A Detailed Guide to the Greyhound Whippet Cross

Though I’ve written a breed comparison piece about Whippet vs Greyhounds, I’ve only ever touched loosely upon a crossing of the two breeds in my ultimate guide to Whippet mixes. In this post I’m addressing this and focusing on the Greyhound Whippet cross specifically.

The following then is a description of what you can expect of the Greyhound Whippet cross (aka the Grey Whippet) in terms of physique, personality and care requirements.

I’ll be looking at the following areas:

A Note on Whippet Crosses

I always preface my articles about Whippet mixes by advising that we can only ever speak in general terms about any dog, be it purebred or otherwise. Of course all dog breeds do have tendencies to a certain physique or temperament, but individual dogs can deviate from what’s considered the norm.

As a result, any article on Greyhound Whippets can only propose what’s likely from the mix. It’s simply not possible to guarantee that any dog will conform 100% to a breed standard… even in the case of a purebred dog.

The Greyhound Whippet Cross Appearance

The Greyhound Whippet is an interesting cross. Since both are breeds of Sighthound, they can be considered Longdogs. However, like the Whippet Italian Greyhound mix, this particular cross generally results in a dog that looks very similar to both its parents.

The Grey Whippet, as it’s also known, is most often like a smaller version of a Greyhound… or a larger version of a Whippet! That said, it’s possible that an individual Greyhound Whippet Cross may well be the same size as the standard size of either parent.

As a general guide though, you might expect fully grown adult Greyhound Whippets to weigh anywhere between 26lbs and 80lbs and have a Weight of between 20″ to 26″. As with most Dog breeds, males tend to be larger than females.

In terms of physical appearance, Grey Whippets retain the elegant and athletic “S” shaped body of both breeds… a look that lovers of both parent breeds adore. They have long necks, deep chests and slender waists. They’re also short haired and single coated.

They are powerful dogs, built for explosive speed over short distances rather than endurance over many miles. No surprise here since both parent breeds are extremely fast: Greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 43mph (70kph) and Whippets up to 35mph (56 kph)!

Find out more about how fast Whippets run.

Grey Whippet Temperament

Whippets and Greyhounds have very similar personalities and so you might expect a mix of the two to be very similar also.

As a general rule, Greyhounds and Whippets tend to be:

• Affectionate
• Friendly
• Gentle
• Loyal
• Loving
• Playful

Grey Whippets make great family pets able to live in a variety of accommodation. Of course they’d probably enjoy having an enclosed garden to be able to use as they pleased. However, assuming you provided a suitable amount of exercise for them to use up their energy, they’d be equally happy as apartment dogs.

Whilst they’re generally well-balanced and loving dogs, the Greyhound Whippet mix will likely also have some downsides.

Both parent breeds can be:

• Lonely
• Needy
• Reserved
• Stubborn

Furthermore, Grey Whippets have a strong prey drive and will chase anything small that catches their eye. Hence care is needed with other smaller pets at home. They can live with other pets, such as cats, but they shouldn’t ever be left alone at home with them as the instinct to chase is strong.

Additionally, Greyhound Whippet mixes will likely not enjoy being at home alone for long periods. They love the company of their family and can suffer from separation anxiety if deprived of it for too long. 

Generally, Whippet Greyhounds make excellent, low-maintenance companions, though they may be a little aloof around strangers (both human and canine) until they get to know them.

Greyhound Whippet Cross Health

Greyhounds and Whippets are both healthy breeds though as with all varieties of dog, each have a higher incidence of certain illnesses and conditions than some others. 

Whippets

• Allergies
• Canine von Willebrand’s Disease
• Deafness
• Hemangiosarcoma
• Mitral Valve Degeneration
• Sinus problems

Greyhounds

• Esophageal Achalasia
• Gastric Dilatation Volvulus
• Greyhound Fibrinolytic Syndrome
• Osteosarcoma

Whippets have a lifespan of between 12 and 15 years while Greyhounds live between 10 to 14 years. 

With a healthy diet, sufficient exercise and a loving home, a Grey Whippet might then live anywhere between 10 to 15 years.

What’s the average lifespan of Whippets?

Exercise & Care

Contrary to popular belief, neither Whippets nor Greyhounds need hours of exercise each day. Though they are extremely rapid athletes, they’re built for bursts of speed over short distances, rather than endurance over many miles.

As a consequence, a Greyhound Whippet mix has the same type of exercise requirements: 45 to 60 minutes a day with opportunities to run off lead in an enclosed area. Of course puppies and more senior dogs will likely require less.

I would never allow any Whippet mix off lead anywhere that isn’t enclosed or in any public urban area. There are simply too many distractions that might trigger their prey mode… and once they’re in the zone it can be very hard to recall them. Hence, walking them off lead in an enclosed area will mean they can’t end up running onto roads.

In terms of feeding, you should take care not to overfeed as both breeds will happily eat to repletion and still take advantage of an opportunity to eat your food if your back’s turned!

As with most dogs, Greyhound Whippet mixes will require fresh water to be available at all times but especially during the summer or after a hard run.

Like most short haired dogs, this particular cross does not enjoy cold weather and will require suitable clothing during winter time or during periods of bad weather. Since they enjoy warmth a Greyhound Whippet will happily snuggle up to you to steal your heat!

Grooming

Greyhounds and Whippets don’t need excessive washing and grooming… though a little more bathing can be required when the weather’s bad or if they roll in something nasty!

Greyhounds and Whippets are often thought of as hypoallergenic dogs, but the truth is that neither is 100% guaranteed not to trigger allergies (no dog is). However, they don’t have undercoats and so they tend to shed less fur than many other breeds, which makes them less likely to trigger allergies.

A light weekly groom with a good brush will help to keep fur from depositing in places you’d rather it didn’t.

Find out more about grooming short haired dog breeds.

Greyhound Whippet Mix Images from Instagram

A selection of gorgeous Greyhound Whippet crosses from Instagram. Each image links to the specific Insta post where you can find out more about these lovely dogs.

Summary

My favourite Sighthound breeds are Whippets, Italian Whippets and Greyhounds. It’s the shape of the breeds that most appeals to me… though in preference Iggies are a little small and Greyhounds a little too large for my lifestyle.

While Whippets are the perfect sized dog breed for me, a Greyhound Whippet cross might certainly appeal, as long as it didn’t veer too closely size-wise to a Greyhound! 

Do you own a Greyhound Whippet cross or have you in the past? Please tell me about it or leave a comment in the section at the bottom of this page.

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• A Guide to the Whippet Italian Greyhound Mix
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• The Whippet German Shepherd Mix
• Jackawhips: The Whippet Jack Russell Mix
• A Guide to the Whippet Boxer Mix
• Collie Whips: A Guide to the Whippet Border Collie Mix
• The Bedlington Whippet Cross
• Chi Whips: A Guide to the Whippet Chihuahua Mix