Whippets, is their prey drive a detriment to their working ability?

[Cleanspade 3,324]

i love the whippet threads the rose tinted glasses come out in droves. whippets are great little rabbitting dogs but have skin like clingfilm that tears easily anmd affords them little protection from the eliments. ive seen a few crackin little workers but would'nt have a pure whippet gold plated. my heart wouldnt stand it haveing said that in the present climate they and there crosses are the future. i think the whippet has more to offer the working lurcher than most other running dogs

[mally 832]

i love the whippet threads the rose tinted glasses come out in droves. whippets are great little rabbitting dogs but have skin like clingfilm that tears easily anmd affords them little protection from the eliments. ive seen a few crackin little workers but would'nt have a pure whippet gold plated. my heart wouldnt stand it haveing said that in the present climate they and there crosses are the future. i think the whippet has more to offer the working lurcher than most other running dogs

 

You always post about whippets having skin like clingfilm Cleanspade, My mates beddy x has had more stitches than any of my whippets put together and they ferret,lamp and mooch on exactly the same ground. For the land around here the Whippets suit me and do everything i ask of them, wouldn't have a beddy x given me now as a whippet can do what a whippet x beddy can do and more. The beddy x whippets i've been out with are as hard mouthed as hell, they yap,there headstrong and shiver like hell when wet. They just don't seem to have the coat like the beddyxwhippets of the late 's early 90's

[Cleanspade 3,324]

i love the whippet threads the rose tinted glasses come out in droves. whippets are great little rabbitting dogs but have skin like clingfilm that tears easily anmd affords them little protection from the eliments. ive seen a few crackin little workers but would'nt have a pure whippet gold plated. my heart wouldnt stand it haveing said that in the present climate they and there crosses are the future. i think the whippet has more to offer the working lurcher than most other running dogs

 

You always post about whippets having skin like clingfilm Cleanspade, My mates beddy x has had more stitches than any of my whippets put together and they ferret,lamp and mooch on exactly the same ground. For the land around here the Whippets suit me and do everything i ask of them, wouldn't have a beddy x given me now as a whippet can do what a whippet x beddy can do and more. The beddy x whippets i've been out with are as hard mouthed as hell, they yap,there headstrong and shiver like hell when wet. They just don't seem to have the coat like the beddyxwhippets of the late 's early 90's

 

its just what ive seen with my own eyes mally. although i'm sure there is good and bad in whippets as in any breed. i do like whippets and there crosses i own one. if he hits a fence or hedge you need to repair the fence/hedge not the dog :laugh: . not so fast though

 

 

AND YES HE IS SORE ON RABBITS good hunting .

[Guest Anubis]

Can only talk from the whippets i have seen and do work and none of them have been hard mouthed.Retrieved live to hand.

The only tears mine have had is from the barbed wire and we all know that stuff can make a mess of any dog.

As said great little rabbit dogs.

 

[troter58 1,711]

i love the whippet threads the rose tinted glasses come out in droves. whippets are great little rabbitting dogs but have skin like clingfilm that tears easily anmd affords them little protection from the eliments. ive seen a few crackin little workers but would'nt have a pure whippet gold plated. my heart wouldnt stand it haveing said that in the present climate they and there crosses are the future. i think the whippet has more to offer the working lurcher than most other running dogs

 

You always post about whippets having skin like clingfilm Cleanspade, My mates beddy x has had more stitches than any of my whippets put together and they ferret,lamp and mooch on exactly the same ground. For the land around here the Whippets suit me and do everything i ask of them, wouldn't have a beddy x given me now as a whippet can do what a whippet x beddy can do and more. The beddy x whippets i've been out with are as hard mouthed as hell, they yap,there headstrong and shiver like hell when wet. They just don't seem to have the coat like the beddyxwhippets of the late 's early 90's

you have the rose tinted specs on mate by the sound of it you not been out with a good beddy cross atb troter

[Ideation 8,216]

I can't speak of all whippets as i have not worked one before, and don't know that many folk that do. However, i can speak of mine.

 

My whippet Finn is just over 2 years old, he is about 21.5 / 22 inches to the shoulder and weighs about 18/19 kilos. I have now worked him for two seasons, his first at 6-12 months and his second at 18-24 months. His first season was spent learning the ferreting game, and lots and lots of day time mooching / bushing, his second season, a heavy dose of the same, and the introduction of lamping.

 

He has been a difficult and brilliant dog to bring on, he certainly has a high prey drive and a stupidly high 'hunting drive' as well. I would divide the two, into, the former, a desire to catch and kill his quarry, to get his teeth into it when he has put it up and sighted it. And the latter, is his desire to find that quarry in his first place, from searching for a scent, to following that scent through cover and over distance, through the air or ground, until he rises his quarry. I'm not sure at which point, the hunting drive, becomes prey drive? I have thought of this a lot, because when he is on a scent, and the quarry is relitivly close, and he knows he now has a good enough scent to find it, his body language, and actions are the same as when a dog is sighted to its quarry and giving chase.

 

This has been very difficult in training, as the high prey drive, made him want to get stuck into everything, including ferrets and sheep, and the hunting drive, made him go deaf as soon as he filled his nostrils. He still does this now, to some extent, he becomes totally consumed by the scent he is hunting, and sometimes i'm not sure if he even hears me? He certainly ignores me unless i really raise my voice. However, in the situations where i can let him do his thing, he will nearly always find and push out the quarry, no matter how far he has to go away from me, and once raised he will either catch and kill / retrieve it, or if he loses it, return. If it goes to ground, he will mark it, until i get within range and then come to me and go back. This means often, he hunts out of sight, and returns to check where i am every so often. If he goes awol and doesnt come in to a whistle, i head in the direction he went and usually find him with his quarry, or find him on his way back to me with it or marking it.

 

To be honest, he's not that fast. He's obviously faster than a lot of dogs, but for a whippet he just isnt a speed machine! He is solid, and strong, and has bags of stamina, and over a short distance has very quick reactions. His acceleration is good. He is well built, but of course, is a whippet and so is slight and does have thinner skin than any terrier or herding x. However, for a whippet it isnt bad, and its no worse than most other heavily sight hound blooded dogs. But, i do think, that his blind dedication, and like you said 'terrier like tenacity' when behind quarry, leads him to be blind to most other things, at times, and that leads to the odd bang.

 

Over the last two seasons he has had three serious knocks. The first, he hit a piece of tin sheet hidden in grass at full speed after a rabbit, leading to a serious gash in his back leg. The other two were front end impacts into barbed wire, both after rabbits, both times the barbed wire was hidden in cover and both times he had some serious cuts to his legs. The first would have fecked most dogs, the second two, a thicker skinned dog would probably have walked away from with out needing vet treatment. Most dogs probably would have hit them, if on that rabbit.

 

So three bad cuts in two seasons isn't great, and the one was almost game over, but i do work the dog pretty much every day (every day in the season), as he doesnt understand the idea of 'just a walk', and i do work him on a huge range of terrains, from the yorkshire dales to the sussex downs, and plenty more inbetween. I mostly run him across mountainsides / moorland and through woodland, so probably in theory, the worst possible ground to work a whippet on. He picks up plenty of small scratches and cuts, but he hunts like feck. I would put him against pretty much any and every dog at daytime hunting, and know i wouldnt walk away looking silly (unless i tried to call him back to me when on or near game haha).

 

Now finally, to the prey drive and killing bit. It's interesting, since day one of having him, he's liked to shake the hell into things. He doesn't play with balls, or chew toys, but he does on occaision like to 'kill' a pillow or two, shaking it like mad. When it comes to rabbits he mostly retrieves alive and to hand if we are out a lone, apart from the first rabbit of the night lamping, which he likes to parade for a bit. If you give him a dead rabbit to play with though he usually end up shaking it about. He will face anything you let him, no matter the odds, and throughout two seasons of daytime ratching about (i usually carry a gun as well, as you never know what you might put up, especially on the shoot i work on), he has had plenty of tree rats, a few rats and flushed and retrieved a couple of charlie, and a mink all of which he has shaken to feck, killed quickly where needed, and really looked like he has enjoyed himself. He goes wild to get at the tree rats and on the scent of a charlie, hunting the latter harder than anything. He also tracked an injured roe well, the only one he has encountered properly.

 

So, in conclusion i certainly wouldnt say he was laid back or sensible, and he does have a very high prey and hunting drive and that brings some problems, but the benefits out weigh them. And although i always expect him to smash himself up, he doesnt do too badly considering how much and where he works. Maybe the key is he is strongly built, and just not that fast. Although i say that and maybe i just mean he has gears, some of which he very rarely needs to use. I say that because one time i saw him chase and catch something moving very very fast, starting from a long way out and i have never seen him run so fast in his life.

 

Just my thoughts on my dog, like i said, i cant speak for them all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[redtailhawk1 84]

I can't speak of all whippets as i have not worked one before, and don't know that many folk that do. However, i can speak of mine.

 

My whippet Finn is just over 2 years old, he is about 21.5 / 22 inches to the shoulder and weighs about 18/19 kilos. I have now worked him for two seasons, his first at 6-12 months and his second at 18-24 months. His first season was spent learning the ferreting game, and lots and lots of day time mooching / bushing, his second season, a heavy dose of the same, and the introduction of lamping.

 

He has been a difficult and brilliant dog to bring on, he certainly has a high prey drive and a stupidly high 'hunting drive' as well. I would divide the two, into, the former, a desire to catch and kill his quarry, to get his teeth into it when he has put it up and sighted it. And the latter, is his desire to find that quarry in his first place, from searching for a scent, to following that scent through cover and over distance, through the air or ground, until he rises his quarry. I'm not sure at which point, the hunting drive, becomes prey drive? I have thought of this a lot, because when he is on a scent, and the quarry is relitivly close, and he knows he now has a good enough scent to find it, his body language, and actions are the same as when a dog is sighted to its quarry and giving chase.

 

This has been very difficult in training, as the high prey drive, made him want to get stuck into everything, including ferrets and sheep, and the hunting drive, made him go deaf as soon as he filled his nostrils. He still does this now, to some extent, he becomes totally consumed by the scent he is hunting, and sometimes i'm not sure if he even hears me? He certainly ignores me unless i really raise my voice. However, in the situations where i can let him do his thing, he will nearly always find and push out the quarry, no matter how far he has to go away from me, and once raised he will either catch and kill / retrieve it, or if he loses it, return. If it goes to ground, he will mark it, until i get within range and then come to me and go back. This means often, he hunts out of sight, and returns to check where i am every so often. If he goes awol and doesnt come in to a whistle, i head in the direction he went and usually find him with his quarry, or find him on his way back to me with it or marking it.

 

To be honest, he's not that fast. He's obviously faster than a lot of dogs, but for a whippet he just isnt a speed machine! He is solid, and strong, and has bags of stamina, and over a short distance has very quick reactions. His acceleration is good. He is well built, but of course, is a whippet and so is slight and does have thinner skin than any terrier or herding x. However, for a whippet it isnt bad, and its no worse than most other heavily sight hound blooded dogs. But, i do think, that his blind dedication, and like you said 'terrier like tenacity' when behind quarry, leads him to be blind to most other things, at times, and that leads to the odd bang.

 

Over the last two seasons he has had three serious knocks. The first, he hit a piece of tin sheet hidden in grass at full speed after a rabbit, leading to a serious gash in his back leg. The other two were front end impacts into barbed wire, both after rabbits, both times the barbed wire was hidden in cover and both times he had some serious cuts to his legs. The first would have fecked most dogs, the second two, a thicker skinned dog would probably have walked away from with out needing vet treatment. Most dogs probably would have hit them, if on that rabbit.

 

So three bad cuts in two seasons isn't great, and the one was almost game over, but i do work the dog pretty much every day (every day in the season), as he doesnt understand the idea of 'just a walk', and i do work him on a huge range of terrains, from the yorkshire dales to the sussex downs, and plenty more inbetween. I mostly run him across mountainsides / moorland and through woodland, so probably in theory, the worst possible ground to work a whippet on. He picks up plenty of small scratches and cuts, but he hunts like feck. I would put him against pretty much any and every dog at daytime hunting, and know i wouldnt walk away looking silly (unless i tried to call him back to me when on or near game haha).

 

Now finally, to the prey drive and killing bit. It's interesting, since day one of having him, he's liked to shake the hell into things. He doesn't play with balls, or chew toys, but he does on occaision like to 'kill' a pillow or two, shaking it like mad. When it comes to rabbits he mostly retrieves alive and to hand if we are out a lone, apart from the first rabbit of the night lamping, which he likes to parade for a bit. If you give him a dead rabbit to play with though he usually end up shaking it about. He will face anything you let him, no matter the odds, and throughout two seasons of daytime ratching about (i usually carry a gun as well, as you never know what you might put up, especially on the shoot i work on), he has had plenty of tree rats, a few rats and flushed and retrieved a couple of charlie, and a mink all of which he has shaken to feck, killed quickly where needed, and really looked like he has enjoyed himself. He goes wild to get at the tree rats and on the scent of a charlie, hunting the latter harder than anything. He also tracked an injured roe well, the only one he has encountered properly.

 

So, in conclusion i certainly wouldnt say he was laid back or sensible, and he does have a very high prey and hunting drive and that brings some problems, but the benefits out weigh them. And although i always expect him to smash himself up, he doesnt do too badly considering how much and where he works. Maybe the key is he is strongly built, and just not that fast. Although i say that and maybe i just mean he has gears, some of which he very rarely needs to use. I say that because one time i saw him chase and catch something moving very very fast, starting from a long way out and i have never seen him run so fast in his life.

 

Just my thoughts on my dog, like i said, i cant speak for them all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice dogs. Good condition to

[Ideation 8,216]

Cheers matey!

[DogMagic 461]

My lad is 7/8 whippet and 1/8 beddy and iv never had a problem with him being hard mouthed. In fact untill he learned what he was doing iv had a few get out of his mouth! Lol!

[Ideation 8,216]

Good bit of coat for 1/8 mate

[BLACKWATER... 157]

saw several collie whippet greyhound type all were soft mouthed, retreived to hand easy ,nlrc feild trail runner up was grew collie cross katie, her mother kizzy fetched to hand and qaulified at the hunting trails as an old dog , luke the son of them retreived to hand again whippet through them , lana minni still retreive to hand with grew in them , they were 24 inches good strong heads , small whipps will struggle on a big rabb at times as there got small jaws , you get the bigger whipp grews back to the good working lurcher strains ypou get a very handy dog , but i wouldnt go for the over small 22 23 upwards ,my old mates kelpie grews gem etc were not big but retreived no prob good head on her tho ,,there whippets and there puny little ones that look like small shivering wrecks fit for chaseing a rag maybe ,the whipp grews are one of my favorite little dogs of the right stamp

Edited April 24, 2012 by BLACKWATER...

[DogMagic 461]

Good bit of coat for 1/8 mate

 

Yeah, my mate had his sister and she was smooth untill she got excited then a little ridge appeared between her shoulders.

[nothernlite 18,090]

i love the whippet threads the rose tinted glasses come out in droves. whippets are great little rabbitting dogs but have skin like clingfilm that tears easily anmd affords them little protection from the eliments. ive seen a few crackin little workers but would'nt have a pure whippet gold plated. my heart wouldnt stand it haveing said that in the present climate they and there crosses are the future. i think the whippet has more to offer the working lurcher than most other running dogs

 

You always post about whippets having skin like clingfilm Cleanspade, My mates beddy x has had more stitches than any of my whippets put together and they ferret,lamp and mooch on exactly the same ground. For the land around here the Whippets suit me and do everything i ask of them, wouldn't have a beddy x given me now as a whippet can do what a whippet x beddy can do and more. The beddy x whippets i've been out with are as hard mouthed as hell, they yap,there headstrong and shiver like hell when wet. They just don't seem to have the coat like the beddyxwhippets of the late 's early 90's

you have the rose tinted specs on mate by the sound of it you not been out with a good beddy cross atb troter

Got to agree with you trotter

[Guest Manitoba]

The ped whippets we hunted with on horrendus ground as young men had plenty of prey drive but also plenty of running scense and never once did a seriouse running accident occour and that also goes for some of the whippet crosses i have seen.Weather its just coincidence but every seriouse even fatal injury i have witnesed and seen have been out out of lurchers bred out of pure greyhounds.

excellant post

[Lost Generation 93]

I have had whippets and wjippetxs a long time ,they have all been as keen and driven as anything , I have run them on all sorts of land , some land it was probably stupid to do so ,apart from the usual rips , tears , knocks , sprains etc they have all been remarkably resiliant to injury in fact in 20 odd years I havent had an injury that required a vet .

 

I guess that you don't have muntjac where you are. Two of my friends have had whippets killed by muntjac bucks in the last couple of years and another mate who is a keeper is under standing orders to kill every muntjac seen on the estate because of the damage done to the landowners whippets by them.