How To Bond With Your Whippet

Having the luxury of owning a whippet is amazing, and building a bond with your pet is something many whippet owners love to do.

Bonding typically refers to the process of attachment that develops between you and something or someone, such as a pet, a partner or a friend.

It’s when you spend time with your pet to develop a relationship that builds trust, love and an unbreakable ‘bond’ that will last a lifetime.

In this post we are going to walk you through how to bond with your whippet, giving you some tips, tricks and useful information that will see you well on your way to being best buds with your whippet.

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Why Building A Bond Is Important

So why is building a bond with your whippet important? Well, many reasons – not only does a bond build trust between you and your pet, but it helps your pet develop into a happy, confident dog that is ready to take on the world.

Bonding with your pet takes time, it’s built through spending time with your pet and building up trust and respect.

The connection between you and your whippet can grow to be very strong, but fail to give your dog attention, affection, proper training and boundaries and you’ll see that the bond starts to fade away which can make it hard to recover in the future.

how to bond with your whippet — Image: Dave Gershkoff

Thankfully, strengthening the bond between you and your whippet is quite easy, and it’s very predictable given enough time.

Once you establish a bond between you and your whippet, you’ll have a loyal, loving pet that will be a perfect companion for you and your family.

These dogs are incredibly affectionate, so expect lots of love and kisses from your pooch once the bond strengthens.

Ways To Bond With Your Whippet

So how do you actually build a bond between you and your whippet?

Well, here are some of the most effective ways to ensure you and your whippet have an unbreakable bond:

Training

One of the best ways to grow the bond between you and your whippet is through training.

Once you start basic training with your whippet, he will grow a newfound respect for you and understand that you’re the leader of the pack.

Dogs have a pack mentality, so they need someone to look too for guidance, so once you establish yourself as the pack leader through effective training then your bond will naturally grow.

Training your whippet can also reduce frustration, as when you give your pet a command he knows exactly what to do and isn’t confused.

Treats

We all love to give our whippets a cheeky treat or two, but not too many as we don’t want our pups to get obese.

That being said, a treat is a great way to establish the bond between you and your whippet as your giving him something he desires.

Only use treats as a reward system for good behaviour or for training tactics, don’t give you whippet treat after treat thinking it’s going to make him love you more because it really doesn’t work.

This leads to a greedy whippet which can be hard to train out.

However, using treats correctly and appropriately is an excellent way to build a bond between you and your pup.

Playtime

All dogs love playtime, especially as puppies. Remaining playful through your whippets lifetime is a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.

Throughout your day you should think of ways you can stimulate your whippet’s brain, maybe through a dog toy or letting him chase you around an open field.

Whippets love playtime and this can be an effective way to build a bond with your pup, so incorporate more playtime into your pup’s day and he’ll thank you for it dearly.

Remain Calm

One of the worst mistakes dog owners make is to get angry or frustrated with their dogs, especially when their pet doesn’t know what they’ve done wrong.

This can lead to a lack of respect and break the trust between you and your dog.

It’s essential that through training you remain calm with your whippet, be patient and give him the time he needs to learn and adapt to his new lifestyle.

This way you can strengthen the bond between you and your whippet as he won’t feel sad and frustrated that you’re shouting at him.

Pay Attention To Likes And Dislikes

Knowing your dog’s likes and dislikes when it comes to playtime, food and other activities will help develop your bond with him.

Try to play games and use toys that you know he likes, and ensure his dog food is one that he enjoys.

A good place to start for this is to find things that most dog’s dislike, such as loud noises, citrus and strong scents and keep him away from them.

Comfort Your Whippet

If your whippet is feeling scared or lonely, for example on bonfire night when there can be lots of loud noises, you should be there for your pet and comfort him.

Imagine how you would feel if you’re terrified of loud noises and there’s nobody there to help you get through it, this is how your pet will feel if there’s nobody around to comfort him in his time of need.

Be there for your whippet, through thick and thin to ensure he trusts you and he’ll be forever grateful.

Clear Communication

It’s incredibly important that when you communicate with your whippet your being as clear and concise as possible.

This stops your pup from getting confused and frustrated as he can’t understand what you want him to do.

Use hand gestures whilst training as this is easier for your whippet to understand instead of voice, as tone of voice can often change and be misinterpreted.

How Long Does It Take To Bond With A Whippet

Building the bond between you and your whippet is something that only strengthens over time, the more time you spend with your pet the stronger the bond will become (in most cases).

But how long does it take to bond with a whippet?

Well, if you’re lucky enough to have a whippet puppy, the bonding process can be very quick, but if you’ve adopted a whippet or your whippet is older then it can take some time.

A young whippet will usually bond with its owner in a couple of weeks, even days sometimes.

Whereas adult whippets take much more work as they are often much more cautious.

If you’ve adopted a whippet then you can expect to bond with your whippet in around 2 – 3 months, as this is a process that takes time and trust needs to be earned between you and your pet.

If you’ve adopted a whippet from a rescue centre, then this can take even longer, as you never know what that whippet has been through, he could have trust issues or anxiety which affects the bonding process.

However, when you do break-through and start to bond with your adopted whippet, this is incredibly rewarding and is an amazing experience, as you’ve now got a pet that will love you unconditionally and forever grateful for saving him and bringing him into your home.

All dogs are different so it’s important to be very patient when trying to build a bond with a whippet, some will take to you in a short space of time whilst some take months.

Reasons To Bond With Your Whippet

There are multiple reasons to try to strengthen the bond between you and your whippet, here is a handful of them:

You’ll Be Calmer

There is nothing nicer than coming home from a hard day at work than being greeted by your adorable pet when you walk through the front door.

This not only releases endorphins in your body but helps you feel much calmer, less anxious and is amazing for stress relief.

Unconditional Love

The love between you and your whippet when you’ve built up a strong bond is incredible.

It’s a love like no other which will last a lifetime, bond with your whippet and he’ll love you forever, making your pet much more of a pleasure to own.

Fun

Bonding with your whippet is super fun, one of the best ways to bond is by playing with dog toys and ensuring that both of you are having lots of fun.

This makes the whole experience much more enjoyable, especially when you start to train your whippet.

Loyalty

Dogs are incredibly loyal animals, this is one trait that makes them so appealing to us humans.

The level of loyalty your whippet has can be overwhelming and humbling, he’ll stick by you through everything and never leave your side.

Once you establish a bond with your whippet he will be loyal to the death, he’ll remember your face and be able to pick you out from a crowd in an instant.

Builds Confidence

Bonding with your whippet is a great way for you to build confidence as well as your pup. It’s a great feeling knowing you’ve built a relationship with your dog that will last a lifetime and makes you much more confident as a dog owner.

Not only that, but your whippet will also be more confident, he’ll be more social and enjoy meeting other people and building relationships with them too.

Final Thoughts

Bonding with your dog is one of the great pleasures of being a dog owner, yes it takes time and dedication but the payoff is incredible and lasts a lifetime.

Whippets are amazing pets that love to spend as much time with their owners as possible.

They love nothing more than relaxing on the couch watching Netflix documentaries and stealing a snack whilst you’re not looking.

Building a bond with your whippet through dedication, training and spending lots of time together is an enjoyable experience, it’s a great feeling to know that you’ve got your whippets back and he has yours.

Hopefully, this post has helped you build a bond with your whippet, and you now have some clear ways in which to do so and can take your partnership to the next level.