Grooming

Whippets are a hidden gem in the purebred dog world for a lot of reasons, but unknown to those living whippetless is this fact: they do not require any grooming, no monthly expenses of $150 plus in coat management and no daily brushing to de-tangle knots. They also do not have an oily doggy odor like so many dogs do; meaning when whippets get wet they do not smell. No matter what anyone may tell you to the contrary, they do shed. If you have ever had a coated dog before, a whippet's shedding is trivial in comparison. In fact, they shed far less than our short and long haired cats (even after the long haired cats have been trimmed for the summer). So overall, we find whippets as a breed require very low maintenance in the grooming department. Now we will expound on what you should do for your whippet and when you should bathe them.

-Baths: really unless your dog has rolled in something foul, covered in mud or needs a good rub down after a strenuous day lure coursing, there really is no requirement for routine shampooing and conditioning their coat. They truly are a "spit and shine" breed. Now that being said you can easily bath your dog once or twice a year or if you notice their skin could use some deep conditioning. At Aureate we use the Artero product line and love it. (No we won't be giving away all our show secrets about how to prepare your whippet flawlessly for the show-ring as Envie is shown pictured below!) Make sure whatever product you use is designed for your dog's coat; do not use human shampoo and conditioner as dog's have a different skin pH.

Envie groomed to perfection and ready to hit the showring!

-Oral Hygiene: yes, that's correct you read that right. Whippets being sighthounds require teeth cleaning later in life, meaning under general anesthetic. If you want to minimize the chance of periodontal disease building up and teeth requiring surgical extractions, maintain good oral hygiene habits meaning allow your dog supervised access to dental chews and bully sticks. These will help clean their teeth and gums. Brush their teeth at least 2-3x weekly but ideally on a daily basis. This is also an important time to check your dog's dental health. Are there any fractures?

-Tick Check: basically in Ontario from the time you take your snow tires off until we have had a few good frosts you need to be putting your dog on oral coverage. You also should be going over your dogs to check for any ticks including their gumline, in their ears, the soft skin behind their elbows, yes even their genitals and their paw pads between their toes.

-Nail Maintenance: whippets grow their nails quickly. As a running breed, it is essential that their feet and toes are naturally well arched. We like a clean and tight foot meaning proper nail maintenance is imperative for injury prevention. At a minimum, you should be doing your whippet's nails on a weekly basis with either clippers or a dremel.

-Pad Care: while you're going over your whippet checking for ticks make a quick note of how well conditioned their pads are. Are they tough? (We want a relatively durable and tough pad if your dog runs a lot on different surfaces.) I can take one look at your dog's pads and know how they exercise. Tough doesn't mean thickened, calloused and cracked! If they are you'll need to invest in conditioning your dog more slowly along and apply some paw therapy.