed of dog of mastiff type and large size, with a solid build and a short muzzle. It was developed as a guard dog in the nineteenth century by cross-breeding the English Mastiff with the now-extinct Old English Bu ...
s,
Bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.[Rottweiler
The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered mea ...]
s or
American Staffordshire Terrier
The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff or American Staffy is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed.
The height of an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier is tall and weighs between . The American Kennel Club (AKC) ...
s.
Whippets in literature
Jim the Whippet played a central role in a trilogy of canal travel books by
Terry Darlington
Terry Darlington is the author of three best-selling books ''Narrow Dog to Carcassonne'' (2004), ''Narrow Dog to Indian River'' (2006) and ''Narrow Dog to Wigan Pier'' (2013). These books, which humorously (and frequently poetically) describe his ...
. Described as a 'narrow dog' he lent his name to the book's titles - ''Narrow Dog to Carcassonne'', ''Narrow Dog to Indian River'' and ''Narrow Dog to Wigan Pier''.
In popular culture
The Whippet is the mascot of
Whitewater High School in
Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater is a city located in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As of the 2 ...
and Kosciusko High School in
Kosciusko, Mississippi
Kosciusko is a city in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,402 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Attala County.
History
Shortly before the War of 1812, David Choate, a French trader along with his wife, a Ch ...
.
See also
*
Dogs portal
*
List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties, landraces, and dog types. A research article on genomics, dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines m ...
References
External links
*
The Origin of the Whippetat justwhippetsrescue.co.uk
{{Authority control
FCI breeds
Dog breeds originating in England
Sighthounds