Long-Haired Whippet

Temperament & personality

Long-Haired Whippets are famously low-drama housemates. Indoors they are calm, quiet, and almost cat-like, seeking out sunny spots, warm laps, and the softest blanket in the house. Barking is rare. Most bond intensely with their people and would rather be touching you than near you, which makes them wonderful for owners who want a genuinely affectionate dog without constant demands for activity.

Flip the switch outdoors and you see the sighthound. These dogs go from zero to roughly 55 km/h in a few strides, and a squirrel, rabbit, or blowing plastic bag can trigger that chase reflex instantly. This is not a training flaw you can fully fix; it is hardwired. Keep them on leash in open areas and save sprinting for securely fenced spaces. Two short sprint sessions a week plus daily walks keeps most adults content.

With children they are gentle but delicate. They tolerate calm kids beautifully and will simply walk away from chaos rather than snap, but rough handling can hurt their lean frames, so supervise toddlers. With other dogs they are typically sociable and playful. Small pets are a different story: cats raised with them from puppyhood usually coexist fine indoors, but hamsters, rabbits, and unfamiliar cats outdoors read as prey. They are also sensitive souls who shut down under harsh corrections, so train with food, praise, and patience.

Vaccination schedule

Puppies need the core DHPP combination vaccine (distemper, hepatitis or adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus) as a series. A typical schedule starts at 6 to 8 weeks, repeats every 3 to 4 weeks, and finishes at 16 weeks or slightly later. That final dose matters most: maternal antibodies can block earlier shots, and parvovirus in particular is brutal on young puppies. A DHPP booster follows at one year, then every 1 to 3 years depending on your vet's protocol and local risk.

Rabies is legally required across the US. The first rabies vaccine is given at 12 to 16 weeks, boosted at one year, then every 1 to 3 years according to the product used and your state law. Keep the certificate; groomers, boarding kennels, and interstate travel all ask for it.

Leptospirosis is now a core vaccine recommended for every dog: it needs a 2-dose puppy series followed by an annual booster, unlike the every-1-to-3-year DHPP boosters, and dogs that drink from puddles or live near wildlife face the highest risk, which is why that yearly booster matters. Depending on lifestyle, your vet may also add non-core vaccines: Bordetella and canine influenza for dogs that visit daycare or lure-coursing events, and Lyme in tick-heavy regions. Whippet-type dogs occasionally run mild vaccine-site soreness because they carry so little body fat, so some vets space injections across visits. Log each shot in a health log so reminders fire before anything lapses.

Best food & diet

Feed a complete diet formulated for medium breeds, with animal protein first on the label. Most adult Long-Haired Whippets do well on roughly 700 to 1,100 kcal per day depending on size and how much sprinting they actually do; an 11 kg couch dweller and a 19 kg lure-coursing athlete have very different needs. Split food into two meals. Sighthounds have deep but narrow chests, and while bloat risk is lower than in giant breeds, one huge daily meal is still a bad habit.

Here is the tricky part with this breed: lean is correct. A healthy Whippet shows the last two or three ribs and has a dramatic waist tuck, and well-meaning owners (and relatives) constantly try to fatten them up. Resist it. Extra weight strains their fine joints and hides health changes. On the other hand, a truly underweight dog loses muscle over the spine and hips, so learn the difference and weigh monthly.

Puppies should eat a quality puppy formula until 10 to 12 months, fed three to four times daily when young. For active adults, a slightly higher fat content (around 15 to 18 percent) supports sprint work and helps maintain condition through winter, when these thin-skinned dogs burn extra calories staying warm. Omega-3 supplementation from fish oil supports the silky coat, but clear the dose with your vet first, especially before you know your dog's MDR1 status.

Common health problems

One health fact worth knowing about Long-Haired Whippets is the MDR1 (ABCB1) mutation, which is very common in the breed. Affected dogs cannot pump certain drugs out of the brain, so normal doses of ivermectin-class parasite medications, some sedatives, loperamide, and certain chemotherapy agents can cause severe or fatal neurological toxicity. A simple cheek-swab DNA test settles the question for life. Test every Long-Haired Whippet, ideally as a puppy, and note the result in your dog's records and share it with every vet who ever treats the dog.

As lean sighthounds, they are also anesthesia-sensitive. The classic reasons are altered liver metabolism of certain anesthetics and very little body fat to act as a redistribution reservoir, and they lose body heat fast on the operating table. Any competent vet handles this routinely once warned, but the warning has to happen. Before spay, neuter, or dental work, confirm your clinic uses sighthound-appropriate protocols.

Beyond drug sensitivity, this is a fairly hardy breed with a 12 to 15 year lifespan. Like many sighthounds, older dogs can develop heart murmurs from mitral valve disease, so ask your vet to listen for one at annual check-ups. Their thin skin tears more easily than other breeds' during rough play or fence scrapes, so minor lacerations that need a staple or two are almost a rite of passage. Finally, they genuinely feel the cold; shivering at 10 degrees Celsius is not drama, it is physiology, and a winter coat is standard equipment, even with the longer fur.

Allergies & skin

Despite the plush look, the Long-Haired Whippet is not hypoallergenic. The silky coat sheds lightly year-round and carries the same dander proteins that trigger human allergies, so allergy sufferers should spend time with an adult dog before committing. Weekly brushing outdoors and washable bedding keep allergen load down in the home.

The dogs themselves have thin, sensitive skin. Like many dogs, some can run into environmental allergies (atopy), which show up as paw licking, belly redness, and ear irritation. Flea allergy dermatitis can flare in any dog, so year-round flea prevention is worth prioritizing. Food allergies are less common but worth ruling out with a proper elimination diet if itching persists through winter.

Two breed-specific skin notes. First, pressure sores: bony sighthound elbows and hips develop calluses or bald patches on hard floors, so provide padded beds. Second, sunburn and cold damage: the coat is longer than a smooth Whippet's but still offers modest protection, so pale-skinned dogs need shade in summer and a proper coat below about 7 degrees Celsius. Any bald patches, scabbing, or sudden dullness in that silky coat deserves a vet visit rather than a new shampoo.

Flea, tick & worm prevention

Year-round prevention matters for every dog, but for a Long-Haired Whippet the product choice matters even more than the schedule, because several common antiparasitics interact badly with the MDR1 mutation. Do not buy anything over the counter until you know your dog's MDR1 status. High-dose ivermectin products (the kind sometimes misused from livestock formulations) can be lethal to affected dogs, and even some prescription options need dose adjustment.

The good news: plenty of safe options exist. Standard monthly heartworm preventives use very low ivermectin or milbemycin doses that testing has shown safe even in MDR1-affected dogs when given at label dose, and the isoxazoline class of flea and tick preventives (oral chews, most given monthly, with the every-12-weeks option being fluralaner) has a good record in sensitive breeds. Your vet will match the product to your dog's test result and weight. Never split large-dog doses or use livestock products, ever, with this breed.

Worm on a schedule: puppies every 2 to 3 weeks until 12 weeks, then monthly until 6 months, then per your vet's protocol, typically quarterly or based on annual fecal exams. Heartworm prevention is monthly year-round in most of the US. Ticks hide well in the longer feathering on legs and tail, so run your fingers through those areas after hikes, especially in Lyme country.

Medications & dosing

Start here: get the MDR1 (ABCB1) DNA test done, and tell every veterinarian, groomer, and emergency clinic that treats your dog about the result. The mutation can be present in Long-Haired Whippets, and affected dogs react dangerously to normal doses of ivermectin-class drugs, the sedative acepromazine, butorphanol, loperamide (the human anti-diarrhea drug Imodium, which owners often reach for at home), and several other medications. The test costs less than one emergency visit and answers the question permanently. Until you have a result, ask your vet to treat your dog as affected.

All dog medications are dosed by body weight, and with an 11 to 19 kg range across the breed, your dog's current, accurate weight matters. Weigh at least twice a year and before any new prescription; a dose right for a 19 kg male can overdose an 11 kg female. Never guess from the last vet visit two years ago.

Anesthesia deserves its own conversation. Lean sighthounds metabolize certain anesthetics slowly and chill quickly under sedation, so confirm your clinic plans a sighthound protocol before any procedure, from dentals to lump removals. Ask about pre-anesthetic bloodwork and active warming.

The house rules for this breed are simple and strict: no human medications without explicit vet approval (ibuprofen and acetaminophen are toxic to dogs at surprisingly low doses), no livestock dewormers under any circumstances, and no borrowing another dog's prescription. Keep the MDR1 result, current weight, and medication list in your dog's records so any clinic can see it in seconds during an emergency.

Grooming & coat care

The soft, silky, medium-length coat is lower maintenance than it looks. Brush twice a week with a pin brush or slicker, paying extra attention to the feathering behind the ears, on the backs of the legs, and along the tail, where fine hair mats first. A metal comb through those spots catches tangles the brush glides over. Most owners spend 10 to 15 minutes per session, and these affectionate dogs usually enjoy the attention.

Shedding is genuinely modest. Expect a light year-round trickle and a slightly heavier turnover in spring and fall, but nothing like a double-coated breed. Bathe every 4 to 8 weeks with a gentle, moisturizing dog shampoo; their thin skin dries out with harsh products or over-washing. Towel dry thoroughly and keep them warm afterward, because a damp sighthound in a cool house is a miserable sighthound.

Round out the routine with nail trims every 2 to 3 weeks (sprinting on overgrown nails risks toe injuries), weekly ear checks, and tooth brushing several times a week, since small and medium sighthound types are prone to dental tartar. In winter, grooming includes wardrobe: a fitted fleece or insulated coat for walks below about 7 degrees Celsius, and paw checks for road salt. No trimming or clipping is needed; the coat looks best completely natural.

How the Long-Haired Whippet compares

Deciding between similar breeds? Here is the Long-Haired Whippet next to Silken Windhound and American Cocker Spaniel.

Frequently asked questions