Whippet Staffy Cross: Everything You Need To Know

The whippets loving personality, loyalty, intelligence, and willingness to please has made them one of the most popular pet dogs today. Last year, the AKC ranked whippets the 61st most famous canines in America and described them as playful, tranquil, and affectionate.

Due to these pleasant traits, most people are now breeding whippets with other canines to produce caring and well-balanced designer dogs for the many dog fanciers and enthusiasts globally. One of these whippet mixes is a whippet staffy cross, which we are going to take a look at in this article.

Today, there are very many kinds of whippet mixes to choose from, and it can be challenging to know which one is the best for you, particularly if you’re not familiar with them.

Whether you’re looking for a whippet staffy cross or just diversifying your knowledge about whippets, this article comprehensively expounds on what’s a whippet Staffy cross and other essential details about this type of whippet. Let’s take a look…

Table of Contents

What Is A Whippet Staffy Cross?

A whippet Staffy cross is a whippet mix that is derived from a purebred whippet and a purebred Staffordshire bull terrier. They are also known as a designer or hybrid dogs.

Hybrid dogs are bred from two different purebred canine parents. Therefore, they’re expected to inherit characteristics from both of their parents.

The inherited characteristics can be a heavier influence from either of the parents or an equal split. Therefore, you should understand the personality of both parents before deciding on a whippet staffy cross.

The appearance of hybrid dogs usually varies depending on their parents’ genes. For example, breeding a whippet and a Labrador Retriever can result in puppies with either short hair or long hair like retrievers.

How Is A Whippet Staffy Cross Different From A Purebred?

The temperament and personality of Staffy cross whippets usually vary depending on their parents’ genetics. Not all whippet mixes behave alike; some can behave more like the whippet while others behave like the second breed or acquire both of their parents’ traits.

Here are six major ways in which whippet Staffy cross differs from purebred whippets. Mark you, the difference can be minimal and hard to notice, but they all have unique features that distinguish them.

Temperament

Pure breed whippets are usually fast, loving, calm, affectionate, and playful. If they are bred with other pure-breed dogs, chances are the puppies will behave like one of the parents or both parents.

Some of the whippet mixes include whippadors, pipettes, German whippet, Aussie whip, collie, whip, chi whip, and whippet greyhound mix.

Truthfully, all these whippets might exhibit different traits and characteristics. For example, Whippadors are affectionate and friendly because both their parents exhibit these traits; however, their energy differs from whippets.

Whippets are calm and gentle dogs, but Labradors are highly energetic and require more exercise, hence the whippadors too. Another example is the Collie Whip, a crossbreed of Border Collies and Whippets. They’re brilliant, the best herders, and highly talented.

They get their high intelligence from their Border Collie parent. Hence, they’re highly trainable and easy to learn new tricks.

Either way, most whippet mixes are dependable, trustworthy, fearless, tolerant, friendly, and reliable. If you want a whippet mix with specific traits, you should check for breeds having those desired behaviors and personalities.

You’ll find that a whippet staffy cross has a more boisterous temperament when compared to a purebred whippet. This is because the staffy dog is generally louder and can throw its weight around more than a whippet can.

That’s not to say that these dogs are aggressive, they just will typically be more eccentric than a purebred whippet.

Appearance, Weight & Size

The whippet staffy cross tends to be a bit heavier and more prominent depending on the size of the dog crossbred with the whippet. Larger dog breeds produce larger whippet mixes compared to smaller breeds. For example, the German Shepherd Whippet mix is usually larger compared to Collie whips.

A standard whippet staffy cross weighs around 25-70 pounds and stands at an 18-26 inches height, while the Collie whip weighs about 25-55 pounds and stands approximately 18-22 inches tall.

The thickness, length, and density of the whippet staffy cross’s coats vary too depending on the individual dog. For instance, the German Shepherd mix can have a thick, long, dense fur or a shot and elegant coat like whippets.

Coat colours can vary too. They can be solid, bright, or brindle-coloured. Some other dog types crossbred with whippets can make the whippet mix pups have different additional colours.

For example, poodles, Chihuahua, and GSDs can produce whippet mixes with sable, gold, chocolate, cream, blue Belton, and apricot colours.

The GSD whippets mixes can have colourful brindle colors like red and black, black and silver, and black and gold.

In short, the Staffy cross whippets can take the appearance of the whippet or the other dog bred with the whippet or both. In most cases, whippet staffy crosses have slender bodies like whippets, but the head and coat appearance usually takes that of the second dog.

This means that the whippet staffy cross will likely have the body of a whippet and the head of a staffy, making them easy to spot in a crowd and making them have a very powerful bite force.

Another example of this would be whippet boxer mixes, they have faces resembling Boxers, but their bodies are slim and strong like whippets.

Breeding a whippet with a much larger body can cause the produced pups to have bigger bodies and more weight than purebred whippets.

For example, Chi whips are usually smaller than whipoxers because Chihuahuas are generally smaller than Boxers.

Health

According to the experience of most doggy experts, crossbreeds tend to be healthier, tougher, tolerant, and less susceptible to genetic diseases compared to purebreds.

One way to back up this claim is because purebreds’ genetic component is less diversified than crossbreeds. Hence they’re prone to chromosomal and genetic mutations.

However, there isn’t any scientific evidence backing up this claim. There are specific dog health problems common to almost all canines, and whippet mixes can get them after breeding too. Some of these ailments include; hip dysplasia, eye problems, epilepsy, and arrhythmia.

Life Expectancy

Dog mixes are known to live longer than purebreds by about a year. Whippets mixes have a varying life expectancy. Poodle whippet mixes are among the whippet crossbreeds with the longest life expectancy, 10-18 years.

Some mixes have much lower lifespans. For example, the Pitbull Whippet mix with a lifespan of 8-15 years. Usually, a healthy whippet Staffy cross has a lifespan of an average of 10-15 years.

Nonetheless, several factors can influence the life expectancy of both purebred and crossbreed pooches. Some of these factors are wellness care, dog size, and selective breeding considerations.

Dogs bred from healthy and well-examined canines to be healthy than those reproduced carelessly without checking their health state.

Care is exceptionally crucial for dogs to live longer and comfortably. Feeding your canine buddy the right amount and quality of food, vaccinating it when needed, and ensuring it is safe, fit, and happy can significantly boost their lifespan and health.

The Pros And Cons Of A Whippet Staffy Cross

Crossbreeding two purebreds has strengths and drawbacks, and it’s crucial that you understand them to know what to expect when you finally decide to bring a whippet staffy cross into your home.

Purebreds belong to the first or subsequent generations of their kind. Therefore, you should ensure that you research more about the dog you want to breed your whippet with to avoid producing unstable and unadjusted puppies.

The most reliable way to understand the genetic structure of dogs is through a dog’s DNA test. It’s also advisable to work with a proficient and reputable breeder for more well-adjusted and healthy mutts.

The pros and cons of crossbreeding whippets with other dog breeds include;

Genetic Diversity

Purebred canines are developed from inbreeding, which is the leading cause of chromosomal and genetic mutations in dogs. Continuous practice of inbreeding can lead to congenital issues due to over-expression of the recessive genes.

Whippet staffy crosses tend to be more resilient to dogs’ ailments and are more enduring because they were bred from two different dog breeds that don’t relate in any way. Breeding whippets from varied gene pools produce pups with higher hybrid vigour.

Hybrid vigour is the high hardiness degree and excellent health that canines get from a parent with varying genes.

Balanced Characteristics

You can distinctively select and breed whippets with other dog breeds to produce mixes suitable for specific environments. Or you can be lucky to get the exact whippet mix colour, size, or personality that you always wanted.

Budget Friendly

A whippet Staffy cross is usually cheaper compared to purebred whippets. Finding whippet mixes is generally easier than purebreds. Also, whippet mixes tend to be healthier than purebreds; therefore, it’s cheaper to maintain and care for a whippet mix than the purebred ones.

Best Of Both Worlds

Breeding whippets with other dog breeds means get pups with features from both breeds. Most whippet mixes are usually affectionate, agile, alert, friendly, joyful, willing to obey, gentle, and intelligent, which is why they’re the most preferred hybrid dogs worldwide.

Hard To Predict Size & Age

It’s usually hard to predict the size and age of the whippet Staffy cross since it’s tricky to determine the composition of the mixes’ genes from their purebred parents. Hence, making it hard to know the specific time your pooch fully matures unless you do a DNA test.

It’s usually challenging to know what to expect. If you don’t select the parents well, you can produce puppies that grow bigger than you expected or vice versa.

Hard To Predict Temperament & Behaviour

The inherited characteristics can be a heavier influence from either of the parents or an equal split. It requires more time to learn your whippet staffy crosses behaviour to understand it better.

Delivery Difficulties

Crossbreeding whippets with staffys of different sizes can cause the mother parent to have a troubled birth, especially if the pups’ dominant features are from the larger dog breed and the mother is a smaller breed.

Should I Adopt A Whippet Staffy Cross?

If you want a whippet Staffy cross, then you should go for it. Whippet mixes are quickly becoming the most loved family dogs for most people today. They have super desirable features and personality that’s hard to resist.

However, it’s better if you were careful when selecting the dog breeds to crossbreed with your whippet. You should check on their health, temperament, lifespan, plus their physical characteristics. This information can help you breed the right canines.