Editing Whippet (section)

{{Short description|British breed of dog}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2023}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox dog breed
| name          = Whippet
| country       = [[United Kingdom]]
| image         = Whippet 2018 6.jpg
| image_caption = A [[brindle]] Whippet
| weight         = typical {{right|{{cvt|11|–|18|kg}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whippet Dog Breed Information |url=https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/whippet/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=American Kennel Club |language=en}}</ref>}}
| height         =
| maleheight     = {{right|{{cvt|47|–|51|cm|in|round=0.5}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whippet {{!}} Breed Standards {{!}} The Kennel Club |url=https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/breed-standards/hound/whippet/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=www.thekennelclub.org.uk}}</ref>}}
| femaleheight   = {{right|{{cvt|44|–|47|cm|in|round=0.5}}}} 
| coat          = fine, dense, short
| colour        = {{ubl|FCI: immaterial (not important)|UK: any except [[merle (dog coat)|merle]]<ref>Beckett-Bradshaw, A., 2019 The merle color pattern in the whippet. ''Sighthound Review'' (10) 1 Spring p108</ref>}}
|altname        = Snap dog (archaic)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whippet History: Behind the Small Racing Breed |url=https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/whippet-history-behind-the-small-racing-breed/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=American Kennel Club |language=en}}</ref>
| litter_size   = 1–10, average 6.1<ref>{{cite journal | first2=R. | first3=A. | first4=A. | journal=Theriogenology | issue=5 | doi=10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.10.034 | first1=K. S. | last1=Borge | title=Litter size at birth in purebred dogs—A retrospective study of 224 breeds | last2=Tønnessen | last3=Nødtvedt | last4=Indrebø | year=2011 | volume=75 | pages=911–919 | pmid=21196028 }}</ref>
| kc_name       = [[The Kennel Club]]
| kc_std        = https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/breed-standards/hound/whippet/
| fcistd        = http://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/WHIPPET-162.html
}}

The '''Whippet''' is a British [[list of dog breeds|breed]] of [[dog]] of [[sighthound]] type. It closely resembles the [[Greyhound]] and the smaller [[Italian greyhound|Italian Greyhound]], and is intermediate between them in size. In the nineteenth century it was sometimes called "the poor man's racehorse".<ref name="Barron8">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxHKDOZB7GoC | title=Whippets: A complete pet owner's manual | publisher=Barron's | year=1998 | access-date=24 January 2013 | author=Coile, Caroline | isbn=0-7641-0312-1 |oclc = 38016572|location = Hauppauge, N.Y | page=8}}</ref> It is commonly kept as a [[companion dog]], for competitive [[dog show|showing]] or for amateur [[Dog racing|racing]], and may participate in various [[dog sports]], including [[lure coursing]], [[Dog agility|agility]], and [[flyball]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Whippet Activities |url=https://www.whippetcanada.com/activities |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=National Whippet Club of Canada |language=en-CA}}</ref> It has the fastest running speed within its weight and size range, and is believed to have the fastest idle-to-running acceleration of any dog.<ref>D. Caroline Coile (1998).[https://books.google.com/books?id=BxHKDOZB7GoC&dq=whippet+fastest+accelerating+dog&pg=PA51 "Whippets: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, Training, and Exercising"]. p. 51. Barron's Educational Series</ref> 

Whippets are characterized by their gentle, affectionate, and calm temperament. While typically relaxed and serene at home, they exhibit high energy and excitement when outdoors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Divina |first=Arlene |date=2023-09-29 |title=Whippet Temperament: What's a Whippet's Personality Like? |url=https://iheartdogs.com/whippet-temperament-whats-a-whippets-personality-like/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=iHeartDogs.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Originally bred as hunting and racing dogs, Whippets have a strong [[prey drive]], which may lead them to chase small animals.

Whippets have a minimal-shedding coat that is easy to manage due to its short, smooth texture and lack of an undercoat. However, their short coat and low body fat make them particularly sensitive to cold temperatures, so they may require extra protection, such as a dog jacket, in cooler weather. The breed is generally healthy, benefiting from a strong, athletic constitution, and is free from many hereditary issues seen in other breeds.

The concept of greyhound-type dogs of various sizes—large, medium, and small—has been well-documented in hunting manuals and natural history works dating back to the [[Middle Ages]]. In the early 15th century, [[Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York]], translated and expanded the late 14th-century French ''[[Livre de chasse]]'', a comprehensive manual on instructions for hunting with dogs. In his work, he highlighted the benefits of keeping ‘great,’ ‘middle,’ and ‘small-sized Greyhounds’ for hunting different kinds of game.<ref>Baillie-Grohman, W. A. (1909). [https://archive.org/details/masterofgameoldexx00edwa/page/112 ''The master of game: the oldest English book on hunting'']. London.</ref> Later, in the 16th century, English physician and academic [[John Caius]] referenced both greater and lesser types of ''Leporarius, Grehounde'' (Greyhound) in his book ''De Canibus Britannicis''.<ref>Caius, J., [https://archive.org/details/ofenglishedogges00caiuuoft/page/n23 ''Of Englishe dogges, the diversities, the names, the natures and the properties. A short treatise written in Latine and newly drawne into Englishe by Abraham Fleming'']. Translation; Fleming A., 1880 London ed., pp. 9-10</ref> Notably, he described a type connected to the Whippet: the tumbler, a 'lesser sort of mungrell greyhounde' that was an excellent warren dog used for catching rabbits.<ref>Caius, J., [https://archive.org/details/ofenglishedogges00caiuuoft/page/n25 ''Of Englishe dogges, the diversities, the names, the natures and the properties. A short treatise written in Latine and newly drawne into Englishe by Abraham Fleming'']. Translation; Fleming A., 1880 London ed., pp. 11-12</ref> The tumbler was also recorded by [[Thomas Brown (naturalist)|Thomas Brown]], a Scottish curator and editor, in the early 19th century.<ref>Brown, T., 1829 [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_cC6FoV8cND4C/page/n423 ''Biographical sketches and authentic anecdotes of dogs''], 1829, pp. 416-17.</ref>