Whippet (Comprehensive Owner's Guide) - Hardcover

Cunliffe, Juliette

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1593782470 ISBN 13: 9781593782474

Publisher: Kennel Club Books Llc, 2005

Synopsis

Elegant and affectionate, the Whippet rose from his humble beginnings as the "poor man's greyhound" to become an agile professional race dog and a highly prized companion and show dog. Today the breed enjoys great popularity around the world. The Whippet is hailed among the fastest of all sighthounds, though he is fairly small compared to the Greyhound. For the right active family, the Whippet makes an adaptable and fun-loving pet, as swift of mind as he is of foot. The book outlines the breed's origins in England and its arrival in the US. The author discusses the breed's characteristics and standard and provides her excellent advice about selecting a well-bred puppy, rearing, socializing, house-training and obedience training. This colorful and fully up-to-date guide also offers guidance on feeding, exercise, home safety, grooming and other topics vital to the ownership of a Whippet.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Elegant and affectionate, the Whippet rose from his humble beginnings as the ‘poor man’s greyhound’ to become an agile professional race dog and a highly prized companion and show dog. Today the breed enjoys great popularity around the world. The Whippet is hailed amongst the fastest of all sight hounds, though he is fairly small compared to the Greyhound. For the right active family, the Whippet makes an adaptable and fun-loving pet, as swift of mind as he is of foot. This book provides the much-needed factual information about the Whippet and its ancestry, character and standard, as well as the proper selection, feeding, training, preventative health care and behaviour of the breed. The new owner will welcome advice about puppy-proofing the home, preparing for the pup’s arrival and preventing puppy problems. In addition to an extremely authoritative text, this book presents over 135 photographs in full colour, which prove to be as informative as they are attractive. Helpful hints and important information are highlighted to provide easy access to everything the reader needs to know about life with a Whippet. Whether it’s toilet training problems, allergies or fleas, this book is the way to prevention, providing the reader with the necessary guidance an owner needs from puppyhood through the senior years. Recommended by top breeders and trainers, this book is the responsible first choice of every new owner of a Whippet. Topics discussed include: History of the Whippet; Characteristics of the Whippet; The Whippet Breed Standard; Your Whippet puppy; Everyday care of your Whippet; Housebreaking and training your Whippet; Health care of your Whippet; Your senior Whippet; Showing your Whippet.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Whippet is one of a number of breeds that falls into the group of dogs classified as sight hounds, often known as gaze hounds. These are hounds that hunt their prey largely by sight; their bodies are lean and powerful, with deep chests and long limbs providing both stamina and speed. Such hounds are, in general, adapted for finding prey in open country. Once the prey has been located, it can be overtaken by speed and endurance. Because of this special form of hunting, sight hounds have historically been found in regions where there is open countryside, in North Africa, the Arabian countries, Afghanistan, Russia, Ireland and Scotland. The modern Whippet, however, is a more recent member of this highly prized group of dogs and was developed by the miners and mill-hands of the north of England. It was often referred to as 'the poor man's greyhound', a breed developed for rabbit coursing that later became involved in track racing. The Asiatic Wolf is most commonly accepted as ancestor of the sight hounds, for no other wolves are known to have existed in areas where dogs of Greyhound type originated. Although the Whippet is considered a comparatively modern breed, it is worthy of note that the Greeks and Romans used small Greyhounds, these considerably smaller than the breed we know today.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kennel Club Books Llc
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1593782470
• ISBN 13: 9781593782474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 155