- Any colour or mixture of colours, except merle
About the Whippet
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 11-18 kg
- Height
- Male
- 48-56 cm
- Female
- 46-53 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sighthounds
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Whippet?
Medium-sized, sleek sighthound known for its elegant athletic build with distinctive 'inverted S' shape, explosive bursts of speed, and gentle nature. Originally known as the 'poor man's racehorse'.
Whippet history and origins
Developed in Northern England during the 18th-19th centuries by working-class families, crossing small Greyhounds with fast terriers for rabbit coursing and racing. Recognized by AKC and The Kennel Club.
Whippet appearance and size
Males typically stand 48-56 cm at the shoulder and females 46-53 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Breeds originally used for hunting either by scent or by sight
- Behaviour and temperament
“An ideal companion. Highly adaptable Gentle, in domestic and sporting surroundings. affectionate, even disposition”
Quoted from FCI standard n°162. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Breeds originally used for hunting either by scent or by sight” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Whippet
What you get with the Whippet
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Breeds originally used for hunting either by scent or by sight”
- The standard describes the breed as: “An ideal companion. Highly adaptable Gentle, in domestic and sporting surroundings. affectionate, even disposition”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Fine, short, close in texture”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Whippet
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
- Fine
- Short
- Close in texture
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°162 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Desirable Height at the withers: Dogs 47-51 cm (18 1/2 - 20 ins). Bitches 44-47 cm (17 1/2 - 18 1/2 ins)”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°162. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Whippet in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Whippet
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Whippet on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Whippet owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Whippet breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.