Whippet history
Whithout doubt, the whippet's rise in popularity took place with the advent of whippet racing circa 1860. The charms of the whippet have melted many heart, and once you have fallen for thid breed, you will want no other. This small sighthound has an amazing turn of speed, and even as the dog displays such quickness of foot, it is calculating twists and turns, and how long it takes to come to a stop. All this is done in a flash - the whippet, seemingly, in perpetual motion.

The name Whippet came from the word " whip" - to stop or crack like a whip - and that the sharp, quick character of the dogs led to the use of the name " Whippet " or a little whip. The Whippet was not recognised by the Kennel Club in England until 1891, and the credit for introducing the first show classes for Whippet goes to Darlington, at the South Durham and Yorkshire Show.

The Whippet
Whippets are the perfect house dogs. They are clean, medium-sized, and the most devoted companions. They should never be kennel dogs. Whippets are such individual little dogs; they are so attached to the person who cares for them, and their intelligence develops and blossoms when they have constant human companionship. The Whippet is easy to teach because it is amazingly intelligent. This breed is living proof that dogs can reason. Given the sketchiest knowledge of dog psychology, it is perfectly possible to watch a Whippet working out a problem when in full flight. There are no dull or stupid Whippets, but there are  some owners who lack the ability to transmit to their dogs the things they like them to do.

The Whippet is one of the easiest breed to prepare for the show ring, and you must ensure yoyr dog is always presented in pristine condition. This is a breed that is very eager to please, quick to learn, and does not require any treatment. If your Whippet will not show or refuses to move when you get into the ring, you have only yourself to blame !

Whippet racing is a sport where the newcomer frequently does well. Many racing champions are their owners first whippets, bought as a pet, and this could be due to the very intense relationship most people have with their first whippet: the one-to-one basis keeps each side finely tuned to the moods and desires of the other and, of course, the owner of a single whippet has much more time to spend on it than someone who is spreading themselves between seven or eight. Lure-coursing - or lure chasing as it should more properly be known, since the sighthounds are chasing the lure and cannot cause it to change direction. Lure-coursing offers a lot of fun without the pressure of a competitive event. Hounds run only against their own breed and must be at least a year old.
( From the book Whippets today by Patsy Gilmour )

 
Whippets in Sweden
In sweden its about 250 - 300 whippets registered on a year. In sweden we don't have separate bloodlines for show and racing. Most of the breeders are very anxious to breed on the standard. And I hope it continue that way. At Lure-coursing in Sweden your whippet are able to get certificate and after a while even become a Lure-coursing champion.  A whippet are a amazing, charming little sighthound and very lovely to own.

Bloodlines on our whippets are descended mostly from British lines. But of course their are other bloodlines to, for instance American, Australian bloodlines. We also have several old Swedish breeders who continue their breeding in their own family. A whippet are healthy and don't have any directly diseases.

Every year at Skokloster, the Sighthoundspeople have their own national sighthounds show.Sighthounds from all over the world use too come at the Skoklosterweekend. And the judges are often experts with lots of experience on each breed. It's a weekend for new contacts and lots of fun with likeminded people. So if you have time, please visit Skokloster last weekend in July Every year. I look forward to make new friends………

Do you want to have more information about the whippet so please, contact the Sighthoundclub you have the address on my linklist.

Now I hope I have convince you too buy a whippet !!

Standard of Whippet

  This page is updated: 06 June 1999