How Fast is a Whippet?

How fast is a whippet? Insanely fast but all this speed comes with a price!

Whippets are the fastest domesticated animal of their size, they can easily reach the speed of 60 km (37 miles) per hour in few seconds but they can’t keep this pace for very long.

This trait makes whippets powerful sprinters but not marathon runners.

Actually they were bred by the miners of northern Britain to run short races at full speed but not to sustain this explosive sprint for long.

These bursts of energy is also what makes a whippet the laziest couch potato the world.

All the energy that goes in the sprint comes from the impossibly long naps in the most comfortable spot they can find in the house.

Whippets are also very fast at some unwanted activities like stealing food and they are extremely stealthy and accurate too.

Never leave a steak unattended on a kitchen counter, it might disappear the moment you turn your head.

A notable exception is my whippet Lola.

She is too lazy and smart to steal food as she knows perfectly she is going to get some of the most interesting morsels anyway in due time, she just has to wait.

Whippets are mentally fast too, they will outsmart you in many ways.

While they appear to be sleeping, they will follow your every move and will be aware of the faintest sound.

They will know when you are getting ready to go out and, depending of what you take with you, they’ll know if it’s worth jumping up and join you or if it’s better to carry on with their snooze.

Our dogs are also fast at catching small animals you might want to protect like birds, mice, lizards, squirrels.

No amount of training will stop whippet from hunting them.

If your whippet happens to be very obedient you might stop him in his tracks but hunting is in his blood and no training can teach him not to chase the neighbor’s cat.

For your small hound you’ll need a safely fenced yard, a good leash (not a retractable one), and a secure area to stretch his legs.

Once your whippet has had his daily exercise, he can go back to the sofa for the rest of the day.

To the question “How fast is a whippet?” the answer is “ Very, very fast and in more ways than you would expect but the price to pay for all this speed is a watchful eye”.

How Fast is a Whippet - Whippet vs Labrador

Whippet Running on a Beach

With age your whippet will mellow down, his speedy pace will become slower and he will start choosing wisely his battles or his reasons to race and though it seems impossible his naps will become longer and deeper.

Your whippet will become the perfect companion to binge watch TV series or to trot along during a relaxing game of golf.