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What were whippets bred for? The history behind the breed

See the real story – guest starring your dog.

If you've ever asked what whippets were bred for, the short answer is rabbit catching and short, straight-line racing. You are looking at a dog whose working-class breeders in northern England bred greyhounds with terriers to create a smaller sighthound for racing in the nineteenth century. That is why people nicknamed the breed the poor man's racehorse. The story behind that name explains a lot about how your whippet behaves today.

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The story in 6 parts

A short version first. The full story, with every detail, is further down.

Part 1

The short answer: rabbit coursing and racing

Whippets were developed in nineteenth-century England, mainly in the industrial north, to hunt small game and to race.

Part 2

The mix of breeds behind the whippet

Nobody recorded the exact recipe, but the whippet most likely came from crossing small greyhounds with terrier breeds, with Italian greyhounds sometimes mentioned as a possible contributor to the shape.

Part 3

Rabbit coursing: the original job

An early type connected to the whippet, called the tumbler, was described centuries earlier as an excellent warren dog for catching rabbits.

Part 4

From coursing to 'the poor man's racehorse'

By the late 1800s, straight-line whippet racing, sometimes called rag racing, had become a popular weekend sport in parts of England.

Part 5

How the working whippet became a show and companion dog

The Kennel Club in the UK recognized the whippet in 1891, which made the breed eligible for dog shows and began the formal recording of pedigrees.

Part 6

What whippets are bred and kept for today

Whippets today are commonly kept as companion dogs, and also for showing, amateur racing, and lure coursing, a sport where dogs chase a lure around a course instead of live game.

Read the full story

Part 1

The short answer: rabbit coursing and racing

Whippets were developed in nineteenth-century England, mainly in the industrial north, to hunt small game and to race. Working-class breeders in northern England crossed greyhounds with terriers to create a smaller dog for hunting and racing. Because they gave ordinary workers something like a racehorse of their own, the dogs became known as the poor man's racehorse. If your whippet still perks up at anything that moves fast, this is where that instinct comes from.

Part 2

The mix of breeds behind the whippet

Nobody recorded the exact recipe, but the whippet most likely came from crossing small greyhounds with terrier breeds, with Italian greyhounds sometimes mentioned as a possible contributor to the shape. One writer on the breed's early history described terrier blood as bringing prey drive and, in the words of one breed authority of the period, devilment. There were once two coat types: a smooth-coated dog that became the modern whippet, and a rough-coated version from crossing with Bedlington terriers, which was more common in Durham and Northumberland and known as a rabbit dog. Breeders were not chasing endurance, since the racing your whippet's ancestors did was a fast sprint over a short, straight course rather than a long chase.

Part 3

Rabbit coursing: the original job

An early type connected to the whippet, called the tumbler, was described centuries earlier as an excellent warren dog for catching rabbits. Gambling shaped these early contests too, since cash prizes, sometimes worth as much as a week's wages, were on the line even in informal races.

Part 4

From coursing to 'the poor man's racehorse'

By the late 1800s, straight-line whippet racing, sometimes called rag racing, had become a popular weekend sport in parts of England. Handlers waited at a finish line waving pieces of cloth while their dogs sprinted toward them along a straight course. Miners and mill workers who could not afford horses or greyhounds took to breeding this smaller dog as a racer of their own, which is where the poor man's racehorse nickname came from. The breed was held in high regard in the northern parts of England and in Wales, while it was generally overlooked elsewhere in the country at the time.

Part 5

How the working whippet became a show and companion dog

The Kennel Club in the UK recognized the whippet in 1891, which made the breed eligible for dog shows and began the formal recording of pedigrees. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1888. Toward the end of the 1800s, whippets moved from the racetrack into the show ring.

Part 6

What whippets are bred and kept for today

Whippets today are commonly kept as companion dogs, and also for showing, amateur racing, and lure coursing, a sport where dogs chase a lure around a course instead of live game. Straight racing is still organized today, minus the gambling and the old rag lures, using the same short, straight course their ancestors ran. Many whippets today are kept as companion dogs, and they tend to be calm indoors. That said, your whippet likely still has a strong prey drive, so it may chase small animals if it gets the chance, which is a direct echo of what the breed was originally bred to do.

Things you might not know

  • Because they gave ordinary workers something like a racehorse of their own, the dogs became known as the poor man's racehorse.
  • By the late 1800s, straight-line whippet racing, sometimes called rag racing, had become a popular weekend sport in parts of England.
  • Many whippets today are kept as companion dogs, and they tend to be calm indoors.

Year by year

  1. 1888The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1888.
  2. 1891The Kennel Club in the UK recognized the whippet in 1891, which made the breed eligible for dog shows and began the formal recording of pedigrees.

Questions people ask

What were whippets originally bred to do?

Whippets were bred in nineteenth-century England to catch rabbits and to race over short, straight courses.

Are whippets related to greyhounds?

Yes, the whippet is a sighthound that closely resembles the greyhound and the smaller Italian greyhound, sitting between them in size.

Why are whippets called the poor man's racehorse?

Working-class breeders, including miners, could not afford horses or full-sized greyhounds, so they bred a smaller dog to race instead, earning it the nickname the poor man's racehorse.

How fast can a whippet run?

Racing whippets have been recorded reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.

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Sources

  1. Whippet History: From Racetracks to Family Homes. American Kennel Club.
  2. Whippet - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org.
  3. The History and Origin of the Whippet: A Comprehensive Look. iHeartDogs.com, Mar 2, 2024.
  4. Whippet. GoofyTails.
  5. History of the Whippet | South West Whippet Club. South West Whippet.
  6. Whippet Fact #1: The Poor Man’s Racehorse. my little dog, Oct 3, 2011.
  7. Whippet: The Swift, Gentle, and Affectionate Racing Dog. www.dogpackapp.com.

Written by TimeWalkies EditorialLast updated How we research