Whippet

The Whippet is a British breed of sighthound. It closely resembles the Greyhound and the smaller Italian Greyhound, and is intermediate between them in size. In the nineteenth century, it was sometimes called "the poor man's racehorse". It is commonly kept as a companion dog, for competitive showing or for amateur racing, and may participate in various dog sports, including lure coursing, agility, and flyball. It has the fastest running speed within its weight and size range, and is believed to have the fastest idle-to-running acceleration of any dog. Whippets are characterized by their gentle, affectionate, and calm temperament. While typically relaxed and serene at home, they exhibit high energy and excitement when outdoors. Originally bred as hunting and racing dogs, Whippets have a strong prey drive, which may lead them to chase small animals. Whippets have a minimal-shedding coat that is easy to manage due to its short, smooth texture and lack of an undercoat. However, their short coat and low body fat make them particularly sensitive to cold temperatures, so they may require extra protection, such as a dog jacket, in cooler weather. The breed is generally healthy, benefiting from a strong, athletic constitution, and is free from many hereditary issues seen in other breeds. The concept of greyhound-type dogs of various sizes—large, medium, and small—has been well-documented in hunting manuals and natural history works dating back to the Middle Ages. In the early 15th century, Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, translated and expanded the late 14th-century French Livre de chasse, a comprehensive manual on instructions for hunting with dogs. In his work, he highlighted the benefits of keeping ‘great,’ ‘middle,’ and ‘small-sized Greyhounds’ for hunting different kinds of game. Later, in the 16th century, English physician and academic John Caius referenced both greater and lesser types of Leporarius, Grehounde (Greyhound) in his book De Canibus Britannicis. Notably, he described a type connected to the Whippet: the tumbler, a 'lesser sort of mungrell greyhounde' that was an excellent warren dog used for catching rabbits. The tumbler was also recorded by Thomas Brown, a Scottish curator and editor, in the early 19th century.