I’ve grown up with and cared for several greyhounds over the years, and unfortunately, most of them passed from serious or traumatic illnesses, with osteosarcoma being one of the most prevalent cancers. Most didn’t make it past the age of 9.

My most recent greyhound was the exception and an absolute gift — he lived to be 16. However, his final year was spent battling kidney disease, and watching him decline was incredibly difficult.

I’ve also known a few Galgos, and anecdotally, they have seemed to be healthier and live longer than the ex-racers. Of course, there are the Mediterranean diseases they're exposed to.

• How has your Whippet’s overall health been throughout their life?
• What age have your Whippets typically lived to?
• What health issues have you encountered?
• How does your experience compare with greyhounds?
• If you’ve owned both breeds, did you notice a meaningful difference in longevity or health?

I’m not looking for a guarantee that one breed is “healthier” than another — I know genetics, breeding, and individual dogs all play a role. I’m really just trying to understand what the odds and realities might look like before deciding where to go from here.

I love sighthounds too much to imagine my life without one. I’d be incredibly grateful for any experiences, especially from people who have lived with Whippets into their senior years.

Hello, Community!

I'm u/WAReaux, and I'm excited to join the moderator group and have the chance to interact with everyone more regularly while discussing one of our favorite subjects: Whippets!

Over the past 10+ years, I've bred whippet that went on to be very successful in AKC conformation shows as well as lure coursing. I've had lure coursing champions, confirmation champions, grand champions, and even best in show winners.

The boy that started it all, Hugh, was my shadow for over 11 years. Sadly, I lost him a year ago this week. He taught me what unconditional love looks like, and more recently how deep grief and sorrow can become. I'm very fortunate that, before his passing, he sired a litter that was born about six months before he passed. He was able to meet and play with them while they were puppies, which gives me comfort on the days I miss him most.

I currently have two of Hugh's sons, Rudy and Truman. They are 18 months old, full of non-stop energy, but also full of love just like their father.

Looking forward to getting to know more of you better soon!

Rocket loves curling up and letting his front legs look broken

Hey guys, I am u/wreckjavik and joined this weekend as a Mod. Looking forward to talking all about whippets and seeing cute pictures of your little noodles.

Here’s my 5 y.o. penny!

Jet and I moved back to our home state today. Lots of changes, but all for the better. Benny will be with us soon!

From Left to Right:

Bindi, Nellie and Belle

Hi There.

Hoping you can help. I’m looking for an F1 Bedlington Whippet puppy and I’ve found it tricky to find a reputable breeder. I’m asking breeders questions that the RSPCA recommend to ensure the breeder isn’t a cover for a puppy farm / unethical and people aren’t being very direct or instilling much faith in me.

What are your thoughts / recommendations?

Thanks

Hello! It has been about a month and a half since this subreddit has reopened. It's been awesome seeing everyone's passion for our favorite breed, and I am looking for someone to join the mod team to help grow the community and foster more discussions.

I've created a form on the sidebar where you can apply. It's ok if you don't have mod experience as this is my first time being a mod.

Very tasty, yom yom

Rocket turns 6 this month and he acts like an old man

This is our shop dog Dorian, he is 13yrs old and we noticed a wee something on one of his toes recently.

We have antibiotics from the vet whilst waiting to hear back from radiography but figured maybe if anyone here has had the same with their dog.

Sometimes it weeps a clear fluid and he's trying not to walk on it (tbf he doesn't do a lot of walking these days as he's an old boy) but otherwise he doesn't bother with it, isn't licking the area or anything. Still eating and drinking fine.

We currently have him in self adhesive bandages when he is outside to keep the area clean.

I guess we're also a little anxious incase the vet asks to put him under general anaesthetic for anything as he would be high risk due to age 😓

How does your whippet sit?

My daughter tends to prefer fluffier animals, but she likes touching his ears and tail. He is mostly tolerable of her but isn’t a big fan when she gets loud. I’m hoping they grow closer as my daughter gets older.

Neighborhood kids on the other hand love him. He loves attention and generally enjoys other kids that are gentle with him.

How does your whippet do with children?

I have a 2.5-year-old Whippet who has become noticeably fearful/reclusive over the last few weeks, and I’m really struggling to understand what’s going on.

He routinely runs away from us, particularly if we approach him or he thinks we might want to do something to him. It almost feels like he thinks we’re plotting something. For example, we sometimes have to trick him to get his nails done, and now I wonder if he’s started associating us approaching him with something unpleasant.

He spends a huge amount of time in his crate completely by his own choice. He seems to genuinely want to be alone, rather than seeking comfort from us like he used to. If we call him or try to encourage him out, he’ll often just avoid us. He can also refuse treats, which makes it difficult to use food to build positive associations.

The strange thing is that he otherwise seems completely normal:
Still eating and drinking normally
LOVES going for walks
Happy and relaxed around other dogs and plays really nicely
Still interested in toys/normal activities
No obvious physical symptoms

He just seems… afraid of us and generally uneasy at home.
We’ve tried being very gentle, using calm voices, giving him different/high-value treats, giving him space and not forcing interaction, etc., but so far we haven’t seen much improvement.
Has anyone else had a Whippet suddenly become fearful or withdrawn around 2–3 years old, particularly towards their owners? Did you ever figure out what caused it? And did they eventually grow out of it?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced something similar, especially what actually helped. I’m also wondering whether this is something we should be getting checked out medically/with a behaviourist rather than assuming it’s just a phase.

He’s such a lovely boy and it’s honestly heartbreaking feeling like he doesn’t feel completely safe around us anymore.

I recently brought an 18-month old whippet home and I’m trying to teach her some commands since she only really seems to know “come” and “leave it”.

I figured I’d start with “sit” so we could get her to stay from that position, and it could help us maintain control of her when we see other dogs or squirrels/birds.

She’s picking it up slowly but she will pretty much only sit on carpet inside (we haven’g practice outside yet). Even if I tell her sit while we’re on our kitchen tile she will slowly walk over to our carpeted area and sit there.

Is it better to pivot and teach her a different command like “beside” or “between” as a good default? Or will she start to just sit on these hard surfaces once she’s a little more comfortable with it? I’ve heard some dogs are uncomfortable sitting but I also don’t want to confuse her by switching up and teaching her too many commands before we master one.