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Breed guide · Dogs
He runs to anything I wave. I keep a tea towel in my pocket at the park.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Wave a toy at the far end of the park and they come at full speed.
What's going onTheir ancestors raced towards an owner waving a rag at the finish line. Plenty of Whippets still find a waved toy irresistible, which makes it a good recall tool. It will not beat a cat crossing the road.
At home
Under the duvet, under the blanket, or on you, the moment the air conditioning comes on.
What's going onA thin coat, very little padding and no undercoat. The air conditioning feels colder to them than to you, so they burrow. A blanket of their own saves the duvet.
At home
Asleep for most of the day, then a few minutes at full speed.
What's going onSighthounds were bred to sprint over a short distance, then rest for a long time. That rhythm is normal for the breed, so a long trot on the road does less for them than a short sprint and a long nap.
At home
A scrape from a branch, a kerb or a rough game that another dog would shrug off.
What's going onTheir skin is thin under a very short coat, so it marks and tears easily. A pink belly burns in the sun too, which is why dog-safe sunscreen is part of their care.
At home
One sharp word and they keep their distance for the rest of the evening.
What's going onWhippets are sensitive, and pressure makes them shut down rather than argue. It looks like sulking. Calm rewards get you much further with them than a raised voice ever will.
At home
Lying down halfway round a walk they used to love.
What's going onAn irregular heartbeat is a risk for Whippets from puppyhood, so their heart is checked as a puppy and their heart rhythm is traced with an ECG at two. If they start lying down on walks or lagging behind, tell your vet.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their run
Built for: Short, flat-out races to a person at the finish line.
In Dubai: Few places they can run safely off the lead.
Their ground
Built for: A day off in the mill towns of northern England.
In Dubai: Pavement too hot to walk on for months.
Their warmth
Built for: A thin coat, made to shed heat and run.
In Dubai: Air conditioning that leaves them cold indoors.
The burrowing, the shivering and the bolt after a cat mostly come from that gap.
They are one of the easier sighthounds to live with in a flat. They still need somewhere to put that sprint, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the heart, eyes, skin and thyroid a Whippet is prone to, at every age.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
At up to 56 km/h, no training reliably wins the two seconds after a cat moves.
Every age, for life
Why
At up to 56 km/h, no training reliably wins the two seconds after a cat moves.
What to do
Use a martingale collar, which tightens just enough that they cannot back out, or a fitted harness, and a 10 to 15 metre line wherever the space is not fully fenced. Practise the recall every day with a waved toy as the reward. Never rely on it near a road.
Their thin skin burns outside, and the air conditioning chills them inside, often on the same day.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their thin skin burns outside, and the air conditioning chills them inside, often on the same day.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and hold the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds first: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Dog-safe sunscreen on the nose, ear tips and belly. A blanket or a light jumper indoors.
Each chase they get away with makes the next one faster, and there are street cats on many walks here.
Every age, best started as a puppy
Why
Each chase they get away with makes the next one faster, and there are street cats on many walks here.
What to do
Introduce cats and small dogs slowly, over weeks, on a lead. Don't let a chase after a cat or small dog start, even in play. Get them used to a muzzle with treats while they are young, so a vet visit or a busy park is just another day.
In a flat with a doorbell, a lift and deliveries, they are more likely to be short of sleep than short of exercise.
Every age, most of all puppies and teenagers
Why
In a flat with a doorbell, a lift and deliveries, they are more likely to be short of sleep than short of exercise.
What to do
They need 16 to 18 hours of rest, somewhere quiet they can take themselves off to, and puppies need 18 to 20. Let them sleep, and save the cuddle for when they wake. If they are restless at night, look at their day first.
A Whippet rarely makes a fuss, and the heart, eyes, skin and thyroid often show up first as small changes at home.
Every age, weekly
Why
A Whippet rarely makes a fuss, and the heart, eyes, skin and thyroid often show up first as small changes at home.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over their ribs, spine, belly and feet, feeling for cuts and lumps, and give the coat its weekly brush as you go. Brush their teeth every day.
A chase needs a catch, and their ancestors raced towards a waved rag.
Every age, gentler for puppies and older dogs
Why
A chase needs a catch, and their ancestors raced towards a waved rag.
What to do
Use a flirt pole, or a tug toy on a rope, on grass or sand. Three to five minutes, twice a week. Let them catch it at least twice, and stop while they still want more. Puppies get 60 seconds, low and slow.
Twenty minutes of sniffing and looking does more for them than five kilometres at your side.
Every age, shorter for puppies and older dogs
Why
Twenty minutes of sniffing and looking does more for them than five kilometres at your side.
What to do
Let them choose the route and the pace for half the walk. Two short walks beat one long one. For a puppy, five minutes per month of age is plenty.
They will find the warmest place in the house, so you might as well choose it.
Every age, orthopaedic from 7 years
Why
They will find the warmest place in the house, so you might as well choose it.
What to do
A padded bed with a fleece they can get under, in the room where you sit. If they prefer the sofa, put their blanket there. For an older Whippet, an orthopaedic bed that is low to step onto, with a non-slip route to it.
They hunt by watching. A window is a good afternoon for them.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
They hunt by watching. A window is a good afternoon for them.
What to do
A raised spot by a window where they can see the street. On walks, let them stop and stare for a minute. If they start hesitating on steps at dusk, tell your vet.
Pressure makes them shut down, and it takes them a long time to come back.
Every age, gentler still as sight and hearing fade
Why
Pressure makes them shut down, and it takes them a long time to come back.
What to do
Reward what you liked straight away, say a cue once, and stop while it is still going well. Leave out raised voices, and any collar or tool that hurts or frightens them.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Show, racing and coursing lines
Show lines are bred for the ring, for a consistent look. Racing and coursing lines are bred to run. The lines vary in build and drive, so ask which one a puppy comes from, and you will know more about the chase you are taking home.
Whippet colours
Whippets come in every colour and pattern, from fawn and brindle to black, blue and white, and every mix in between. The breed has never minded what colour a fast dog is.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Whippet puppies need 18 to 20 hours of sleep, walks of about five minutes per month of age, and gentle muzzle practice with treats while they are small.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Give them a padded bed with a fleece to burrow under, in the room where you sit, and rugs where they turn on marble. Check every gate, door and balcony rail: a Whippet who slips out is a long way off in seconds.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder what they know about both parents' hearts and eyes, and whether either has been checked. An irregular heartbeat and Progressive Retinal Atrophy are both risks for a Whippet from puppyhood.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep running to whatever you wave. If they stop running to it, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
The 1800s
The Whippet was made in the mining and mill towns of northern England. Working families wanted a fast dog small enough to feed and keep in the house, one that could catch a rabbit for the pot.
What they still carryA sprinter small enough to share a home, with a close bond to their own people.
Late 1800s
On their day off, families raced them. Each owner stood at the finish line waving a rag, and their dog ran flat out to reach them.
What they still carryA dog whose most famous job was running back to you, and a soft spot for a waved toy.
1888
By 1888, when the American Kennel Club recognised the breed, Whippets were being shown as well as raced. From then on, some were bred for the ring and some to run.
What they still carryA dog that might be built for looks or for speed, so it is worth asking which.
The 20th century
The mill towns changed, and the Whippet became a family dog, bred to be calm and gentle in the house.
What they still carryA dog calm enough for a flat, still built to sprint.
Today
Here most Whippets are family dogs, many of them in flats.
What they still carryA thin-skinned sprinter, reaching up to 56 km/h, living in air-conditioned rooms with hot pavements outside.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Whippet suits you, so might these.
GreyhoundThe same kind of dog: the Greyhound the Whippet was bred from, twice the size and just as gentle.
SalukiAnother sighthound, taller, from the Arab world, and far better suited to the heat.
BasenjiThe same quiet household manner and the same energy outdoors, in an independent hound from Central Africa.
Australian Cattle DogA similar size and a short, easy coat, in a herding dog that needs far more to do every day.
