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The Labrador is the most popular breed according to the American Kennel Club. In fact, Labradors hold the record for being regularly voted the most popular dog breed of the year. It’s no surprise then that the Whippet Labrador mix, the Whipador, also proves to be a favourite among dog owners.
In this post I’m going to provide you with information about Whipadors to help you understand more about this gorgeous Whippet mix.
Table of Contents
- Whippet Labrador Mix Appearance
- Temperament
- Whippet Labrador Health
- Exercise & Care
- Whipador Images from Instagram
- Summary
Whippet Labrador Mix Appearance
Many Whipadors tend to share the physical characteristics of Whippets and Labradors. However, it’s important to remember that a Whipador is a Whippet and Labrador mix and not a pure breed. Consequently, a Whipador could be a 50-50 mix and still look like a pure version of one of its parents.
Having said this, the following descriptions of appearance are what you might expect to see in a Whipador.
Most Whipadors have the athletic look you’d expect from a member of the Whippet family. However, as you might also expect from it’s Labrador heritage, they tend to have a more robust body shape than purebred Whippets.
You’ll find a big resemblance to Whippets in the facial characteristics of most Whipadors too:
- Long snout.
- Ears that can stand up.
- The quizzical expression that all Whippets seem to have!
Of course the Labrador element means most Whippadors have a fuller face shape and broader head than Whippets, who tend to have petite and rather more pointy heads!
Whipadors are most often considered medium sized dog, having a height of 18″ to 24.5″ and a weight between 25lbs to 80lbs.
In terms of fur, Whipadors can have a double-coat like Labradors or a short and smooth single-coat like Whippets.
Whippets come in a wide variety of gorgeous cross breeds. Find out more about Whippet mixes in my super detailed guide!
Whipador Temperament
Labradors are known to be outgoing and friendly dogs that are kind and affectionate. Many Labrador owners report they’re a very even-tempered breed.
Whippets too are generally gentle and loving dogs that love spending time with their family.
Both Whippets and Labradors were originally bred for their hunting skills. Whippets are super-fast with a strong drive to chase. Labradors also have a strong prey drive and are experts at sniffing out game and retrieving it for their owners.
As a result, Whipadors tend to have a mix of these characteristics. When they’re out they can be a little wild and will happily run and chase whatever catches their eye.
As a general rule, many Whipador owners report that they’re friendly, loyal and perhaps more obedient than a purebred Whippet.
Find out more about Whippet temperament in my detailed guide.
Whippet Labrador Mix Health
Any mixed-breed dog can inherit the health issues their parents suffer and Whipadors are no exception. Having said this, Labradors and Whippets are generally healthy dogs though they do both have a predisposition to certain illnesses.
Labradors
- Joint problems
- Obesity related conditions
- Cancer
- Hip dysplasia
- Elbow dysplasia
Whippets
- Canine von Willebrand’s Disease
- Deafness
- Sinus problems
- Hemangiosarcoma
- Mitral Valve Degeneration
- Allergies
As a consequence, Whippet Labrador mixes may too inherit these predispositions. But I should emphasise that most Whipadors are a healthy breed. As long as you regularly have them checked you should be able to keep them in tip-top condition and identify health issues before they become serious.
The life expectancy for healthy Whippet Labradors fed a healthy diet and exercised appropriately is 10 to 12 years.
Find out about more about Whippet health problems.
Whipador Exercise & Care
Whippet and Labrador breeds really need daily exercise and mental stimulation. Hence, it’s clear Whipadors will have very similar needs.
As with any breed, insufficient exercise makes for an unhappy dog with a lot of energy that needs to come out. Given a Whipador will inherit more powerful jaws from the Labrador side, this could be a problem for your furniture!
Whipadors need 1 to 2 walks a day, preferably off the leash so the Whippet’s tendency to sprint can be satisfied. An open and enclosed space is ideal for at least one of the walks, where you’d be able to satisfy the prey drive by playing fetch.
You’ll probably find your Whipador will need at least an hour’s worth of good exercise each day in addition to playtime with you. If you have an enclosed garden area, your Whipador will enjoy having additional time to sniff around and stretch his or her legs!
Properly exercised, the Whipador will likely enjoy the Whippet’s love of lounging around snoozing!
In terms of grooming, Whippets don’t shed much but Labradors most certainly do! As a consequence, it’s likely that Whippet Labrador mixes require more care with grooming than Whippets though perhaps not quite as much as Labradors.
This isn’t a given though as it really depends upon which of the parent’s genes are more dominant.
You might find you need to groom a Whipador once a week to prevent excessive shedding messing up your furniture and to keep dander to a minimum (especially important for allergy sufferers).
You may also need to use a vacuum cleaner more frequently than you would with a purebred Whippet!
Find out more detailed information about how much exercise a Whippet needs.
Whippet Labrador Mix Images from Instagram
To finish up this guide to the Whippet Labrador mix, I thought I’d share some of the lovely Whipador images I’ve come across on Instagram. These best illustrate their general appearance as well as the variety in terms of colouration and personality!
Summary
Many Whipadors combine the looks of Labradors and Whippets as you might expect, however there can be a lot of variance depending upon the dominance of the parent genes.
Friendly, loyal, obedient and intelligent, the Whippet Labrador mix is an ideal medium-sized dog for families but they do need sufficient exercise to keep them happy.
Do you own a Whipador? I’d love to hear about your experiences or advice in the comments below.
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Rena Baer says
We have what I am fairly sure is a Whipador named Nala (a former stray between the ages of 1 and 2) whose genetics definitely are stronger on the whippet side. My husband can run her at the dog park in the morning, followed by me taking her on a four-mile walk in the afternoons, and she still has plenty of gas left in the tank. We love her dearly, and she is incredibly smart and athletic, but she is a lot of dog to handle. Thankfully, we have the time to do it. She is in a chewing stage right now and dismantles almost every chew toy we give her within 15 minutes with her powerful jaws. We’ve never had a dog quite like her. At the same time, she is so very loving and loyal, and tries to be a good dog but her nature sometimes superseded that!
paulf says
Hi Rena. What a beautiful name… Nala! She sounds like a real character!
Jim Spittle says
Your post about Nana (love that name) was like reading about our Whipador Stella. She was also a stray and is the same age. Yes, a lot to handle and the chewing is so true! We only get Stella antlers (not cheap!) or nyla bone type toys. We will present her with a small empty box now and then which she tears a part gleefully in a matter of minutes. And, yes, fast! She outtakes any dog at the dog parks we take her to. Chasing a ball is heaven to her!
Stella loves to cuddle and show affection. Whipadors are mentally sharp and alert. She loves the wide open spaces of New Mexico!
Sherry says
We rescued a puppy whipador with maybe some pit thrown in. She is loving, fairly obedient, and great with our nine year old granddaughter even goes to bed with her most nights. However, I can no longer have backyard plants. She eats them. She even ate a Sega palm fronds and all. Yes I know, they are supposed to be poisonous. Not for this dog. She did the deed when we let her outside b4 bed time. Is there anything I can do? Did I mention Dixie is almost 3 years old.
JILL BROWN says
I was told that my rescue girl is a Lab/Poodle mix. She has a flat coat and long legs and a pointy nose. She weighs about 28 pounds. I do think that she might be a Whipador. She loves to run and is a very athletic. What do you think?
paulf says
She could be Jill. Poodles are pretty athletic athletic and fast runners though but then again they do have curly coats.
Sara says
My buddy Bandit, is tall and white. He is about 7 now and weighs a little over 70lbs. He looks mostly lab but displays a few Whippet traits, ears, leanness, eyes, slightly longer face, etc. His personality is definitely more Whippet then Lab.
He is very awkward and anxious. He loves dogs preferably those that are smaller than him. When he sees dogs and cats he starts wailing with a high pitched cry unless they are Shepherds or Huskies, he hates those!
He loves to lounge around and chase rabbits. Last summer he caught 8! Since he lost his best friend, our 5 year old Golden, to cancer in December he has been pretty depressed, but his new mini Poodle sister has made him very happy again.
He is highly reactive towards wheels of any kind except cars thank God. He also gets very wary around strangers. He also hates water, bugs, and dirt. When he is nervous he tucks his tail to his chest like a Whippet would!
He is not very food motivated and makes feeding time a chore. Learning new things is a struggle and he often takes a few minutes to recall things like sit or how to ask to come in from the yard. (I picture his brain as the SpongeBobs running around and yelling “we forgot how to sit!” Or Patrick where the milk falls over.)
He is the most awkward and weird dog I have ever met but he is sweet and makes me laugh. His weirdest habits include; not being able to go out in the yard unless he runs under the dining room table first, pooping only on the perimeters of the yard, and not being able to use the bathroom anywhere but home or his own neighborhood.
He is truly an enigma and I never know what he will be weird about each day. He is currently wrestling his new sister and making wookie noises!
paulf says
Hi Sara. Thanks so much for telling us about Bandit… I’ll bet he’s a real character and a great friend!
Lisa says
We adopted a small black puppy 2 years ago. The shelter said she was a lab mix. She is definitely a Whipador. Our poor old Boxer Bassett mix just can’t keep up. He tries though, lol.
I tell people she’s like an ADHD dog on crack when it comes to energy. Thankfully we have a fenced in backyard because frisbee is her jam and she can play for hours. But boy I wish she had single layer fur instead of the lab double coat because I can vacuum up a small animal’s worth of fur every 2 days.
She’s still a puppy though and has a tough time reigning in her energy. The first picture looks exactly like our BoPepe’, her name was supposed to be Bopeep aka Bo but when we took her in to our vet for her vaccinations I looked at her rabies vaccination paper and they put BoPepe’, we liked it so it stuck, lol.
paulf says
Hi Lisa… I LOVE her name and it’s such as great story about how it came about!
Ann-Marie says
In 2019 we adopted a 5 month old puppy from the shelter that was described as a Lab mix and we named him Frito. He had been on the streets starving and was all skin and bones. As he got healthy and grew, he now weighs 55lbs and is tall, we quickly determined that he is a Whipador.
He is fantastic and so gentle with the kids yet has a ton of energy. His running abilities are impressive and he has almost caught a squirrel on several occasions. My kids set up obstacle courses that he flies over and he clears our deck in one jump no problem. I’m looking into dock diving for him as an energy release.
He is very smart. He does have a double coat and sheds A LOT! He also has skin allergies that require daily medication as well as a constant odor that the vet believes is due to his anal glands. However, he is a great overall dog and I constantly get stopped while walking him as people are so intrigued with his looks.
paulf says
Frito sounds lovely Ann-Marie and I’m so glad he has found a nice home!
Kathy says
I adopted Sadie May aka Tater who I thought was a black lab pup and as she grew I decided she was a Whipador. When she was 5 she had a spinal stroke and mostly recovered with a little leg drag when she was tired, but now at 13 she loses her balance easy and really drags her leg but can still out run the 10 yr old Sholly and 3 yr old Beagle. Little miss crazy legs is really healthy otherwise. Luv my baby and wouldn’t trade her for the world but I’ll never have another psycho puppy.
paulf says
Hi Kathy. Thanks for telling us about “Tater”!
Catherine Adams says
We just got a lab mix rescue who looks exactly like your last photo. (She’s 14 weeks) she could be a whipador. Her personality is very whippet like too!
paulf says
Awww Catherine, I’ll bet she’s very sweet!
Raphaele says
We just adopted what I think is a whipador from a shelter last month. She looks exactly like your photos and matches the temperament exactly. You’re not kidding about the boundless energy and need to sprint! Phew! She’s adorable and we love her, even though she wears us out
paulf says
It sounds like you’re going to have lots of fun together Raphaele!
Rob says
We adopted what was originally described as a Black Lab/Fiest mix that came from Virginia (we live in Upstate NY). Boomer is the spitting image of the black Whipadors we’ve seen here and online. He was an absolute nut – I lost 14 lbs. the first 6 weeks we had him as I couldn’t sit down – he was into everything. That was 2 years ago when they estimated he was @ 8 months old.
Thankfully he has calmed down somewhat since then! He is a quirky, smart, lovable and loving dog. We’re SO blessed to have him in our lives!
paulf says
Hi Rob. Thanks for telling us all about Boomer… it sounds like he could have been a fitness instructor!
David Olson says
We just adopted a whippador from a local shelter. Didn’t know what breed she was but figured it out. So far she is great and with some training and a lot of exercise I believe she will be terrific. Wish us luck.
paulf says
Hi David… it’s so lovely that you’ve taken her from a shelter and I’m sure you’re all going to have a great life together!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment.
Bram Diepeveen says
Hallo from The Netherlands, we own now for 1.5 years a Whippador from a shelter, named Nuno. Very happy with him, its a very friendly and following dog.
Question: last month to the vet with him; problems with the anal glands. Is this a known problem?
Also looks thats he has some skin problem (red skin/small red spots) anybody any ideas?
paulf says
Hello Bram… and thanks for your comment.
I’m not sure about the glands problem but as for the sore / red spots on his skin it could be a variety of things. Last week my Whippet Misty had red and itchy bumps on on her ears, which turned out to be (probably) an irritation caused by scratching herself in a bush. We saw a vet, who prescribed a topical lotion that healed everything within a few days.
My advice for anything you’re not sure about is to see a veterinary professional.
Ann-Marie says
We adopted a dog from a shelter described as a lab mix at 5 months old. As he grew, we determined he was a Whipador and boy is he fast and he can clear great distances with one jump. It’s impressive.
Our dog is short haired but appears to have the double coat and sheds like crazy and suffers from allergies that he takes daily medication for. During certain months of the year he will get red spots on his skin and this is due to his allergies.
We are experiencing anal gland issues as well. We can have them expressed but they fill up almost immediately and if he gets nervous, which he does easily, he secretes from them and he constantly has an aroma about him that is unpleasant. We have been working with our vet and may look into having his anal glands removed but it is a high cost. ($)
Rachel says
We adopted a 9 month old whipador last December. She was a biter at first but this must have been teething because that has totally stopped. She is 18 months now and absolutely the best dog. Loving and playful but also so smart. Oh my can she run!
paulf says
Ahhh… I’m so pleased you have a lovely, happy Whipador Rachel!
Reese says
We recently lost my Whipador companion of 10 years , Bella , to cancer … She was the most AWESOME dog ever … I would like to rescue or adopt a young Whipador puppy to help fill the void in my life … If anyone knows where one might be available, please advise… Thanks
paulf says
Hello Reese. I’m so sorry to hear your lovely Bella passed away. Whipadors are such lovely dogs.
Natalie says
Hi I just got a 4 month old I see it resemble the mix… but when we adopted her they were not quite sure.
However, she is a biter… will that go away or it’s just her playfulness?
paulf says
Hi Natalie… thanks for your comment!
It could be that she’s simply teething. You can give her a toy to help, or there’s a tip about using carrots on this post of mine: Can Dogs Eat Carrots.
Alternatively, there are some books on Amazon that might help.
Let me know how you get on.
Jennifer Hawk says
We just got one from a rescue on Friday. She’s very cute and friendly.
paulf says
Awww… that’s lovely to hear. I bet she’s gorgeous. How is she settling in?
Tricia says
We have a Whipador we named Lucie and she is my favorite girl! We’ve had her now since she was 7 or 8 months old and she is now 11. Her shoulders have arthritis now and she’s on daily pain pills. Don’t get wrong my Lucie still wants to sprint every chance she can get but we try to keep her calm so she’s not in pain later on.
We really want to adopt another Whipador (we live in MN) but I cannot find any to save my soul. If anyone has suggestions where we can try looking I am happy to hear it. Simply the best breed for our family and would love another. They are so talkative and loving and playful!