Whippet

Whippet

A grey brindle and white Whippet
Other names	English Whippet or Snap dog
Origin	England
Traits Weight 20–42 pounds (9.1–19.1 kg) Height Male North America: 18.5–22.5 inches (47–57 cm) International: 18.5–20 inches (47–51 cm) Female North America: 17.5–21.5 inches (44–55 cm) International: 17.5–18.5 inches (44–47 cm) Coat Fine, dense, short Color Immaterial (Not important) Litter size 1–10 pups per litter, with the average being 6.1 pups Life span 12–14 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 10, Section 3 Short-haired Sighthounds #162 standard AKC Hound standard ANKC Group 4 (Hounds) standard CKC Group 2 (Hounds) standard KC (UK) Hound standard NZKC Hound standard UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Whippet (also English Whippet or Snap dog) is a dog breed of medium-size. They are a sighthound breed that originated in England, where they descended from greyhounds. Whippets today still strongly resemble a smaller greyhound. Shown in the Hound group, Whippets have relatively few health problems other than arrhythmia. Whippets also participate in dog sports such as lure coursing, agility, and flyball. The name is derived from an early 17th century word, now obsolete, meaning to "move briskly".

Whippets were originally greyhounds that were deemed unsuitable for hunting because of their size. They were returned to their peasant breeders after being maimed so that they could not be used to hunt and break the forest law. These maimed dogs were bred together and used to catch rats, and hunt rabbits. When the forest law was repealed, these "miniature greyhounds" became popular in the sport of dog racing. This has led to Whippets being described as "the poor man's racehorse." They are still frequently used as racing dogs today, as they have the highest running speed of breeds their weight: 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) and even challenge greyhounds for top speed. Whippets are, however, the fastest accelerating dog in the world.

Whippets were bred to hunt by sight, coursing game in open areas at high speeds. One can find numerous representations of small greyhound-like hounds in art dating back to Ancient Egyptian times. Pharaohs bred a small sighthound dog related to the greyhound to keep in their palaces, and this dog may be the ancestor of today's Whippets. In medieval England, a small greyhound breed became popular for use as a ratting dog. The first written English use of the word whippet with regard to a type of dog was in 1610. However, the first dog to be called a Whippet was actually a greyhound-spaniel cross and has little to do with the modern Whippet.