Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Joys of Boys!

Gibson and Jack chowing down
We usually receive four or five inquiries a week from people looking for whippets. For the past two months we've noticed that all -- and I mean all with one exception --of the inquiries specify females, whether adults or puppies. I can only figure that somewhere on the internet must be a misguided bit of advice suggesting that girl dogs make better pets.

It's time someone put in a word for the boys. I cannot speak for all breeds, but in whippets it is generally accepted that males are more affectionate, less moody, more loyal, and just sweeter in general. In my personal opinion, the girls are smarter, but smarter does not necessarily mean a more obedient pet. Sometimes smart = conniving.

While it's not true of all females, I swear that several of ours have actually flipped me off when I've asked them to do something. And not something difficult -- something more like,  "Come here, Ju-ju Bean!" (Admittedly the flip off could be a response to the nicknames I use for them, but whatever the reason, they still won't come unless they happen to feel like it and have nothing else to do.)

When one of our girls is naughty and gets a "No!" or "Cut that out!", she is likely to respond with a stink-eye that clearly says, "You godda problem wit' me?" On the other hand, fuss at any one of our boys and he'll do anything to get back into your good graces.

Jack: It's really and truly empty, huh?
When boys fight, and they seldom do, it's settled then and there and life goes on. When the girls fight, it is never over. Think of the girl in high school who told you your shoes were ugly. If you're a woman, I'll bet you still remember her name and you might well hate her until the day you die. That's a whippet girl when she believes she has been wronged, slighted, or insulted. She never forgets. There's a reason we call them bitches.

Now these are generalizations and you might well find a female who never has a bad day and will snuggle with you as long as you'll let her. We've had some. And I suppose there are moody boy dogs out there too though I've never met one.

Jack
Gibson
 But as a rule, if you want a whippet who will tell you daily that you are the smartest, funniest, and most beautiful person in the world, your odds are better with a boy. Most whippets are snugglers regardless of gender, but if someone is in a snit on the other side of the room, it's going to be the female.

We've asked a few people their reasons for preferring females. The two most common responses are that male dogs lift their legs on furniture and some of them "hump" inappropriately.  These are not common problems with whippets, and especially not neutered ones.

Males "mark" in the house to claim property rights (and actually, many females do the same!) but unless another dog has previously laid claim to Dad's recliner, it's unlikely your boy will feel the need to add his signature.  Most marking can be attributed to more than one intact male in the house and/or a female in season. The average pet whippet is just not going to feel the need to establish dominance this way.

Humping inappropriately? We have only one whippet who does this routinely, and she's a female. Really. Kara has a complicated relationship with her favorite teddy bear.

Gibson: A boy with a healthy appetite
As for humping legs or whatever, that is easily corrected the same way you would correct any unwanted behavior -- with a firm "NO" and redirecting the dog's interest elsewhere. I have never owned a male whippet who rode people's legs like some of the toy breeds do, though I'm sure if I say they never do, someone will tell me about the one he had who loved to hump Grandma's knee. But it is definitely not a common problem in whippets.

Humping other dogs, by the way, is seen at least as often in females as males. It's  a dominance thing, not a sex  thing, and again, a firm correction is called for, as well as redirecting the attention of both dogs so they can stop worrying about who's da boss.

Don't get me wrong. I adore my girls. But if I want pure, uncomplicated love, I'll take a male whippet any day.

If after reading this you think a little whippet boy might fit into your home, give us a call at 540-464-8046. We know of a number of boys just looking for someone to adore. Our lovely Moka (Ch Timbreblue Abraxis Mocha Martini) was bred and has two really nice brindle boys available in Ohio.  She belongs to Beca Zaun and you can reach Beca at roebeck@buckeye-express.com. Their photos are shown throughout this post.

If you want to skip the baby puppy phase, ask us  about Trick and Winchester. They are also brindle, around six months old, crate and leash-trained and very well started on housetraining. They are energetic, fun little guys who need to get settled in their "real" homes. And we know of a litter in Charlotte, North Carolina, with some boys available.

The boys and Mama Moka (and sister Brandi)

8 comments:

Jeanne said...

I agree completely ... boys are just terrific! Boys are SO loving and, as you said, just seem a bit less complicated at times (probably because they just don't think as much!). ;-)

Unknown said...

Our family has had male whippets since 1991, and we can't imagine a better dog. Our boys (Devo,I think from the Whipperwill (sp?) kennel in MD. And Bosco, a racing whippet from No. Cal.)were the best dogs ever! Both were mellow, obedient,loving,and very quiet. I find the racing whippets to be particularly wonderful and a little less on the neurotic side. Our Bosco, who died last November at almost 13 years old from Osteosarcoma, was the easiest, best behaved dog I've ever had in my life. We didn't even require a fence for this guy (though it's always a good idea to have one!). We could let him out, supervised of course, and just tell him to come on back if he got to close to our property boundry. We even trained him not to chase our outside cats. He was just a quiet gentle, loving soul and I can't imagine not wanting a male whippet. Bosco died very recently, so we aren't quite ready to fill that hole in our family, but when we are, it will be with another whippet, and probably another male.

Anonymous said...

What a refreshing post about the boys. Thanks for reminding folks that males can be awesome companions too.

Anonymous said...

When we got our first whippet, I really wanted a female. I'm not even sure why! And that's what we got, but four months later, added a male whippet. Just thought I would throw my two cents in that our male whippet is extremely sweet and loving and I cannot imagine life without him. In the future if I was ever to have only one whippet I would have no problem at all making that a male. Of course, with two whippets, I do prefer a male and a female. Super cute pics of the boys on the blog post, by the way! Amy C.

Anonymous said...

Our first two whippets were boys, and they could not have been more different in personality. Both were charming in their own ways, though.
Our current baby is a little girl, chosen because our greyhound is male and we didn't want him to feel threatened. But if (when) we add another whippet some day, we'll definitely be looking for a male.

Sara said...

Is Trick still available? He is so beautiful and sweet looking.

Sharyn Hutchens said...

Sara, Trick is indeed still available...it has been hard to convince myself to let him go. I received your phone message today and will give you a call back tomorrow. Or you can call me again at 540-464-8046. Thanks!

Sharyn

Martha,Phantom and Chelo said...

Having "done" whippets since 1981,and having had both genders,i wholeheartedly agree-Boys Rule!