Whippet Gold: the Young Adult Whippet

COVID or not, adults and young adult whippets are elusive and prized among families looking to add a beloved addition to their household. You may notice from time to time Breeders will have a young adult whippet that they kept for the show ring, perhaps one of a couple of puppies out of a litter they held back. These young whippets or even newly retired show dogs are highly sought after. Why you ask?! Well because you get to reap all the effort that has been poured into that dog from training, general house manners, obedience, socialization along with a fully vaccinated animal without going through any of the challenges that are inherent with puppyhood. Meaning nothing was urinated on in your house, your shoes or other wayward items did not disappear or become confiscated by your adorable new addition.

So if these adults or young adult whippets are so highly sought after and are extremely rare why bother posting about it? Because it comes down to what can be an awkward and misinformed notion: cost.

People often assume that these whippets from 4 months up to 2 years of age will be discounted or less expensive than that brand new 10-12 week old puppy. Absolutely not!

For us as Breeders to keep a litter of 5-8 puppies till 12 weeks of age we will be spending at least $500-$600 per puppy to fully vaccinate them (excluding their 16 week rabies shot). That's on top of all the expenses of Breeding and raising a litter. If we decide to hold back a couple of puppies, for the show ring either for ourselves or other Breeders, that means those puppies aren't simply sitting around eating, playing and growing up. It means we're investing a lot of time, money and effort into raising each of those show prospects to become a phenomenal pet. Regardless of whether we keep the puppy for the show ring they will be pets first! So that means each of our young adults has gone through intense socialization, travel training, recall training and basic obedience.

So why bother sharing all of this? Well it's a common point of frustration between Breeders and those eager to welcome a whippet into their family. Please don't expect to pay less to take home one of our very best. There's nothing wrong with wanting an adult or young adult whippet, but please take the time to educate yourself to avoid that awkward moment when you realize that young adult or older puppy doesn't mean "discount dog".