The Whippet

[Wild Whippies 11]

I was asked to post some photos of the different types of whippets. Before I do I should explain something.

In the U.K., Whippets are best judged as a type of dog, not a specific breed. Liken them to a terrier with various different types.

The Kennel Club have no jurisdiction over the name whatsoever. In fact it could be argued that the KC dog is so far removed from it's original type as to be seen an entirely different entity.

I am not being biased here, I own both pedigree and non-pedigree whippets and like both types not only that but the variation provides dogs that can be exceedingly fast or have lots of stamina.

So as not to offend, I'll be using my own dogs as examples. There are dogs that excel at specific disciplines but think it's unfair to post photos without their owners permission.

Obviously anyone who's got a purpose bred whippet are welcome to submit their examples.

 

Pedigree whippets:

 

This is Buffy. My first whippet. She is a combination of show and coursing breeding. Oakbark / Towercrest / Cottonmere lines. She is quite a decent sized bitch, lots of stamina and gutsy as hell.

 

I lined Buffy to a racing pedigree whippet. Basically I wanted something genetically diverse only and didn't want to line breed. I already had homes secured for pets only so it made sense to choose something completely different to prevent me unwittingly producing any faults. The dogs produced aren't perfect examples of racing whippets but I think you can see this produced a more finer, muscular dog.

 

Riley

 

Nell (with Buffy in background)

 

Jeebs Personally I think he's taken more physically to his Mum's lines. Not as fast as his siblings either but he's been very good at hunting.

 

All 3 dogs have raced and I'm sure it comes as no surprise when I say that Riley and Nell where the best racers when you compare their physique to Jeebs.

 

 

Non-Ped racing whippets.

These are the original whippet per se. Pedigree whippets (if you go back far enough) all originate from them.

They have a relatively small gene pool, however outcrossing to greyhounds is done which maintains genetic diversity.

Because of these linings, there are no stipulations to weight or height and classes are split to accomodate the various sizes. Weights range from 16lb to 55lb, (generally). Because of the diversity these dogs are quite varied in their appearance. They do not have a breed standard like kennel club dogs and as such various head shapes, ear and tail carriages etc etc are the norm and it's my belief that this diversity is why the breed remains generally fault free, bar one anamoly which I'll describe later.

 

Pixel (31lb)

 

K.B. and Jack. Not the most flattering of photos but I think it shows how muscular these dogs are! (both 40lb+)

 

Dobber (37lb)

 

Solo (35lb)

 

The muscle composition is still evident on the smaller lightweight whippets but we tend to have heavyweight / scratch dogs. Additionally, all the above dogs are related. To really appreciate the size variations and diversity it is probably best viewing my site where there's been racing events. Non-ped whippets tend to be the best sprinting dog. Over 150yds they're usually a second faster than their pedigree relatives.

 

This breeding for sprint racing dogs has produced an anamoly know as myostatin muscle related hypertrophy.

The gene is recessive. Dogs that are heterozygous (posess one form of the gene) are faster than dogs that do not.

See link Study of myostatin muscle related hypertrophy

Dogs that posess the one gene have no health related issues whatsoever. They tend to be desirable to those lurcher linings were owners wish to add some speed to the offspring. Even dogs without the mutation will still provide an increased muscle mass to a lining.

 

Occasionally, a pup will possess 2 forms of the gene (homozygous) the result is what is known as a bully whippet.

They are rare. Mainly because non-ped racers avoid breeding 2 carriers knowingly and in those instances where they do, the probability of producing one is still very low. Our's came about through an accidental mating, we had to have DNA testing done to ascertain the sire but we already had our suspicians. The carrier dog is Solo pictured above, but I suspect a number of our dogs have the mutation, purely because of their muscle composition and how easily these dogs ''buff up''

 

Sasha

 

Sasha has had issues with cramping but we managed to stop this by changing her diet. Other health issues are unknown as there is very little research done on them. There is speculation that as the heart has cardiac muscle they may have a shorter life span but this has yet to be proven. Infact the research carried out in the link above came about because a child has the anamoly. Apparently the parents of the child were both professional athletes. The anamoly is also present in belgian blue cattle where it's abbundance of lean muscle has proved popular for meat produce.

Needless to say bodybuilders are fascinated by the anamoly.

 

Hope this was useful to those interested.

[DottyDoo 500]

nice wee dogs, cracking pics an a decent thread

 

how tall is pixel??? caught my eye

[CarraghsGem 92]

cracking thread! tempting me back towards the whippet as a breed lol!

[whip x grey 276]

nice photo,s jac and intresting thread,,,,,

 

i think there all brillant jac,,,,all diffrent sizes and shapes breeds off whippet,s,,

 

got dvd off charposki ,,,2day off racing at rising sun in 1973,,,,even then u cant SEE diffrent shapes and size,s ,,,big strong types/ slim types/ ,,,,it was a brillant dvd,,,,,loved every minute off it title ( a dogs life --whippets )

 

aha i see solo,,,,,thats my buddys father iam right ????

 

got photo of zac a ped tother,,,,which gives u an idea also off a ped to non ped ,,,,in body 2day there roughly same height

 

[Wild Whippies 11]

Hiya Rob!

Glad you've added some piks. I think Vicky's got a copy of the vid, if I'm right Mr Binks is on it?! Must take up her offer of a chinese and some videos

Your quite right, it is Buddy's dad. Where's your piks of Buddy?!

Nice to see Zak with a peddy gives people a good comparison.

 

Pixel is about 21 inch tts

Jack & KB over 23

Dobber and Solo about 22

[whip x grey 276]

Hiya Rob!

Glad you've added some piks. I think Vicky's got a copy of the vid, if I'm right Mr Binks is on it?! Must take up her offer of a chinese and some videos

Your quite right, it is Buddy's dad. Where's your piks of Buddy?!

Nice to see Zak with a peddy gives people a good comparison.

 

Pixel is about 21 inch tts

Jack & KB over 23

Dobber and Solo about 22

 

damn ,,,,vicki,s got got video too ???? i was going to tease her with it

 

i have got pic, off buddy on,,,,he,s in my avatar photo ,,,he wont stand still for photos,,,,,he,s too rabbit /cat ,,anything that moves daft,,,when out walking ,,,,,bet he got that off solo,,,

[Wild Whippies 11]

Rob I take no credit for your dog's boundless energy, I'll leave that to Solo!!

[southcott 9]

Great thread Just started racing at local shows and really enjoying it, we didnt have a clue about the different types of racing, but are learning fast, and on the hole find them a friendly bunch, we nearly had a non ped, but it wasnt to be as there was only one bitch in the litter ! But we are now the owners of 3 lurchers it gets very addictive our freebee Bitch has now won the coursing twice, but she is never going to win the straight racing ,my 2nd pup was a impulse buy time will tell, but my 3rd pup is a purpose bred , and i look forward to next year with her.The thing i love about these dogs are they are happy to go out with the lamp, the ferret, or just curl up on your lap , what more could you ask for.

[poacher3161 1,766]

A very intresting thread and credit were credits due i have seen you at a few non ped meets that i have attended and like most of the non ped whippet people live and breath their dogs i wish more lurcher owners could be the same.atvb dell

[staffs riffraff 1,068]

after seeing some really good whippets just lately that look as though they can do a nights graft been really considering getting one just finding the right one at the right time though. W whippies thanks for putting the thread up some lovely animals. cheers

[mexlad 189]

great thread,very knowledgeable and some nice dogs

[my hounds 309]

Spot on post,thanks alot.

[Sonny Brindle 2]

Really interesting post. Just curious about where you would draw the line sizewise between a non-ped whippet and a whippet/grey?

 

You say your two scratch dogs are over 23" TTS. To me that says whippet/grey, as I am used to ped whippets from coursing/show lines which are around 19" or 20" (see pic).

 

Not a criticism, just curious, and some lovely dogs you've got there.

 

 

 

[KittleRox 2,147]

really interesting post,cheers.

[Deano7 22]

Some brillinat looking dogs there, great thread