Whippet

AKC Group: Hound

Club: American Whippet Club, Inc.

Secretary : Russell McFadden
Address: 4 Kenny Lane, Espanola, NM , 87532-9685
Website: www.americanwhippetclub.net
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

A medium size sighthound giving the appearance of elegance and fitness, denoting great speed, power and balance without coarseness. A true sporting hound that covers a maximum of distance with a minimum of lost motion. Should convey an impression of beautifully balanced muscular power and strength, combined with great elegance and grace of outline. Symmetry of outline, muscular development and powerful gait are the main considerations; the dog being built for speed and work, all forms of exaggeration should be avoided.

Size:

Ideal height for dogs, 19 to 22 inches; for bitches, 18 to 21 inches, measured at the highest point of the withers. More than one-half inch above or below the stated limits will disqualify. Length from forechest to buttocks equal to or slightly greater than height at the withers. Moderate bone throughout.

Coat:

Short, close, smooth and firm in texture. Any other coat shall be a disqualification. Old scars and injuries, the result of work or accident, should not be allowed to prejudice the dog's chance in the show ring.

Temperament:

Amiable, friendly, gentle, but capable of great intensity during sporting pursuits.

History:

The Whippet, an English Greyhound in miniature, is the fastest domesticated animal of his weight, capable of speeds up to 35 m.p.h. As well as an animal of beauty, grace of outline and smoothness of action, he is also a very charming, affectionate and intelligent pet. The Whippet is extraordinarily keen when racing or coursing, though in the living room he is quiet, dignified, unobtrusive and above all highly decorative. Contrary to external appearances, he is by no means delicate or difficult to care for. He makes an ideal dual-purpose small dog for an owner of discrimination.

As a breed the Whippet is not one of our oldest, having evolved for over a hundred years it was not until 1891 that official recognition was given by the English Kennel Club. It is said that when barbaric pastimes such as bullbaiting, bearbaiting and dogfighting began to lose favor, a "milder" entertainment of coursing rabbits in an enclosure called "snap-dog coursing" came into play. At first the breed was known as "snap-dog", named for the dog that snapped-up or caught the most rabbits. It will be noted that this ignoble pastime in which the rabbit had absolutely no chance of escape, differed greatly from legitimate coursing in the open with Greyhounds and was purely a gambling proposition. Later they were used primarily for straight racing, then the Whippet was nicknamed "the poor man's racehorse."

Whippets were first brought to America by English mill operators of Massachusetts, which for many years was the center of Whippet racing in this country. Later the sport moved south to Maryland particularly in Baltimore.

From the standpoint of the fancier, Whippets make an ideal exhibition dog. With their medium size and smooth coat they are neither difficult to transport nor keep in condition. Their quiet demeanor in the ring makes them a pleasure to show.