# Can whippets be let off lead?



## YellowLab (Jul 18, 2011)

Obviously recall training would be a must as with any breed but is it recommended that they should stay on or off lead?


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## Milliepoochie (Feb 13, 2011)

The members PinkEars has Walter the Whippet who is always off lead 

There are two or three who are offlead in my local area infact on our PF meet at Ashridge Gypsysmum had Gypsy the ex Racing Greyhound off lead for most the walk - was a fantastic site 

I guess its to do with individual dogs - like it is with any breed -


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

YellowLab said:


> Obviously recall training would be a must as with any breed but is it recommended that they should stay on or off lead?


Whippets are fine off the lead if properly trained.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Yes they can be let off leads.

I only let mine off in secure places but I know loads of people who let them run free. Mine used to run free when we could close the gates at the local park. Unfortunately the gates are now padlocked open so I can't shut them to any more as the parkie told me too. I can't let them loose with the gates open as the first house has a rabbit that had free run of the garden and my dogs know it is there.

Some photos of mine off lead



























They do take a lot of training but they do have quite a good recall if you work on it although like all breeds there are some dogs that just don't recall. The twinsa are always on flexi leads. The other week Amber got loose but after a quick run round came straight to me when she was recalled. I don't let them loos as we can no longer use the park and the only other grass area has main roads at each end and we live directly across the road.


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## YellowLab (Jul 18, 2011)

Thanks I was jsut curious as some people are dead against letting theirs off and other dont seem to have a problem with it. I guess they know what their dog will do if its let off!


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

I have 10 whippets and although the photos are of a few of them at the park there are others I would never let off lead unless they were in a secure area. Simba is nervouse of large dogs so he is not let off as if a big dog approaches he would bolt.

I also have an italain greyhound and one with a small amount of whippet in him both these are fine to be let off lead when we go to their breeders but not round near to home as they know there is a fox there and they will go off hunting it.


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## PinkEars (Jun 4, 2010)

I have always let Walter off lead as soon as he was aloud out. He's very good, doesn't stray to far away and at the moment doesn't seem to have to much of a want to chase things. I have seen him looking curious at something but a quick call of his name seems to change his mind! He much prefers being chased ;-)


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## mimi g (Mar 10, 2009)

I have a 9 mth old whippet and she goes off lead and does very well (she was bred by Freyja).
She has a very good recall and is excellent with dogs. She is a big mummies girl and likes to stay quite close to me, however the odd time she has followed her nose into the trees and does ignore he first recall I shout 'bye bye' and she is at my feet in seconds.
We have met quite afew other whippets now and afew greyhounds and they all behaved very well off lead!


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## Rottiefan (Jun 20, 2010)

Any dog can be fine off lead if brought up in the proper environment and trained to a good standard!


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## SophieCyde (Oct 24, 2010)

Rottiefan said:


> Any dog can be fine off lead if brought up in the proper environment and trained to a good standard!


I think (not 100% though) that Huskies and Malamutesshould never be let off the lead because of their chasing instinct.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

It's interesting how many things are said about dogs...and how much/little we know if they're really true or not...

Whippets were one of the dogs I most wanted, for a long time, when we had no dog....but....

1. We have pet cats.
2. We would like to let our dog off the lead, obviously in safe places.
3. We like long walks and wanted a dog that would enjoy coming with us - and we live in the UK so it's pretty likely to be raining...
4. I wanted to go to training classes, I'd never had a dog before.
5. We were planning on a German Shepherd and we were told that they were too delicate to live alongside them...

We were told that a whippet was definitely not going to be ok for us...but then I see some people out walking with them...sometimes in the rain...some people who let them off the lead... and some people who have cats...some go to training classes...some live with larger dogs...so maybe not any of it was totally true...

It was so hard to know what to do for the best at the time, having asked so many people and had so many different answers (I didn't use PF at the time) so in the end...we didn't get one...

Would still love one one day though....but need the answers to my questions first!!
Still researching!!
Naomi x


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## PinkEars (Jun 4, 2010)

missnaomi said:


> It's interesting how many things are said about dogs...and how much/little we know if they're really true or not...
> 
> Whippets were one of the dogs I most wanted, for a long time, when we had no dog....but....
> 
> ...


1. We have pet cats - we have 2 persians who are scared of everything and anything and our whippet is good as gold with them. He is very calm around them and at most has a sniff - he has been around them since we bought him home and been trained to behave around them
2. We would like to let our dog off the lead, obviously in safe places.We let Walt off the 1st walk he was aloud out, he never goes to far away, has a good run around and pretty good recall for 6 months
3. We like long walks and wanted a dog that would enjoy coming with us - and we live in the UK so it's pretty likely to be raining...Walt likes all types of walks he would walk all day if you wanted to, but if he felt a little tired he might find a sunny spot to lie down with a stick for a chew or if you dont feel like going on a massive walk he is happy with a quick 30mins. Rain - coat!
4. I wanted to go to training classes, I'd never had a dog before. Walt goes to training most weeks, i'm even considering agility when he's a bit older...he's pretty good even if comes across a bit on the stupid side at the beginning!
5. We were planning on a German Shepherd and we were told that they were too delicate to live alongside them... Walt loves other dogs, all shapes and sizes has a good play fight with my small but boistrous other dog and now he's a bit older and has more confidence he happily plays and romps around with Milliepoochies Rottie x i think its all about the socializing! 

Hopefully you will be able to get a whippet one day


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## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

Yep they can Blaze is perfect off lead, he will even ignore other dogs off lead (but i always put him on lead out of respect) hes also great with Cats ferrets and small animals


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Not Whippets, I have greyhounds and they get off lead every day.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

A whippet can easily live with cats loads of people have both, they can do obedience and agility I was going to do it with Amber as she is very clever and loves to jump. She has done fun agility at shows and loves it I just don't have the time to do it with her,

Whippets are generally great with other dogs we used to have a GSD who lived with the whippets and he adored them. He once tried to climb out of a run when they were at boarding kennels because the woman moved the whippets to somewere he couldn't see them.

They will walk as far or as little as you like wether they are nesh or not depends on the dog, Rocky ,Romeo, Amber and Simba don't wear coats unless we are at a show and doing a lot of hanging round. The older dog wear coats for walking when it is cold.


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## L/C (Aug 9, 2010)

I should think if you have a whippet from a pup then as long as you are vigilant then it should be fine. Both my dogs were not only bred to chase but trained to chase as well and they both get time off lead.

As Milliepoochie said I let Gypsy off the lead at the Ashridge meet and she gets off lead time pretty much everyday and she's fine (she has an old leg injury so usually has on lead walks on a monday to give her leg a rest as we have busy weekends). I have to say that I'm not as cautious as some people and she does go off in unsecured areas too but I judge the risk and I always keep an eye on her. But I'd had her ten months before I let her off in an unsecured area, had longline trained her and made sure I had a chase recall (which has now disappeared thanks to a suicidal squirrel ). She's also been to training classes.

My other greyhound is more of a special case as he has a whole host of issues due to his background but he is gradually starting to get more off lead time. We have to be careful where he's allowed off as he is easily startled and frightened and will just run when that happens. He also finds it difficult to interact with other dogs but is getting better about that too.


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## Phoenix&Charlie'sMum (Oct 12, 2009)

I have a 12 week old whippet x greyhound, a 2.5 yr old staffy x whippet, a 3.5 yr old whippet x greyhound they are mainly off lead while on walks (apart form by main roads obviously).


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## Phoenix&Charlie'sMum (Oct 12, 2009)

1. We have pet cats. - any dog if not brought up with cats can go for cats
2. We would like to let our dog off the lead, obviously in safe places. - all 3 of my lurchers are off lead walkers, even my patterdale is.
3. We like long walks and wanted a dog that would enjoy coming with us - and we live in the UK so it's pretty likely to be raining... - all of my dogs are walked for at least and hour a day during the week, then 3-4 hours at the weekend, come rain or snow! If its cold and wet then they wear their dog coats and snoods. 
4. I wanted to go to training classes, I'd never had a dog before. - I do agility with Phoenix, i was going to do Obidience with george, but as he has more greyhound in him, he is physically unable to sit for longer than 3 seconds, as greyhounds knees are not built to sit 
5. We were planning on a German Shepherd and we were told that they were too delicate to live alongside them...My firend has a whippet and 4 GSD's, never had a problem, whippet do look dainty but as long as you go for the correct breeding then they are more sturdier then you think. This is why we got Phoenix (3/4 whippet x 1/4 staffy), he just looks like a thicker boned whippet and as the OH was working him on rough ground he wanted a thicker boned, but yet agile dog.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks for all the information everyone!

At the moment, we're happy with Ringo the terrier and Rosie the GSD, but it's nice to know that it could be an option in the future. I think a lot of people we asked when we were looking for a dog were very cautious with their advice...but it seems now that whippets could be an option. We were just worried because we like our dogs to join in with everything that we do - and some people made it sound like a whippet wouldn't enjoy living with us, would eat our cats, refuse to go on walks if it was longer than 20 minutes and not sunny etc...

I hope one day I can own one, or maybe even like someone said, a partial whippet...they are gorgeous! 
Naomi x


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## L/C (Aug 9, 2010)

Oh yes meant to say about the long walks bit - at the weekend they get at least 3 hours and usually we'll spend at least one day out for the entire day. 

On Saturday I left the house at 9am with Gypsy - walked to the park and spent half hour there, walked to Finsbury Park and got the train to Kings Cross, walked from Kings Cross to Euston, got the train to Tring, walked from Tring to Ashridge (1.5 miles), walked around Ashridge and then repeated the whole journey in reverse.

On Sunday we went to Hampstead Heath for 3 hours with both dogs as I had to go and visit family in the afternoon. Previous weekends we would spend all day at the heath.

On a weekday they will get on average 2 hours a day except for Mondays (as I have previously said) when it's about hour and half on lead.


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