A Complete Price Guide for the Whippet
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The Whippet is a sighthound. Such dogs are called thus because they are reliant on their eyes when pursuing prey. As a result, sighthounds tend to be very fast on their feet. This is in stark contrast to scenthounds that are reliant on their noses instead. Appearance-wise, the Whippet has what one might call a stereotypical sighthound look. For example, it has a dolichocephalic head, meaning that it is longer than what one would expect based on its width. Similarly, it has the deep chest, the narrow waist, and the long legs.
Some people might think that these characteristics make the Whippet sound like a Greyhound. If so, they would be on the right track because Whippets are believed to be descended from small Greyhound-type dogs. In medieval times, there were small, medium, and large Greyhound-type dogs, which were different dogs meant for different kinds of prey. In the Whippet’s case, its ancestors seemed to have seen use for hunting both rats and rabbits, which they did very well. Later, these dogs found other roles such as coursing and racing while continuing to work. Combined, that means that Whippets continued to be bred for their performance rather than their appearance. Something that has enabled them to remain healthier than a lot of their counterparts.
As for why people would want one of these dogs, well, there are a number of potential reasons. For starters, these dogs tend to be quiet, gentle, and good-natured so long as they have received the proper training and socialization. Furthermore, Whippets are quite good at noticing things. Something that has been known to prove useful for people who want a watchdog for whatever reason. In any case, Whippets do have some issues of their own.
One example would be their prey drive, which is strong enough that most of them can’t get along with cats and other smaller pets. Another example would be their high energy levels, which will cause them to start acting out if they don’t get their daily exercise. On top of this, Whippets have thin coats as well as thin skins, meaning that they will need either a coat or something similar in colder weather. Still, it isn’t hard to see why people would want one of these dogs for their very own.
What Can You Expect to Pay For a Whippet?
Purebred dogs tend to be very expensive. Their reputation has taken some hits. Even so, purebred dogs are still held in higher regard than their mixed-breed counterparts, which in turn, means that purebred dogs are in higher demand than their mixed-breed counterparts. Still, there are purebred dogs and then there are purebred dogs, meaning that some are more expensive than others. Whippets are not on the cheap side even by the standards of purebred dogs.
This can be seen in how one of these puppies can cost $1,500 to $2,000. Furthermore, Whippets born of either champion parents or other prestigious backgrounds can have even higher prices (https://www.dogbreedslist.info/all-dog-breeds/whippet.html), so much so that interested individuals might have to pay $2,000 to $3,500 for one of them. Fortunately, they don’t need to go that far if they just want a happy, healthy dog. Still, the option is there.
Besides buying a Whippet, there is the option of looking for a Whippet that is in need of a new home as well. Something that can make for a much lower price than otherwise possible. If people are interested, they can check out the classifieds as well as similar sources of news to see if anyone is giving away a Whippet.
This kind of thing doesn’t happen a lot. However, it does happen from time to time for various reasons. For example, someone might have developed either a health issue or a financial issue that makes it impossible for them to continue taking care of their Whippet. Alternatively, someone’s Whippet might have had unexpected puppies. Suffice to say that there is a wide range of reasons why someone would want to give away a dog, which is why it can be useful for interested individuals to keep a watchful eye out for such incidents. Otherwise, it can also be a good idea for people to check out animal rescues and animal shelters.
After all, if people can’t take care of their dog for some reason, chances are very good that said animal is going to be sent to one of these organizations if they can’t find a better solution in time. Please note that there are resources that exist specifically for the purpose of connecting interested individuals with suitable candidates for adoption. This is extremely useful because this should enable them to look through more places over a bigger region than otherwise possible.
Of course, there are both upsides and downsides to looking for a Whippet that is in need of a new home rather than just buying one. For starters, interested individuals will have much fewer dogs to choose from, thus making it that much more difficult for them to get a dog that is perfectly suited to their preferences.
This is particularly true if they are restricting their search to a small number of locations. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that these dogs are somewhat likelier to have some kind of issue when compared with dogs bought from a reputable dog breeder. This is more of an issue with dogs from dog owners who are scrambling to find a home for their Whippet than with dogs from either an animal rescue or an animal shelter. There is a decent chance of the dogs entrusted to the latter having something wrong with them but there is some consolation in that animal rescues and animal shelters tend to be very upfront about such things.
Said organizations care about their charges, so it is reasonable to assume that they will get a good idea of what is going on with their charges. Simultaneously, said organizations have incentive to be upfront about such things to would-be dog owners, so it is reasonable to assume that they will pass on said information. Combined, this means that interested individuals should be able to prepare ahead of time because they will be told of any issues ahead of time. As for the plus side, well, this can provide interested individuals with a Whippet at a much cheaper price than otherwise possible. At most, they might have to pay a few hundred dollars, which would be much cheaper than buying even cheaper puppies from reputable dog breeders.
What Are Some of the Factors that Can Influence the Price of a Whippet?
There are a huge number of factors that can influence the price of a Whippet. As a result, it can be very useful for people to look into factors that can provide them with a better price without causing issues for them and their dog in the long run. For example, most people want puppies. This increases the prices of puppies while decreasing the prices of older dogs. Similarly, Whippets are like other purebred dogs in that they have standards for how they are supposed to look as well as how they are supposed to behave. If people don’t care about their dog being off-standard, they might want to look into the prices of dogs that don’t perfectly conform to the standards so long as that doesn’t have a detrimental effect on the dog’s well-being.
Having said that, there is a limit to how far people should go in the search for a less expensive dog. If they see a dog breeder offering Whippets at strangely-low prices, they should be very cautious about buying one of them. This is because dog breeders are running businesses. As such, they should be selling their dogs at a price that will cover the costs that have gone into those dogs. Otherwise, dog breeders would be selling at a loss, meaning that they won’t be able to continue operating for very long.
Now, it is possible for dog breeders to do a great deal to lower their costs. Even so, there are limits to what they can and can’t do without affecting the level of care that is given to their dogs. To bring up a useful comparison, corporations don’t engage in factory farming because they want the animals to suffer. Instead, corporations engage in factory farming because that is the most efficient way for them to raise those animals, with the well-being of those animals being a secondary consideration if that. In other words, if a dog breeder is offering Whippets at strangely-low prices, there is a good chance that said dog breeder is using practices that have a detrimental effect on their dogs’ well-being.
Some people might not care much about that on an emotional level. Even so, they should remember that extreme cost-cutting can increase a dog’s chances of getting both health issues and behavioral issues, both of which can mean higher costs for them in the future. Healthcare costs aren’t cheap. If they are unlucky, healthcare costs can be some of the highest costs that they will need to consider.
What Other Costs Should You Expect From Owning a Whippet?
Getting a Whippet is the start of things. After that, interested individuals can expect to have to pay for a whole host of other things. Some of these will be one-time purchases. In contrast, others will be repeated in period after period. As such, a lot of people will find the first year of dog ownership to be their most expensive year of dog ownership. However, this is far from being guaranteed to be the case, particularly since older dogs are likelier to develop various health issues that will need to be taken care of.
For starters, interested individuals should expect start-up costs that can go from about $200 to $800 depending on exactly what they want. This covers things such as toys, accessories, and supplies. Moreover, this covers some medical procedures, which will make up a considerable portion of the costs because just one of them can cost a couple of hundred dollars. Indeed, if people go for a thorough medical checkup, chances are very good that their combined cost will outweigh everything else put together.m Subsequently, interested individuals will need to continue paying for food as well as other supplies on a monthly basis.
This shouldn’t be too expensive. Whippets are medium-sized dogs. As a result, their food costs should be $20 to $50 a month. Meanwhile, their grooming costs should be even lower because they are so undemanding in this regard. Even if people choose to go to a professional dog groomer, their costs should be less than $100, which they will only need to schedule on a quarterly basis. Entertainment costs shouldn’t be very high either. Whippets are quite active, so they might need new toys from time to time. Even so, those shouldn’t be too expensive on a monthly basis unless people choose to hire someone to walk their dog every single day for some reason.
In that case, their costs will shoot up because dog-sitters and dog-walkers can get real costly real fast. Medical costs can be quite expensive as well. Preventative healthcare shouldn’t exceed the low hundreds of dollars on a monthly basis. In fact, it shouldn’t even hit the low hundreds unless the dog needs to see a veterinarian for some reason. The cost of treatment for actual health issues can be much more expensive. It isn’t uncommon for these things to hit hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which should come as no surprise to people who have spent a lot of time interacting with healthcare systems. As such, it is wise to look into pet insurance, which is very variable in cost but will nonetheless provide coverage should something come up. Fortunately, Whippets are supposed to be on the healthier side of things. Even so, pet insurance costs can hit $30 to $70 on a monthly basis.
