Whippet Essentials I Wish I'd Invested In Sooner
Whippet Essentials I Wish I'd Invested In Sooner
Before we picked up our first hound Josie, there were a few essentials that I knew I’d need for her like food, a collar, and a comfy bed but I was blissfully unaware of all the breed-specific things that I might need for her. I’ve been a sighthound owner for over 3 years now and within that time I’ve learnt a huge amount about their unique requirements and there are so many things I wish I’d invested in sooner as they’ve been such worthwhile purchases. If there is one thing I know for sure when it comes to dog purchases if you buy cheap you tend to end up buying twice in my experience
practical and stylish outerwear
Whippets and sighthounds are known for their slender stature and it’s pretty obvious that when the temperature drops they’re going to need some sort of coat as they simply do not have the body fat or fur to keep them warm without one. One of my biggest learning curves with Josie and Edie has been finding outerwear that is not only practical for all the running around they do but something to keep them warm when they're just poddling around too. Almost all of their outerwear comes from Redhound For Dogs and the stand out are the fleece jumpers, they’re snug and warm but they don’t restrict the girls running around in any way which is so important for anything I put them in. Over the past few years, I’ve acquired quite the collection of fleece jumpers for Josie and Edie, and as Redhound has such a beautiful array of colours I’ve got every eventuality covered. In the cooler months, they are worn daily so we rotate our way through the colours as the week goes on and they inevitably get muddy.
wardrobe essentials
food that I wanted to feed for a long time
When we bought Josie home we bought her a somewhat decent kibble and I truly thought that would be how we feed her for the rest of her life. I look back and laugh at myself now for thinking this way as there was so much that I didn’t know which naturally, is to be expected for a first-time dog owner. When we discovered that Edie had a horrible poultry allergy it was when I started to research and look into dog food and it was such a wake-up call. Now, I’m pretty confident in how I feed Josie and Edie, we stick to a raw diet these days as Josie hasn’t been well lately and it’s been the easiest way to control what she’s been eating and to know what is agreeing with her and what isn’t. In an ideal world, I would have loved to have started feeding raw or a less processed food from the get-go as a more natural way of feeding has made a huge difference to Josie and Edie’s lives.
a well made & sturdy bed
The thought of spending over £100 on a dog bed is one that I would have never entertained until this year. Of course, I always knew a nice cushy bed was needed for my lean and leggy girls as it’s not like they’ve got the body fat to provide them with much natural cushioning. In the past, I’ve bought cheaper dog beds and only lived to regret it and truly learnt that when it comes to dog beds is that if you buy cheap you tend to buy again. They aren’t well constructed and within just a few uses the sides start to cave in which is not ideal when you want a dog to sleep in them for long periods. This year we invested in a Charley Chau snuggle bed and a Collared Creatures cocoon bed and they are fantastic and totally worth the hype they have surrounding them. The Charley Chau lives in our bedroom and now Josie tends to stay in there all night leaving us more space in the bed and in the morning I have to coax her out of it she's that comfortable. We’re more than happy sharing our bed with both girls but it’s undeniably nice to have a little more legroom.
a soft collar & harness
Now, we invested in a beautiful tweed martingale for Josie when she was a little puppy for her first real collar and that was a mistake. She shredded the tweed scratching it with her super sharp puppy claws and now looking back why we thought a tweed collar was good for a bouncy puppy is beyond me but we learnt our lesson. However, a really nice soft martingale or a leather collar is so important as hounds have very short fur and anything really tough will rub that delicate fur away. The Trendy Whippet makes beautiful leather collars that could withstand any naughty puppy shenanigans if you want to go for more of a traditional hound collar and for a martingale I adore Brindle & Whyte.
Harnesses aren’t for everyone and I know some hound owners are very against them but personally, I like them but finding a harness to fit a whippet isn’t easy. They have long slender necks, deep chests, slender bodies, and little waists so a standard harness you might find in Pets at Home will not cut it. Once the girls were fully grown we invested in a Perfect Fit Harness and it’s something I wish we had bought before to help train us them with any pulling as it has the front D ring and a harness is the most advisable and legally required for car travel. I’ve tried other harnesses and like Perfect Fit the best as it comes in 3 different pieces that can be adjusted to your dog whatever shape and size to become the perfect fit. They are constructed out a fleecy material too so I find that to be the softest against delicate hound skin and if properly fitted we've never any issues with rubbing.
other essentials i now invest in
Shampoo - the Dog & I do a beautiful natural plastic free shampoo
Leads - the best rope leads I’ve ever found come from Devil Dood Direct
ID tags - our favourites are from Handmade Posh Tags
Natural supplements - Keepers Mix from Dorwest Herbs is fantastic
