Whippet

Guides for your Whippet

The story behind the Whippet

The Whippet emerged in the industrial north of England during the nineteenth century, where working men bred small sighthounds for rabbit coursing and for straight racing along streets and fields, a sport in which dogs ran to a handler waving a rag, which produced the nickname rag dog. Foundation stock came from small Greyhounds crossed with terriers and later refined with Italian Greyhound blood, producing a compact, fast, economical dog that a working household could feed. Kennel Club recognition arrived in the closing years of the nineteenth century, with American recognition early in the next. Whippet racing and lure coursing continue as organised sports, and the breed also became a fixture of the show ring. It is now widely kept as a companion, with British registration numbers consistently strong, and working and show lines remain relatively close in type.

Originally bred for: Rabbit courser, racing dog, working man's sighthound. You can trace how working roles shaped today’s breeds across our dog guides.

Feeding a Whippet

Choose something rich enough to hold flesh on a naturally spare frame; showing ribs and hip points is normal here. Two modest servings sit better than one on a deep chest, with calm time around sprinting.

Watch for: Nothing distinctive is tied to the breed. Spare sighthounds commonly loosen up after sudden changes of food, so switch slowly. Ongoing upset or unexplained loss of condition calls for a veterinary opinion ahead of any restriction.

Start with the Whippet feeding guide.

Mealtime extras: training treats worth keeping in your pocket. Everything else lives in our dog nutrition and feeding hub.

Living with a Whippet

Day to day, the basics matter most: how much exercise your dog needs, how often to get out for a walk, and how much sleep is normal.

For play and enrichment, browse our favorite dog toys and interactive toys for rainy days.

Gear that fits the breed makes life easier: a well-sized dog bed, a properly sized crate.

Raising a puppy? Work through crate training and the teething timeline — or see how old your dog is in human years with our dog age calculator.