The ideal Whippet.

It keeps me busy, the differences in type in the Whippet, not that I do mind because I do not. In fact I think a bit of type differences in a breed is first natural and second it is healthy too. As long as a breed does not turn into a caricature and it still fits into the standard, plus is recognizable because it shows all those features that makes it belong to the breed then I have no problem with different types in a breed. I do have preferences, taste does vary and also the way how we look at things and understand them.

Differences in type keeps me busy because without any good reason, many breeders cannot accept that other breeders like a different type of dog.

It is a fact that by putting up standards and organize dog shows many breeds still exist. Closing the studbook brought us uniformity in the breeds but it also made the gene pool smaller! This brought already some breeds in big problems and many more to follow I am afraid. Ironic enough it shows us again that there is a dark side to everything. If we kept the dogs in breeding separate because there is a type difference then this would do more harm than good to the breed.

When you look in old books fore some information about the beginning of the breed we see many different types of Whippets, they were all smaller than the Greyhound, one looked like a little Greyhound the other had more the looks of a terrier and in some cases you could see without any doubt the influence of the Italian Greyhound. That makes sense, man was just in the beginning of creating a new breed. Some wise men who wrote a standard that went like this:

General appearance. Fine and graceful; a Greyhound in miniature.

Weight 20 lb.

And they made drawings of the ideal type of Whippet as seen below.

Some examples of Ideal Whippets made by artist in the beginning of the development of the breed (1893)

it is interesting to read that theDutch Kynoloog Toepoel warned us in the 1930s far too many influences of the Italian Greyhounds in the Whippet, especially in the head and movement , in those days it seems to be so that many Whippets were not able to stretch the hock during the trot but lift the hind legs up and their was no power produced, we do see this still happen regularly in the showring, not as bad as Toepoel wrote about but still we have many Whippets who are not able to stretch the hock like they should while trotting.

A ch. from the late 20ties (source Toepoels Onze Honden 1934)

When we look at the first 3 image (source Van Bylandt 1904) we see first :

That the ideal type,which they had in mind in those days as being Ideal, we did not reach or even aimed for. Also the ch. Out of the first period of 1900 is not what we are looking for in our breed. But the whippet today is no Greyhound or Italian Greyhound but a breed on its own that still has the features the first standard asked for.

That we, if we put all present different types in the breed next to each other, have to compliment the breeders world wide for having created such uniformity in this relative short period of time. That even thinking of the different types in the breed they all have recognizable features that makes them a Whippet, a fine typical small elegant sight hound that is not mistaken for a Greyhound or an Italian Greyhound but what earned his own recognizable spot in the sight hound group.

That a certain difference in type on the different continents is just natural and logical and we can all accept it as long as the dogs are still recognized as being whippets without any doubt and all still show that what the standard ask for.

When we make a negative statement towards the USA type of Whippet we should make some effort to find out which type of Whippets left from England to the USA. If we do so then we will learn that many USA breeders have done a terrific job and it is amazing how close in general their type of whippet is to our own Europian type. We have to respect what they have done overseas. And those American breeders who kept breeding to the old English lines are now blamed for it? Does that make sense? In general the pure English imports from those days were very high on legs, short in body with a long neck.

Two English imports in the USA during the 1950s

We have to realize that working with living material we can and will not breed clone after clone.

That breeding of pure bred dogs is a sport that is not natural but created by humans. Humans are creative and they proceed so to his breeds. Food and environment are debit to this too. Why does every new generation of breeders find that the breed should stay the way it is or was? While we know very well that changing by time and environment can’t be stopped. Why does any new generation of breeders now look a bit more in history to find out that what was ideal in those days is not really what he wants today? And that the breed this generation is looking at is a product of changes in breeding directions and selection. So my question is, why does he without any problem, accept this all from the past but is afraid of changes in the future or present?

That standing still is going backwards, and with the standard in mind we have to realize that one creative person does not do exactly the same things as the other creative person. So that differences, who still fit into the matrix, should be appreciated or at least be accepted

There is no room for arrogance in breeding; Not 1 breeder knows it all. What a breeder should do is realize that every breeder is just a tiny little link in a the big chain called Whippet. If this little link disappears, then it can be a pity but it will not harm the breed, soon the chain will be closed again by an other little link. Not 1 breeder is the best, there are many good, bad and medium breeders and all together they keep the breed going. What one sees as very bad, the other can still have appreciation for. This goes for type and quality.

A good breeder sees the creativity of another good breeder and has respect for it

A good breeder is human too and has a wide interest in the breed; the good breeder will see a difference in type not as a negative thing but more as a natural course and understand why his fellow breeder thinks differently, after all he does the same!

A good breeder stays behind his breeding products but will, when necessary, with pleasure use dogs from his fellow breeder to improve his breeding stock in quality and health. A good breeder recognizes that he needs others.

A good breeder loves his breed, the roots of his breed, the past, present and future. A good breeder is always on the move and follows with pleasure the developments in his breed and because he cherishes his own creativity he will, even when he has a different taste, also respect the creativity of his fellow breeder.

The one who try to kill my creativity deny himself development.

Henny v.d. Berg,
November 2005-11-11
www.stripduke.nl