It occurs to me that there are a lot of sub-types in whippets. We have had just about one of everything, and there may be more I just haven't encountered. Of course the trouble with these types is that it will do you no good to decide which one you want. You can't tell during puppyhood which you will get (except for the possible exception of Just Plain Dawgs and Shrinking Violets) and rescues often don't reveal their true personalities until they have settled in permanent homes either. So whippets are a little like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. Fortunately, they are all delightful pets. You will adjust to the whippet. She will not adjust herself to suit you.
The Ice Princess Whippet
Very devoted and likes (has) to be close, in the same room at least, usually on the sofa next to you, but is not a snuggle-bunny. As a matter of fact, if you try to lie down on the sofa or just rearrange yourself for comfort, and maybe touch her with your foot or disarrange her blankets, she sighs heavily and moves to a chair. Don't bother trying to get her to come back. You had your chance and you blew it. You can scritch her butt for her, but the worst thing you can do to her is pick her up or try to hug her. Yuck! The legs go stiff, the head turns away, and the eyes get wild. However, the Ice Princess definitely has Excessive Greeting Disorder and has to maul visitors for at least three or four minutes before she settles down on the sofa with them. In fact, she is so friendly to visitors that you wonder if she's not going to just climb in the car and go home with them. But you know once she got there, they'd get the ice treatment just like you do. They would be, after all, just her minions.
Timbreblue's Ice Princess: Ivy
The Benevolent Princess Whippet
Has all of the above but doesn't mind snuggling when she is in the mood. Make no mistake, it is on her own terms. And like a cat, a Princess Whippet will get up and walk off in the middle of a neck rub if you are not getting it just right. Except a cat will bite you first and then walk off. A Princess whippet demands the best of everything and may be a pound underweight because making you worry about whether she is eating enough is a major source of entertainment for her. (There are also Benevolent Prince Whippets, but I have never met an Ice Prince. It takes too much self control for a male.) If you never forget that you are the subject and she is the Princess, you'll do fine with this girl. Alexis was a fine example of the benevolent princess!
The Groupie Whippet
Wants to share your DNA. If she could get inside your skin, she would. Her idea of heaven is to be snuggled just as close to you as she can get, and she really, really wanted to be an Italian Greyhound so she could ride in your purse. She is actually reserved around new people. Not
unfriendly, but not all over them like most other whippets. She only has eyes for her Deity. However, as Diamond taught me when she went to live with Lisa in Richmond, although the Groupie whippet thinks she might simply wither away without you, the title of Deity is very quickly transferrable. In my experience, most male whippets are Groupies. Timbreblue's Groupie: Diamond
The Cheerleader Whippet
Just loves life and everybody in it. She not only adores her people but anyone else's people. She tells you she would absolutely curl up and die if you were not with her, but she is lying. She is happy with anyone who will let her snuggle up on the sofa and is not totally grossed out by French kisses and ear slobber from her. The main drawbacks to these girls are toenail scratches and head butts to your chin if you lean over to pet them. Don't bother leaning down -- they will come up to you to be petted. It is not possible to teach a true cheerleader not to jump. It's just what they do. Timbreblue's Cheerleaders: Candy and Juliet
Their mother {F}Annie is the original Timbreblue cheerleader. She is currently leading cheers at the Lantzys' house in Sterling, VA
The Shrinking Violet Whippet
Is nervous and clingy when he meets people, but very sweet. He seems to want to disappear into the wallpaper in public, but does worship his owners. He does okay as long as his world is very small and pretty much the same thing happens every day. But a trip to PetSmart or the dog park is a major stressor. Our Shrinking Violet is Joe-Dog, who was completely unsocialized as a pup, so we're working with him to bring him out of his shell. Sometimes this is a hereditary temperament, which is why we will not breed Joe, but often it's just a matter of not having gotten out much as a puppy. With just me, Joe is a full-fledged Groupie and a delightful, affectionate dog, very happy in his own environment, but I don't know whether he will ever be a social dog. Joe, by the way, is looking for an understanding home where his owner will have lots of time to work on his self-confidence, or perhaps just a quiet home where he won't have to deal with much out of the ordinary. He'd be the perfect dog for a recluse!Timbreblue's Shrinking Violet: Joe-Dog
[Newsflash! Joe-Dog has a new home, and it's not with a recluse, but with someone who does understand his "special needs."]
There are a very few whippets, usually males, who pride themselves on being
Just Plain Dawgs
There is nothing foo-foo about them and they do not need those wussy coats, thank you. They like a good belly rub and to roll in foul-smelling things just like terriers. A Dawg does love to collapse on the sofa with his head in your lap after a long day in the woods and is very affectionate as long as you don't get into that baby talk stuff. He eats gross things and is proud of it and doesn't understand what the fuss is about when he drags a dead squirrel in through the dog door. He likes hanging out with the guys, riding in trucks, going camping, and he thinks girls are fun, but only if they know their place. Needless to say, Dawgs get beaten up by girls a lot. All girls think Dawgs are eeewwww. Timbreblue's Just Plain Dawg: Nathan
I imagine I'll discover more whippet types. But these are the ones we've seen here so far.
Sharyn
