Do Whippets Shed? (All About Whippet Shedding)

Whippets are a medium sized breed that is closely related to Greyhounds, which are racing dogs. They’re quick, gentle and make excellent house dogs.

Are they heavy shedders? Whippets are a low shedding breed. They do shed a little bit of hair year round though, so they’re not considered hypoallergenic, but they’re definitely among the lowest shedders out there. And because their coat is so easy to maintain, a simple brush once or twice per week should keep your home hair free.

Let’s take a closer look at how much they shed, what they’re like to groom and some of the things that make this breed so special.

Whippet Shedding

Whippets are a low shedding breed of dog, which means they do lose some hair but nothing too noticeable. Especially not if you were to compare how much they shed with a breed like the Great Dane for example, which is a larger short haired breed.

Whippets were bred from the Greyhound, and while they might be smaller in size, and not quite as fast, they don’t shed quite as much. Which puts them in the good books of those who hate cleaning up hair all the time.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that Whippets do tend to shed more during seasonal changes like spring and fall. This is normal though, and thankfully not as bad as a double coated breed.

Whippets have a short, single coat so there’s just not a lot of hair that can fall out. This does vary from dog to dog, especially if your Whippet isn’t a purebred, but overall they are very low shedding.

What Are They Like to Groom?

Whippets are very easy to groom, a simple brush once or twice per week is all you need to do to keep their coat in good shape.

Not only does brushing remove any dead hairs from the coat, which means less of it will end up on your furniture and floors, but it can help prevent shedding too.

How? Well, when you brush, you spread the oils of their coat evenly over the skin, which promotes a healthy, moisture rich coat. And since dryness and irritation can cause shedding, this is well worth doing.

What sort of brush should you use?

The best brush to use is a bristle brush because they have such a short, smooth coat. A bristle brush is simply a brush packed tightly with bristles and is ideal for short coated breeds like the Whippet.

You can also use a something like a rubber hand mitt (curry brush) as these can also work well, especially if your dog doesn’t like being brushed.

Brushing once per week is enough to keep the Whippets coat healthy, but if you’re noticing more shedding, you can step this up to daily brushing as this is perfectly fine with a low irritant brush like the bristle brush.

Are Whippets Hypoallergenic?

No, Whippets are not a hypoallergenic breed. They don’t shed much but the hair isn’t the only thing that causes allergies to flare up. It mostly has to do with their dander (dead skin) and dried saliva.

They’re not as bad for allergy sufferers as some heavy coated, high shedding breeds like the German Shepherd for example. But they do shed some hair, and that hair is going to have some dander attached to it.

If you’re concerned about allergies, a more suitable breed might be something like a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier or Basenji.

The truth is though, no dog is ever 100% hypoallergenic. It’s just that some dogs are better than others in this respect, and it’s typically those that shed the least as the dander is spread less throughout your home.

Reducing Excessive Shedding

The best way to minimize how much fur your Whippet leaves laying around your home, is to brush regularly. This is the simplest and most effective means of dealing with shedding.

Because, as I explained earlier, it removes the fur from your dog’s coat AND helps prevent excessive hair loss by promoting a healthier coat.

Aside from brushing, a good idea is to ensure your Whippet is enjoying a healthy, balanced diet. Because if you’re noticing above average shedding, this can sometimes be caused from dry or irritated skin. Which in turn can be the result of a “less than ideal” diet.

Look for high quality dog foods that are rich in nutrients and Omega 3 fatty acids, plant or meat derived. As this can help ensure your dog has a healthy coat and hair that isn’t dry.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, while bathing is good, you should try to avoid over bathing. As this, along with using the wrong shampoos, can dry out your dog’s coat too.

Keeping these simple things in mind and brushing regularly can really keep shedding to almost unnoticeable in this breed, and thankfully it’s very easy to do given how easy to maintain the Whippets coat is.

Should You Adopt a Whippet?

Whippets are a medium sized dog that weighs up to 42 pounds (about 19 kg) and belongs to the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Hound Group classification. Specifically, he’s a sighthound.

Sighthounds were bred to hunt by sight rather than smell, and are typically very quick. The Whippet was bred to hunt in their very early days, but became better known as the “poor man’s Greyhound” in England.

This is because English miners wanted a way to race dogs like the Greyhound, but without the heavy cost of feeding such a large dog. So they cross bred them to reduce their size, while maintaining their speed.

These days, Whippets are better known for being excellent house dogs and family companions. They do need regular, intense exercise though, but this can be fairly short. Once they get their exercise needs met for the day, they’ll happily lounge around the home.

When it comes to mingling with other animals, they’re typically fine around other dogs. But their hunting instincts can cause havoc with small, fast moving animals like cats. So train well and socialize early if you have cats in the home.

Either way, they’re pretty easy to care for all round. And they don’t bark much either. So if you’re looking for a quiet, low shedding, easy maintenance dog, then the Whippet is for you.

Related Questions

Do Whippets Smell?

Most Whippets don’t have that typical “doggy odor” so you generally won’t have to bath them as often as a thicker coated breed that is more prone to smelling bad.

Do Whippets Bark Much?

Whippets aren’t a very noisy breed, as with most dogs they do bark while playing, but they don’t bark very much at all, even when left alone. Which is one of the reasons they’re well suited to apartment life, as long as they get enough exercise.

Can Whippets Be Left Alone?

Whippets are quite happy to lounge around the home, and they don’t bark much, but they do like the company of people and other dogs. So leaving them for any length of time isn’t ideal unless you have another dog for them to play with.