Whippet Zoomies: What You Need To Know

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If you’ve ever seen your whippet frantically running around in circles like a lunatic, then you’ve experienced whippet zoomies.

This behaviour can seem a little strange at first, and slightly alarming as often your pet will have no acknowledgement of their surroundings and can even bump into things.

When the zoomies happen indoors, your pet can knock over ornaments, injure the elderly or themselves, and become quite the hazard.

But is this behaviour harmless fun? Or is it nothing more than natural behaviour?

In this post, we’re going to go through everything you need to know about whippet zoomies, and how to manage this frantic behaviour effectively.

Let’s get to it…

What Exactly Is Zoomies?

Zoomies are those unmistakable bursts of energy that your pet suddenly gets from seemingly out of nowhere. Also knows as Frentic Random Activity Periods (FREPS), zoomies are a natural dog behaviour that a lot of dogs experience at some point.

Ever get home from work and your whippet is running in circles frantically? Or maybe they’re bolting all over your home from couch to couch?

These are both examples of zoomies, usually harmful behaviour that many dogs exhibit. Zoomies is usually caused by an excess build-up in energy that dogs hold on to and then release in one big burst.

FRAPs is when your sedentary pet goes from relaxing to suddenly running in circles with bursts of energy and being really excited.

If your whippet has just spent some time in their crate, or if they’ve been lounging around at home all day whilst you’ve been at work, you may find that this can trigger zoomies.

Zoomies is a natural behaviour that is common in a lot of dogs, and providing your pup has enough space to release this energy is no cause for alarm.

That being said, constant or regular zoomies may be a cause for alarm or an underlying behaviour problem that needs to be addressed.

Why Do Whippets Get The Zoomies?

As mentioned above, zoomies is often the cause of too much built up energy in your whippet that gets released in one large burst.

If your whippet has been cooped up at home all day and hasn’t had a chance to blow off some energy by running, then you may find that this triggers the zoomies.

All dogs are different, and the trigger for zoomies will likely be different from dog to dog. Some dogs experience zoomies when they are nervous or stress, for example, if they know they are going to the vets.

Many whippets experience the zoomies after they’ve just had a bath, likely because they enjoyed it so much and are full of excitement.

However, as a whole, we aren’t exactly sure why some dogs experience zoomies and some dogs don’t. Some dogs never experience zoomies at all, whilst others experience it on a daily basis.

Should I Be Worried About My Whippets Zoomies?

As a whole, you don’t need to be worried about your whippet’s zoomies. It’s a totally natural behaviour that isn’t usually harmful to their health.

That being said, you should be alarmed if it’s becoming a very regular activity, or if your pet is starting to nip or bite whilst in the midst of his zoomies episode.

If your pet starts to bite or nip then you should redirect his energy elsewhere, the best ways to do this are to use a dog toy.

It’s wise to always monitor your whippet’s zoomies and where it is taking place. If your whippet’s zoomies are taking place outside, then they will have plenty of room to run around and blow off this excess energy.

On the other hand, if your whippet is experiencing zoomies indoors, they could knock into furniture, ornaments or even family members in your home.

This could not only cause harm to your pet, but harm to other family members too, so you’ll want to control your pet’s behaviour until you reach the outdoors.

If your whippet has had zoomies since a puppy, then there is no need to worry. This is simply how they let out their extra energy.

However, if you notice your previously quiet and reserved whippet starting to run in circles on a regular basis, you may want to have a chat with your local vet.

The reason being is that there’s a strong chance that something has changed which is causing your whippet to experience the zoomies.

This could be a sign of an underlying behaviour problem that needs addressing, so it’s worth getting checked out.

Understanding Whippet Zoomies

Whippet zoomies are almost always nothing to worry about and are simply a way for your whippet to blow off some steam and get rid of that excess energy.

The likely cause of zoomies is that they’ve been cooped up for that day and not had enough exercise, so when they do get the chance they want to wear themselves out by running in circles frantically.

Whippets zoomies are incredibly common, my Bonnie will regularly burst into an episode of zoomies when we go on our morning walk.

After all, these dogs are extremely athletic and have lots of energy, so first thing in the morning they almost always want to run and release some of that energy.

Excitement is often the trigger for zoomies, getting your whippet excited for their walk or chasing after them in play can make them run in circles and have a zoomies episode.

Zoomies won’t harm your pet or cause them to have seizures, they’re not going insane either. Providing they’ve got enough space to unleash this energy then it’s totally fine.

How To Prevent Whippet Zoomies

In most cases, you don’t need to prevent whippet zoomies unless they’re doing this indoors and causing problems with your china.

If it’s becoming a problem, simply up the level of exercise your whippet is getting each day so that they are worn out and don’t have all of this built up energy.

Whippets need around 40 – 60 minutes of physical exercise per day, so if you’re not giving your pet this amount of exercise then this is the first way to prevent zoomies.

This is totally normal behaviour for whippets, so don’t worry yourself too much. Provide enough physical and mental stimulation to your pet and you’ll find that it soon stops.

Whippets may experience zoomies because they are bored, so invest in some new dog toys to keep your pet active and stimulated. A couple of training sessions per day will also help keep your whippet occupied.

Most dogs will experience zoomies when they’re already in a heightened or playful state, so learning how to calm your whippet down when they are in this excited state is important.

Simply allowing your whippet to go outside and run around for a while is a great way to help prevent whippet zoomies.

Don’t Stress About Whippet Zoomies

As I’ve mentioned a couple of times throughout this post, whippet zoomies are completely normal.

Don’t stress yourself out thinking your dog is going crazy or is broken. Most dogs, across a ton of breed experience whippet zoomies.

This is a completely natural behaviour that you really shouldn’t be worried about (for the most part).

Cats, horses, goats, sheep, cows and much more also experience the zoomies. I know, crazy right…

Can you imagine a cow frantically running around in circles? Well yes, it happens.

If your whippet has a strong recall, you’ll be able to stop your whippet mid-episode if you really want to. Often if you give an assertive command they’ll snap out of it and come right over to you, but there is really no need to stop them.

Allow your whippet to get rid of this built up energy so that when they get back home they are ready for a snooze.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you now know a little more about whippet zoomies and why it’s a common behaviour that is really nothing to worry about.

Zoomies are usually harmless behaviour that many dogs experience at some point. Providing during the zoomies episode the dog has enough space to not bump into anything or anyone, then it’s a harmless behaviour.

That being said, if your whippet is snapping or showing signs of aggression whilst in an episode, then you’ll want to redirect this energy and prevent him from doing this regularly as it could result in them thinking biting or nipping is acceptable.

Most whippets won’t bite or nip during their zoomies, but if they do you’ll want to try to train this behaviour out of them sooner rather than later.

Whippets are a dog breed that has a lot of energy, they’re used as racing dogs all across the globe and have been for many years.

This breed is known to experience zoomies because of this, and like I’ve mentioned my whippet Bonnie loves a good zoomie session in the morning to blow off the cobwebs!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, if you want to learn more about whippets as a whole feel free to stick around.

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