Whippets?

[AdrianneIsabel]

We have a lot of Greys in our classes and they're beautiful but very hard for their owners to reach, they're race rescues usually though if that makes a difference.

We have our first two Saluki (since I've been here) and they're pretty cool dogs, relatively biddable and attentive.

The IG we have is a dang all star, I've house sat for the breed several times and none have been nearly this social and confident. I love it.

I really want to get to know some borzoi, I am sure whippets are more my size but those Borzoi seem just really cool.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

We have a lot of Greys in our classes and they're beautiful but very hard for their owners to reach, they're race rescues usually though if that makes a difference.

I actually have a lot less experience with track dogs. Most of the Greys I have been around are AKC or import lines, bred for show and/or lure coursing. I would think though that the way dogs are raised for racing would affect how easy they are to train. I am not someone who thinks all or even most racing Greys are poorly treated but from day one, they are raised to make them into great racing dogs. That doesn't include teaching them that learning is fun and doing stuff with people is fun. IME many people who adopt Greys are pet people with low expectations of the dog and limited training experience. Which is fine but it's certainly not an ideal situation to see what the dog would be capable of training wise.

Still the Never Say Never Greys are really nice agility dogs and all have been retired racers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4SG...XqUaNhBLIge9WQ

Of course, she does pick her dogs carefully. Her newest is a pup from a breeder and she has lots of very adorable videos of her on Youtube too.

Patricia Gail Burnham has been pretty successful in conformation, field and obedience with her Suntiger Greyhounds for many, many years. She wrote what might have been the first positive training for competition obedience book there was.

The one I raised, by 8 months knew so many behaviors and was so joyful about doing stuff. She was really smart, cute, good at shaping and just a really enjoyable dog to work with. She was into tugging and of course chasing too. She was clicker trained from a young puppy on and I think that makes a huge difference too. Sighthounds really don't seem to understand their owners using aversive on them to get them to do something. I think because they were not bred to work with humans in the way herding or sporting breeds were. Using correction with them just makes them...sad. I'm not saying people don't successfully train them using correction based methods, just that they generally are pretty sullen.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Aleron

Whippets seem to have a bit more "oophm' than most Greys. But I didn't find the Greys to really lack biddability at all. Otherwise, they seem pretty similar to me, while still being distinct breeds. Borzoi seem fairly different from both but I haven't really had much one on one interaction with Borzoi. I worked with a couple Pharaoh Hounds and they were definitely different from Greys or Whippets, harder to get interested in doing stuff with/for you and more independent minded. Very, very cool dogs though.

I have met a few zoi. One of the whippet breeders I respect used to breed zoi so I have also heard her take on the differences.

By biddability I mean more than just ok I will do what you ask, but the drive to work with you. Most greys I know are smart and good learners but after a short time go 'ok I am done' My whippets do this too. Not to the same degree but I am used to JRTs where as long as you have a ball the dog will be dying to work to get it.

[Romy]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

We have a lot of Greys in our classes and they're beautiful but very hard for their owners to reach, they're race rescues usually though if that makes a difference.

We have our first two Saluki (since I've been here) and they're pretty cool dogs, relatively biddable and attentive.

The IG we have is a dang all star, I've house sat for the breed several times and none have been nearly this social and confident. I love it.

I really want to get to know some borzoi, I am sure whippets are more my size but those Borzoi seem just really cool.

With borzoi the biddability varies a lot between individuals and lines. Kaia is honestly comparable to my old DDR shepherd girl as far as her desire to please and drive. She's a little more intense than most borzois though. Her breeder said she was happy I got her because she would have been more dog that most borzoi people would expect. Most of her puppies were like that too. VERY driven and people pleasing, but with a strong chillaxing streak. Marya was super independent and driven, and a couple were lovey couch potatoes but still wanted to please. They just wouldn't jump off the roof to do it.

I've met zois who were pretty indifferent for obedience and would look at you like an alien if you wanted them to sit. Most are somewhere in the middle though. If you want one extreme or the other they can be found.

[spiffy]

Who says Whippets don't like to cuddle? They do!! The only trouble is that they are rather on the large size and it can really be very uncomfortable when their bony legs dig into your body parts.

[Romy]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

We have a lot of Greys in our classes and they're beautiful but very hard for their owners to reach, they're race rescues usually though if that makes a difference.

We have our first two Saluki (since I've been here) and they're pretty cool dogs, relatively biddable and attentive.

The IG we have is a dang all star, I've house sat for the breed several times and none have been nearly this social and confident. I love it.

I really want to get to know some borzoi, I am sure whippets are more my size but those Borzoi seem just really cool.

If you ever want to meet up at a show or something after you move that can be arranged.

[milos_mommy]

I went into this thread thinking whippets aren't very cuddly...but I'm a pit bull person, and Milo doesn't count it as cuddling unless all of him is touching as much of me as possible. So maybe I'm biased...but the whippets I've known haven't really been much of lap-dogs.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by Romy

If you ever want to meet up at a show or something after you move that can be arranged.

Definitely! They're so intriguing to me!