Whippet,Lurcher, Greyhound.
Discussion
backwoodsman said:
We are looking at the dogs mentioned in the title.
We have 2 young kids, a Labrador, and 2 cats, would they fit in, or just chase the cats?
Are they tough dogs, could they handle rough play with our lab?
Please feel free to post up pics of your dogs
I've just posted a pic of mine in the pics thread. Not owned a lurcher or greyhound so this is mainly whippets although they're quite similar in many respects. All have a powerful chase instinct. Whippets will outrun and outmanouvre just about anything, although a greyhound/lurcher can outrun them over a distance and some sheepdogs can just about turn with them. How they get on with the Lab I don't know, no experience, but I imagine a lurcher or greyhound would take no nonsense. They are tough, but don't enjoy rough play really as they're quite laid back. OK with cats we found if introduced as pups, giving cats chance to explain rules. Our rescue whippet Monty will have no truck with cats however... We have 2 young kids, a Labrador, and 2 cats, would they fit in, or just chase the cats?
Are they tough dogs, could they handle rough play with our lab?
Please feel free to post up pics of your dogs
(our cats went over the rainbow bridge before we got him).Whippets are wonderful with children, gentle, loving, clean, and generally long-lived and free from in-built genetic or in-bred weaknesses.
No experience with cats though.
My whippet Jimmy was fantastic with cats but he was put into place very quick as a 4.5 old month as we already had 3 cats. One of his best friends was a lab who used to spend his holidays with us.
Jimmy could do boisterous play but had his limits and wasn't always too happy if a large dog pounced on him too much, he never got aggressive.
He was just the best with our son who came along when Jimmy was 6.
He was a very fit and healthy dog until he was struck with a degenerative illness Jan of this year, it was not a genetic or hereditary condition just tragic bad luck, he was 9 years old and we lost the fight in June, we are still heartbroken at how he was taken from us.
My point is apart from being a food thief Jimmy was about the most perfect dog we could ever have hoped to have in our lives, he was nothing but a pleasure.
If you do want a slightly more nutty dog then it'll be a lurched you want, if you want completely laid back then greyhound is the one (not all, some are livewires!)
But for me it'll always be a whippet, if we ever are lucky enough to find another half a good as Jimmy was, we'll be grateful
Just before I took this pic our son had been resting his head on Jimmy.
Jimmy could do boisterous play but had his limits and wasn't always too happy if a large dog pounced on him too much, he never got aggressive.
He was just the best with our son who came along when Jimmy was 6.
He was a very fit and healthy dog until he was struck with a degenerative illness Jan of this year, it was not a genetic or hereditary condition just tragic bad luck, he was 9 years old and we lost the fight in June, we are still heartbroken at how he was taken from us.
My point is apart from being a food thief Jimmy was about the most perfect dog we could ever have hoped to have in our lives, he was nothing but a pleasure.
If you do want a slightly more nutty dog then it'll be a lurched you want, if you want completely laid back then greyhound is the one (not all, some are livewires!)
But for me it'll always be a whippet, if we ever are lucky enough to find another half a good as Jimmy was, we'll be grateful
Edited by bexVN on Saturday 21st September 22:52
Just before I took this pic our son had been resting his head on Jimmy.
Edited by bexVN on Saturday 21st September 22:55
Ours is a whippet/lurcher cross labradoodle and is great fun, always dashing about and will never EVER tire of chasing tennis balls. She is so obsessed with balls that she will throw her ball repeatedly down the stairs just to chase it!
She enjoys rough and tumble with other dogs but won't tolerate anything too aggressive, if a dog gets too boisterous she just runs in a big circle knowing the other dog won't be able to keep up. Quite amusing to watch!
I reckon she would chase a cat if it ran, she chases after rabbits but has never caught one.. we don't have cats so she's not really used to them. I suspect she would back off if a cat confronted her.
She's very happy to jump up, hard to break that one with her, and she learnt to get over a baby gate at 6 months.
Definitely a 'breed' mix I would consider again.
She enjoys rough and tumble with other dogs but won't tolerate anything too aggressive, if a dog gets too boisterous she just runs in a big circle knowing the other dog won't be able to keep up. Quite amusing to watch!
I reckon she would chase a cat if it ran, she chases after rabbits but has never caught one.. we don't have cats so she's not really used to them. I suspect she would back off if a cat confronted her.
She's very happy to jump up, hard to break that one with her, and she learnt to get over a baby gate at 6 months.
Definitely a 'breed' mix I would consider again.
Grew up with whippets - great dogs, very relaxed and good with kids. They were fine with the barn cats, used to find them all 5 in a bed (2 whippets / 2 cats / 1 Jack Russel all snuggled up). Played fine with other dogs, but didn't really like rough play. In all fairness they spent most of their time snoozing! Only time when one of the whippets lashed out was when he bit the arse out of the local sex offender / weirdo. He was always a good judge of character!
We have a rescue lurcher and a 9-month old GSD.
Our lurcher was originally rehomed with a family with cats, lasted 3 days and was then returned to the Dogs Trust. She goes bananas if she even sees anything which is a bit small and cat-shaped on her walks. There's nothing quite like nearly having your arm torn off because someone thought it was a good idea to put a small Sean the Sheep model on their front doorstep.
We have guinea pigs, and while she knows she mustn't touch them (and they're kept in a separate room, away from her), she does definitely feel the urge to chase them if she sees them move. She gazes at them in a way which makes it clear she's wondering which one to go for first.
So in short - if you choose a lurcher, choose wisely. They don't all have a massive chase instinct, but many of the ones I know do.
She's also an inveterate stealer of food, given half the chance, which I think is partly due to the fact that she was a starving stray pup when the Dogs Trust took her in. Our GSD has never attempted to even look on the kitchen worktops, but our lurcher will generally have a good look round if she gets the opportunity.
On the upside, she sleeps all day! She's currently out for the count in her bed while I work. When we go for walks, she'll happily accept as much - or as little - exercise as we want to give her, without tearing the house to pieces if it's not enough. Her favourite game is to encourage other dogs to chase her in the field, then allow them to come close to catching her, and then accelerate. She loves it.
Personality-wise, she's very aloof on the whole - she loves company, but on her own terms. If she doesn't want to be with you, she'll head off into another room. She also adores other dogs, her idea of a good day out is a run in the fields or on a beach, preferably with some doggy friends - especially other longdogs that can run fast. She loves children as well.
Would we have another lurcher? Well, I doubt we'd take on another lurcher pup who's totally unsocialised by the age of about 16 weeks (when we got her). She was very hard work at first - very energetic, no idea how to greet other dogs nicely, just a massive bundle of excitement and energy. But it has paid off in the long run - she's nearly 3 now and she's a good dog. We love her to bits.
Oh, and one other thing - if you get a lurcher, you have to be prepared to share your sofa. They like sofas.
Our lurcher was originally rehomed with a family with cats, lasted 3 days and was then returned to the Dogs Trust. She goes bananas if she even sees anything which is a bit small and cat-shaped on her walks. There's nothing quite like nearly having your arm torn off because someone thought it was a good idea to put a small Sean the Sheep model on their front doorstep.
We have guinea pigs, and while she knows she mustn't touch them (and they're kept in a separate room, away from her), she does definitely feel the urge to chase them if she sees them move. She gazes at them in a way which makes it clear she's wondering which one to go for first.So in short - if you choose a lurcher, choose wisely. They don't all have a massive chase instinct, but many of the ones I know do.
She's also an inveterate stealer of food, given half the chance, which I think is partly due to the fact that she was a starving stray pup when the Dogs Trust took her in. Our GSD has never attempted to even look on the kitchen worktops, but our lurcher will generally have a good look round if she gets the opportunity.
On the upside, she sleeps all day! She's currently out for the count in her bed while I work. When we go for walks, she'll happily accept as much - or as little - exercise as we want to give her, without tearing the house to pieces if it's not enough. Her favourite game is to encourage other dogs to chase her in the field, then allow them to come close to catching her, and then accelerate. She loves it.
Personality-wise, she's very aloof on the whole - she loves company, but on her own terms. If she doesn't want to be with you, she'll head off into another room. She also adores other dogs, her idea of a good day out is a run in the fields or on a beach, preferably with some doggy friends - especially other longdogs that can run fast. She loves children as well.
Would we have another lurcher? Well, I doubt we'd take on another lurcher pup who's totally unsocialised by the age of about 16 weeks (when we got her). She was very hard work at first - very energetic, no idea how to greet other dogs nicely, just a massive bundle of excitement and energy. But it has paid off in the long run - she's nearly 3 now and she's a good dog. We love her to bits.
Oh, and one other thing - if you get a lurcher, you have to be prepared to share your sofa. They like sofas.
I knew a guy who had a retired greyhound. Laziest dog ever. It hated going on walks, and couldn't be arsed with fetching balls; even if you rolled the ball to stop within an inch of its nose while it was lying down in the sun the only thing it would do was blink. Slowly.
Very good natured dog though.
Very good natured dog though.
I have two whippets, bought as pups, two lurchers, both rescues, and a retired racing greyhound. If you get a pup, cats will be not be a problem, at least yours won't be. They may still chase strangers. With a rescue you take pot luck. They're the loveliest breeds of dog IMHO. I can't ever imagine being without a pair of whips and a retired racing greyhound.
Look for a breed line that has an adult size of about 14kg, some can be quite petite, males tend to be more wanting to please than females, though both are friendly.
There are a couple of whippet rescue groups around always worth a look at as well. We will be looking for a whippet after Christmas as well hopefully
There are a couple of whippet rescue groups around always worth a look at as well. We will be looking for a whippet after Christmas as well hopefully
bexVN said:
If it's any consolation Jimmy was a food fiend always liked treats but he would come away from running towards people esp when my stern 'I'm not joking' voice was implemented
Just like my Suki - she may ignore "come" sometimes but if I shout a "now" she's there as fast as she can!David
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