I never make a waitlist for whippet puppies, because I don't know if I will have what the new owner wants. (Okay, that is a lie, I don't make a pet waitlist, show dogs are a different story) There is a description of whippets on various dog websites, AKC has the three words "Playful", "Affectionate", and "Calm" in the headline for the breed. I have had playful whippets, I have also had grouchy never want to leave the cozy cave whippets. I have had a spectrum of affectionate, from has to be in under your clothes because they can't get close enough to you, to "I am going to lay in the other room and be by myself". Calm....that one makes me giggle. I have only met one calm whippet puppy so far (it's Cosmo actually), my rule is that all whippets are velociraptors until the age of 2. They do get calm with age, but then my dad has Potter, who is 12, and has more energy than my 3 and 4 year old.
The point I am trying to make is that I don't think this is a breed that you can put a blanket statement on when discussing temperament. Maybe all breeds are this way and I haven't experienced it yet. This is why it is so important for potential puppy buyers to trust their breeders when selecting. And, shop around, maybe the breeder closest to you doesn't have the calm apartment whippet, but the breeder a few states away does. I have place apartment whippets, and I have placed high drive dock diving whippets, I knew where those dogs needed to go.
One thing I want looking down the road is a temperament that can handle my lifestyle. I have told people, I could have 12 Petras and 5 Rockys at the same time. I could only have 1 Potter though. Some people would only want the super-12-year-old-muscle-man, and could handle a dozen of them. I do think it is how they are raised too, but I don't want to forget about genetics!
I hope from selectively breeding my dogs, that I continue to produce dogs with Petra's temperament. Petra is calm, and quiet. She will sit with you on the couch, but is content to be in a cozy cave. She gives me lots of energy in the yard, and from 2 years of specialing, she does not tire in the ring. She is the perfect temperament for me...for someone else maybe not. This is why Petra will be the foundation bitch (more on that later) of Valenwood. We want that temperament that the AKC describes, playful, affectionate, calm.
Trust your breeders, they know their dogs. There is a whippet for you. The picture below is from AKC Meet the Breeds 2022 in Columbus, OH. All the dogs you see in this picture come from different backgrounds and have different temperaments.
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