Whippets and dalmatians are two entirely different dog breeds but surprisingly have a lot in common. They’re both elegant, speedy, loving, and charming dogs that thrive on love and sufficient exercise to burn off the high energy levels in their bodies.
Although they have unique histories and origins, the whippet dalmatian mixes are known to be well-adjusted dogs that can adapt well in most families.
If you’re planning to bring a whippet dalmatian mix into your home, it’s good to understand its needs and character for a stress-free coexistence.
This post outlines anything and everything you should know about the Whippet dalmatian cross to help you decide if it’s a suitable addition to your family/apartment and the most appropriate way to care for one.
What Is A Whippet Dalmatian Mix?
Breeding two purebred canines usually results in adaptable pups, commonly called hybrid/designer dogs. A whippet dalmatian mix is an excellent example of a designer dog produced by crossing a purebred whippet and a dalmatian.
These dogs are very athletic, affectionate, and friendly dogs, traits they inherit from their solid and muscular parents.
With the whippet’s vast skin colours and the Dalmatian’s unique spotted coats, dalmatian whippet crosses are usually eye-catching and extraordinarily delightful dogs to own.
They’re lovely pooches for individuals looking for a relatively larger whippet with admirable dalmatian features and looks.
Like all designer dogs, understanding the actual character, appearance, and overall health of your Dalmatian whippet cross won’t be easy since it’s produced from two types of dog breeds.
However, you can predict its traits and features by looking into its parents’ background.
Whippets Background
Whippets’ dawn dates back to England in the 1800s. The main reason for producing these lean, swift dogs was to race and hunt.
They excelled in many dog coursing games, where they competed to provide people with entertainment, income, and social status.
Although they’re hunters and racers, whippets are incredibly affectionate, gentle, and friendly dogs that love spending most of their time with their owners.
They’re very energetic and muscular canines that need plenty of daily exercise to be healthy and happy.
Whippets are famous for their unmatched speed in the dogs’ world today. And they still compete in various dogs competition like agility, obedience, rally, lure coursing, flyball, and more.
Many dog owners keep them as snugly couch potatoes and rarely use them for hunting like in the older days.
The unique nature, elegant look, and friendly personality of the whippet make them perfect family companions and show dogs. However, they’re not the best watchdogs as they hardly bark at people, even strangers.
Dalmatians Background
The Dalmatians are well-known for their unique spotted coats, but they became famous for their running capabilities.
Their origin can be traced back to Croatia, during the 1600s, where they were mainly used as coaching dogs, running alongside horseback riders and carriages to protect them against stray dogs and thieves.
A dalmatian can also be called a Dal, Dally, Plum Pudding Dog, Carriage dog, Firehouse dog, or Spotted Coach dog.
You could hardly miss this dog on a lord’s and fashionable lady’s journey. They also helped the firemen to clear the ways in busy towns for their horse-drawn locomotives to pass.
Generally, dalmatians are clowns who will do anything to make you happy with their great sense of humor and will often greet you with a big, joyful smile and a kiss.
Their resiliency and coaching heritage makes them excellent companions for long-distance runners, joggers, skaters, and out and about individuals.
This dog breed thrives on constant attention, affection, and lots of exercises. If not well exercised, they may become destructive and noisy and can even develop separation anxiety when alone for extended hours.
Generally, dalmatians are dignified, outgoing, and amazing dogs to own. Although they’re well-recognised for their unique coats, they are usually born with pure white coats without spots.
The black markings usually develop as they grow, usually after 3-4 months.
Whippet Dalmatian Mix Temperament
The dally whippet cross is an intelligent, friendly, loving, and good-natured dog. It’s always willing to please and is eager to participate in afun games going on close by.
Born from a runner and a hunter, this hybrid dog is an active, playful, and energetic canine that will need sufficient daily exercise, dog games, and activities to stay mentally stimulated, fit, and satisfied.
This crossbreed dog can also be somewhat spunky and inquisitive, so it’s best to always be on the lookout for such behaviours. However, you can easily ensure your dog is well-behaved by starting the training process whilst still a pup.
Early socialisation is also crucial for this dog. It needs exposure to new sounds, sights, environments, and people to be a well-rounded canine.
The whippet dalmatian mix may also portray predacious behaviours due to its hunting background. But this is something you can easily manage and help your dog control.
For safety purposes, it’s best to purchase a harness and GPS tracker for your pup to trace it quickly if it gets lost.
Whippet Dalmatian Mix Appearance
Whippets have medium-sized bodies, while the dalmatians are large dogs. Therefore, their mixes will be relatively larger than purebred whippets and somewhat smaller than dalmatians.
In addition, they’ll inherit many features from both parents, which can vary depending on the parent with the most dominant genes.
Your whippet dalmatian cross can weigh from anywhere in the region of 20-70 pounds when fully grown. Usually, it will take the whippet’s lean muscular body and the Dalmatian’s extraordinary spotted skin that’s soft to touch. You can also expect a different colour that resembles that of the whippet parent.
Whippets usually come in vast coat colours, normally black, fawn, cream, white, blue, red, and brindle.
Like its parents, this mixed dog will have short-furred and dirt-repellent skin that’s easy to groom. In addition, it’s a generally clean canine with no doggie smell.
The playful energy, affectionate nature, and rare appearance are what make this dog mix a fascinating furry companion to own. It’ll provide you with the protection, love, fun, and company for any activity you undertake.
Whippet Dalmatian Mix Health
Hybrid dogs are generally resilient and resistant to most dog issues, but they can be exposed to various health problems common in their parents’ breed.
Whippets usually are susceptible to deafness, sensitivity anesthesia, deafness, drug sensitivity, heart murmurs, arthritis, Addison’s disease, and von Willebrand’s disease.
The common health problems in dalmatians are allergies, deafness, hip dysplasia, skin allergies, urolithiasis, and Iris sphincter Dysplasia.
The above issues can also affect your whippet dalmatian mix, but it’s not always a guarantee. The good thing is you can avoid most of these ailments by buying your puppy from a trustworthy breeder offering generally healthy dogs. Also, frequent vet checks and timely immunisation will help keep these health problems at bay.
Caring For A Whippet Dalmatian Mix
Your dally whippet mix needs a balanced diet, early training, socialisation, proper grooming, adequate exercise, enough sleep, and timely medical care to live a happy and healthy life.
Grooming this dog is relatively easy due to its short coat, but you’ll need to invest in a good vacuum cleaner if you want your floors to always be clean. Dalmatians are constant high shedders, and so are most of their mixes.
These dogs need nutritious healthy food, just like us humans. Therefore, you should feed your pup the correct food type and amount to keep him big and strong.
Knowing the right food amount to give your dog will prevent you from overfeeding or underfeeding your dog.
Overfeeding your puppy will make it overweight, rendering it more vulnerable to health issues like hip dysplasia. It’s also best to include raw food in a whippet dally mixes diet.
If you plan to change your canine’s diet or are unsure what food is best for him, it’s best to seek vet advice.
This mix is an active and vibrant breed that will need plenty of exercise every day. You should plan to take your dog on very long walks, runs, and hikes to lower their bodies’ high energy levels. It would be best to exercise your whippet dal cross for bout 45-90 minutes every day.
As an intelligent canine, training this dog can be relatively challenging. If you don’t show firm leadership, it may assume the alpha position and become unruly, something you should always avoid.
It’s best to be consistent and patient if you want to train this dog successfully.
With proper training techniques, positive reinforcements, and praises, your dog will eventually learn all the tricks and cues you teach him. However, you should ensure you make the training sessions fun, brief, and highly engaging.
Another essential need for a dal whippet mix is early socialisation. Some of the best environments for your dog to socialise in are dog kindergartens, daycares, and busy parks.
It would be best if you also remembered to give your dog enough water, dental care, and a comfortable warm dog bed to sleep in.
Finishing Up
A whippet dalmatian mix is a suitable dog for active owners and families. But it may be unsuitable for homes with smaller kids because of its tremendous energy.
It needs plenty of daily exercises and mental stimulation to stay focused, fit, and happy.
Therefore, this dog may be the wrong choice for you if you lack time to give it the training, exercise, and attention it requires.
However, if you need a loving, protective, friendly canine with a playful nature and energetic body, a whippet dal mix could be what you need.
Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two about the whippet dalmatian mix in this post and now have a better understanding if this dog is right for you.
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Hello. I’m Luke- the founder of WhippetCentral. I’m somewhat of a whippet nut and have been for most of my life. In that time, I’ve owned and raised numerous whippets. Bonnie is my latest girl; she is currently eight years old and keeps me very busy! Understanding the need for whippet-specific content, I decided to create this blog to share what I have learned and to share my expertise regarding owning and raising whippets – the right way!