Whippets?

Dekka

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#43
:rofl1:

Anorexic short danes maybe. Sorry, just had to.

Anyways, thanks for the great input everyone. And the fantastic pictures. I want to curl up with all the adorable whippets right now. I'm sure we will have one someday, I still think it would solve all of the husband's problems, but until he comes around we will be whippet free.
Maybe not in weight but in height. I was surprised when I met some breeder greys (the racing ones I have met seem smaller and slighter) how tall they were. Just as tall as many of the Danes at the show.

And they are still up to 90ish pounds. I don't think a 90 pound 30 inch dog is 'not a large dog'
 

Romy

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#44
Maybe not in weight but in height. I was surprised when I met some breeder greys (the racing ones I have met seem smaller and slighter) how tall they were. Just as tall as many of the Danes at the show.

And they are still up to 90ish pounds. I don't think a 90 pound 30 inch dog is 'not a large dog'
The two greys we were looking to adopt before they turned me down for being pregnant were bigger than my borzois.

Pete was 34" at the shoulder and 90 lbs racing weight.

Sergio was 36" at the shoulder. He was HUGE. You really have to see them in person to appreciate the size.
 

Pops2

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#45
Maybe not in weight but in height. I was surprised when I met some breeder greys (the racing ones I have met seem smaller and slighter) how tall they were. Just as tall as many of the Danes at the show.

And they are still up to 90ish pounds. I don't think a 90 pound 30 inch dog is 'not a large dog'
a lot of coldbloods get that big especially since the focus now is on wolfing. the bigger dogs manhandle the coyotes better.
 

Aleron

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#46
There are definitely some Greys out there as tall as Danes, both breeder and show bred. They are a sighthound breed I really, really like but their size doesn't really suit me.
 

Romy

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#47
There are definitely some Greys out there as tall as Danes, both breeder and show bred. They are a sighthound breed I really, really like but their size doesn't really suit me.
The same rescue also pulled dogs as short as 24". There's a huge variety of sizes in NGA greys.
 

Aleron

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#48
The same rescue also pulled dogs as short as 24". There's a huge variety of sizes in NGA greys.
There is in the AKC population as well. Some of those lines have NGA dogs as well. I believe the AKC Grey studbook is still open but I'm not up on my Grey politics :)

So Im sure I could find a Grey in a size I liked but Whippet size just appeals to me more overall. I also would want a puppy...although that is a long, long way off. Someday though.
 

Dekka

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#49
I have met a few greys where I am OMG I want to take you home, but not many. I have found a decent difference between greys and whippets, though not as big as between whippets and zoi. (which makes sense as they got whippets by crossing greys with terriers and spaniels, which is why I think whippets are the most biddable sighthounds I have met)
 

Aleron

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#50
I have met a few greys where I am OMG I want to take you home, but not many. I have found a decent difference between greys and whippets, though not as big as between whippets and zoi. (which makes sense as they got whippets by crossing greys with terriers and spaniels, which is why I think whippets are the most biddable sighthounds I have met)
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.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#51
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

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#52
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=gZ4SG8Wi3bQ&feature=share&list=UUE61xyPi2XqUaNhBLIge9WQ

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

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#53
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

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#54
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. :p 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

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#55
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

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#56
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

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#57
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.
 

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