Obedience is one of the most crucial factors that most people consider before deciding which type of dog breed they should keep as their apartment companion. Most dogs aren’t usually born with this virtue; you’ll have to teach them.
Some dogs are usually smart, but they’re free thinkers and independent, making them very stubborn. However, some breeds are naturally obliging, eager to learn and please, and incredibly smart.
If you have a whippet or wish to own one, you must be really eager to know if this dog breed is among the obedient dog breeds, bringing us to this question; are whippets obedient dogs? Yes, whippets are popular for their high intelligence, willingness to please, lovingness, and obedience.
Most sighthounds aren’t usually obedient, but that’s different for whippets. They are highly demonstrative, love playing and cuddling with their owners more often. They also don’t like being separated from their leaders/owners due to their high sensitivity and affection for family.
A Brief Whippet History Lesson
Whippets originated from Great Britain during the 18th century. Whippets were created from small English greyhounds and terriers, which later were bred with Italian greyhounds, giving them an elegant and lustrous appearance.
The speed, personality, body weight, and physique of whippets made them an excellent choice for racing, gambling, and hunting dogs during that time.
People used whippets’ to provide entertainment during snap dog contests and poaching rabbits, hence earning the nickname; ‘a poor man’s racehorse.’
Whippets are among the fastest dogs globally; they can run up to 56km/hr (35miles/hour), making them the unrivalled dog sprinters of all times.
Their speed has made them the most prevalent dog breed in lure-coursing competitions and the reason why a canine sport was started.
Are Whippets Obedient Dogs?
Whippets are generally quiet, even-tempered, and obedient dogs; however, you can train them to be more respectful and well-mannered for a perfect furry house buddy.
As much as they’re slow to pick up things and learning, their temperament and nature make them pretty fun and easy dog to train.
Dogs’ obedience level varies with owners, and the training approach they took to obedience train them. But, simply, an obedient dog is one that can respond to your commands promptly, respects you, and behaves well around people.
Training whippets to be obedient isn’t much of a hassle if you know the right tips and techniques to use.
In order to efficiently train your pup to be obedient, you should teach him the basic dog commands first. Examples of these commands include; stay, go, come, sit, look, off, and heel.
During whippet obedience training, it’s advisable to be patient, consistent, tactful, and make use of the brief moments that your whippet is lively and in the mood.
Whippet minds wander off more easily, and they get distracted faster; therefore, you should make the training more fun, brief, and highly engaging.
Six Basic Dog Commands Your Whippet Should Learn Easily
Whether you’re a recurrent or soon-to-be dog owner, it’s crucial that you understand the basic commands to teach your dog and the best way to do it.
If your puppy can’t respond to commands, housebreaking and teaching him/her to be obedient can be too daunting.
Below are six basic commands to teach dogs to be a good apartment companion and canine citizen;
Sit
Sitting is one of the most essential and easiest commands to teach your whippet; hence it’s not only basic but a transition command too.
You can use various approaches to train a whippet to sit, but the most practical one is the reward training approach.
Most individuals use clicker training to train their pups, where you click the clicker whenever your puppy does the right thing, then reward it for the action.
If you use clicker training to obedience train your dog, it’s crucial that you be precise on timing for effective training.
Stay
Staying in the second important command a dog should learn. If your dog can promptly obey the sit and stay commands, controlling him will be easy.
The stay command can be helpful in several circumstances, for example, when you have guests, and you don’t want your little buddy to disrupt them or if you want him to be out of your way when doing house chores.
It’s recommendable to teach your dog this cue after he/she has learned the sit command. If he/she hasn’t learned the sit cue yet, take your time to help him master it before proceeding with the stay command.
Whippets are highly agile; therefore, don’t give up if your whippet takes some time to master this cue. After all, it’s like dogs not to wait or sit around doing nothing.
Come
It’s critical that your whippet know and respond to this command since it can help him avoid trouble and mere accidents. With this command, you can easily call your pup back to you if his leash loses its grip or when you forget to close the front door.
On the first days, you can train your whippet when he’s still on his leash, which you can remove when he starts to master the command. With consistent and engaging practice, your furry friend will finally master the command.
Look
The look command can help you distract your whippet from chasing something or finding a frightful thing. Teaching this cue is quite simple, especially if your dog has already mastered the sit and stay command.
Lay Down/Down
According to McMillan, Lucky Dog’s Emmy award-winning host, she compares this command to switching off a car by removing the keys from its ignition.
Standing dogs can take off like a running car; sitting dogs are like parked cars but can move if they want. However, if they lay down, they’re like cars that have been switched off.
Therefore, this command is crucial to control your dog more easily. It can also be essential for tricks such as playing dead or rolling over.
No Or Leave It
Teaching your whippet this command helps him to be safe when he gets curious about things that can harm him or others in the family.
For example, when he wants to smell something interesting but dangerous or wants to pour/sniff hot food on the table.
When To Start Obedience Training Your Whippet
Truly, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. For your whippet to behave well and respond to your commands promptly, you should start training him when he’s still young, as early as 8 weeks.
For potty-training, 9-12 weeks is good since, at this stage, dogs have higher control over their bowel movements and bladder.
The trick in training whippets is starting slow and gradually increasing the intensity over time depending on your whippet’s pace.
Obedience training protects your pup from accidents and dangers and enhances the bond and communication between you and him.
Signs That Your Whippet Needs Obedience Training
If your dog has the following traits, it’s crucial that do something before the behaviors turns into bigger problems;
- Snarling or growling when you get near their things
- Barking a lot
- Chewing stuff in the house
- Ignoring commands
- Peeing inside the house
- Jumping on guests
- showing aggression signs
- Being mean to other pups, and more.
Tips You Can Use For A More Obedient Whippet
Are whippets obedient dogs? Yes, whippets are compliant, and if yours isn’t, you can train it to be. The willingness and intelligence whippets have to please their owners ease the whole training process.
However, there are some tips and facts about whippets that can make the training hectic if you don’t know.
Here are various tips you can use to effectively and successfully obedient train your lovely whippet;
- Develop house rules prior to bringing the puppy home. You can discuss with your household members about the dog’s eating schedule, area, and where they can and cannot go.
- Come up with a name and don’t change it later.
- Housetrain him.
- Train them on basic commands and tricks
- Use a reward training approach for a faster and effective training
- Keep training periods brief and engaging
- Allow your whippet to socialize with other pooches and people
- ensure you’re always consistent with the commands you use
- Don’t punish him if they cant do what you want.
- Seek professional help if you can’t train it yourself.
The Importance Of Obedience Training Your Whippet
Some of the benefits you’ll enjoy for training your dog to be obedient include;
- The bond between you and the pup will increase.
- It’ll be easier to manage him.
- improves the safety of the dog and other people around him
- It’ll respond to your commands more easily and faster.
- It’ll be responsible and clean, especially if you housetrain him.
- Having an obedient and well-behaved whippet is fun and will make you feel the joy of owning a pet.
- Improves the socialization skills of your whippet with other dogs and people.
Final Thoughts
So, are whippets obedient dogs?
Yes, this type of dog breed is highly obedient and charming, particularly if you train them in an appropriate and practical manner.
If you purchase a whippet and it portrays bad behaviours, you should immediately take action before they grow up to be too big.
You should understand that whippets learn slowly and aren’t highly trainable like GSDs and collies. Therefore, be patient and realistic when training them. With the above tips and details, training your whippet to be obedient shouldn’t be overwhelming.
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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!