Many people assume that Whippets are high-octane dogs that need hours of exercise to maintain their lean and athletic physique. Others contradict this and believe that Whippets are lazy “couch potatoes”.
So what’s the truth? Are whippets high maintenance athletes requiring hardcore workouts?
Or are Whippets lazy?
In my experience, Whippets are not lazy at all. Sure they’ll lounge around quite happily if they get the exercise they need… but lazy they most certainly are not!
My Whippet Misty enjoys around an hour of off the leash exercise each day. We live on the outskirts of a small city, and have good access to enclosed spaces close by where she can run and sniff around without the restriction of a leash.
We sometimes take a ball for her to chase and other times we’re happy for her to continue developing Whippet socialisation skills by mixing with other dogs and chasing around after them as she sees fit.
She enjoys running in this way (that’s the sighthound prey drive to chase after things) and will happily spend our entire walk “on the go” like this.
This is definitely not the behaviour of a lazy dog!
After she’s had her daily walk / run, she will be content to snooze, like many other dog breeds.
Find out how much exercise Whippets need.
Are Whippets More Lazy than Other Dogs?
Petplan suggests that most adult dogs sleep between 12 and 14 hours a day and the older a dog becomes, the more sleep it needs.
I know firsthand that Whippets sleep a lot… but so do other dogs. We could argue that all dog breeds are lazy and not just Whippets!
Perhaps the idea that Whippets are lazy has arisen simply because people are surprised they sleep as much as they do? Maybe some people imagine that because of their athletic appearance Whippets will be constantly active, when in fact they’re really just like other dogs?
What I can say is that even if a Whippet is lazing around or even sleeping, they’re always ready to play.
My Whippet can go from zonked out to hyperactive within an instant if there’s a knock at the door or she hears a dog barking outside. She’ll bolt off the furniture she’s currently sleeping on (Whippets love comfy furniture I’m afraid) and race to the source of the sounds she hears!
In my experience, and based upon what I see of other dog breeds owned by friends, Whippets are not lazy…
… they’re just dogs!
Are Whippets lazy? What’s your view? Do You have a Whippet? Is it lazy? Please leave a comment below to tell me your opinion.
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