Whippet Pitbull Mix: A Complete Guide on Pit Whip

Whippet Pitbull mix, or the Pit Whip is a hybrid that is rapidly gaining popularity across the world. Due to its desirable disposition, resiliency, and amazing racing talents, the Whippet and its mixes, such as the Whippet Pitbull mix, have become quite popular. These are highly affectionate dogs having the Whippet and Pitbull as its parent breed. Though the Pit Whip dogs are offspring to two extremely active and strong parents, these dogs are very calm and friendly.

If you are thinking of getting this dog, then read further to know anything and everything that you need to know, so that you can make a better choice.

 

Whippet Pitbull Mix

Here is a quick summary table of pitbull whippet

Height 17 to 21  inches
Weight 25 to 60 pounds
Lifespan 10 to 14 years
Colors Fawn, White, Blue, Black, Red and Brindle
Intelligence Very intelligent and can learn tricks easily
Breed Type Crossbreed
AKC Breed Popularity Not recognised by AKC
Temperament Very gentle and protective, and can sometimes be uneasy and wary around strangers.
Daily Food Consumption 2 to 2.5 cups per day of protein-rich dog food
Common Health Issues Elbow and hip dysplasia, Hypothyroidism, Heart diseases, Congenital Deafness

Facts about Whippet Pitbull mix:

Before you decide to buy or adopt a Whippet Pitbull mix, here are some points that you need to know about them.

  • The Pit Whip dogs are mixed breed dogs and are a cross of the Whippet and the Pit Bull Terrier parents, which are purebred.
  • These are highly energetic dogs, so you need to give your dog at least one hour-long walk every day, along with other games that keep them engaged through the day.
  • The Pit Whip dogs are cream, fawn, brown, black, blue, red and brindle in colour. Sometimes they may even have mixed colours, depending on their parent dogs.
  • The Pit Whips don’t need much time in grooming as they are easy to maintain. However, they need proper brushing at least once a week to minimise the shedding.
  • These dogs are known for their excellent temper and remain loyal to the family. They may however feel uneasy among strangers.
  • The Pit Whips may also need a good amount of training for socializing. A slow and early introduction can help these animals get along well.
  • A purebred Whippet can be quite an expensive puppy, but an Whippet Pitbull mix puppy should cost you a reasonable amount of about $200 to $500.

 

About the Whippet Pitbull Mix:

The Pit Whip is a protective, sensible, and loyal dog. These intelligent dogs acquire the best of traits from both their parents breeds and are very adaptable.

The Whippet Pitbull mix is also known as Pit Whip. These dogs are loyal and their people-pleasing nature makes them ideal for families with children and other pets. The Pit Whip is a friendly little canine that loves to obey the owner’s commands and is quite easy to train. However, the Pitbull genes that it inherits can make it stubborn and may need consistent training to get it under control.

A Whippet Pitbull mix puppy comes at a modest amount of $200 to $500. But, you need to purchase it through a reliable breeder who readily allows you to interact with both parents of the puppy. More importantly, he should readily provide you with all the documentation of necessary health checkups, and other clearance examinations conducted on the puppy and its parents. Also, the breeder should give you complete information about the plausible health ailments that the pup may have in the future. Therefore, even after you find the desired puppy, make sure you run a background check not only on the puppy but also on the breeder to ensure safety.

 

The appearance of The Whippet Pitbull mix:

The Pit Whip inherits its personality both from the Whippet and the Pit Bull. Thus, its appearance depends on the parents. A Pit Whit can weigh anywhere from 25 to 60 pounds and can be about 17 to 21 inches tall. As both the parent dogs are highly athletic and energetic, your pup will most likely be full of energy as well. This dog can have a muscular build and can get quite big.

The Pit Whip has a short-haired fur coat that remains flat against his body which it inherits from both the parent breeds. Such fur makes the Whippet Pitbull mix a low-maintenance breed. Also, the kind of fur it possesses makes it tolerant to slightly hot weather and the body fat under its skin makes it cold-weather tolerant too. So, your little puppy is best suited for moderate weather, though it can tolerate weather changes too. These puppies have coats that vary in density and have a thickness depending on which parent genes are dominant. Fawn, White, Blue, Black, Red and Brindle are some of the colours of its coat. You may even find a mix of these colors depending on the inherited genes.

 

History and Origin of The Pit Whip:

The Whippet Pitbull mix breed has existed for quite a long time now. But the initial crossover of the Pitbull and the Whippet came about in the early 2000s. To have a look at the history of Pit Whip, we have to know about the history of the parent breeds.

Whippets had a reputation of hunting by sight and there are numerous representations of small greyhound-like dogs in paintings dating back to Ancient Egyptian era. Concrete evidence of their existence developed in the middle of 19th-century England. The Whippet has its roots from the Terriers and small English greyhounds. They look more or less like the greyhound, standing 18 to 22 inches tall and weighing about 28 pounds. The Whippet is also used for racing as it can run up to 35 miles (56 km) per hour, and is known as the “poor man’s racehorse in England.

You must be wondering why the Whippet is called a Whippet or a Snap dog. There are two answers to this. The name Whippet may have its origins in the words “whip it”. This is slang in England meaning to move quickly or to whip a horse for it to move faster. These dogs had a reputation of snapping at their opponent and taking them by surprise with the strength of the jaws combined with agility. It was owing to this habit that they got the reputation of “snap dogs.”

The modern Whippet noticed a dawn in 1891 when The Kennel Club gave the breed an official recognition, making them popular among dog breeders. In the United States, the American Kennel Club recognised the Whippet by 1888, when they arrived in the United States with mill operators from England.

The Pitbull, on the other hand, the history of Pit Bull dates back to as early as the 1800s in the United Kingdom. The Pit Bulls have their roots to the Old English Bulldogs. Unfortunately, their initial years became a part of cruel blood sports like “bull-baiting.” They were called bulldogs for this very purpose.

It was in 1835 that the British Parliament prohibited this sport to stop the cruelism. The Pitbulls were later crossed over with one or more types of the prominent Terriers with enhanced agility and strength. The breeders wanted to breed a dog with a higher drive to seek prey, be more aggressive, much more powerful and agile. The American Pit Bull Terrier thus, comes as the product of English and Irish dogs that reached the United States by the 19th century. These dogs received much better treatment and did well as cattle dogs by protecting the cattle and catching the pigs. A majority of them worked as herders, hunters, guardians, and companions and even served as nanny dogs.

Considering both the parent breeds, the Pit Whips are a great combination of the brilliant Terriers and the ancient Whippets that served through generations. Thus, a Pit Whip is not just for mere fashion status, but is a great companion too!

 

Is The Pit Whip Dog Good with Children?

Pit Whip dogs are great with children and other animals, but they need an early and regular training on socialization. It is a breed that is eager to please its owners and loves to throw around the enthusiasm and energy. Though they can be stubborn and uneasy around strangers, they will show obedience, and friendliness towards the family and will love your young children.

 

Care of The Whippet Pitbull mix Dog:

Food and Nutrition Requirements:

The Pit Whip is prone to obesity at high levels when it gets excessive feeding. Thus, you need to be sure that your dog receives a diet that is ideal for a medium-sized breed. It will also be appropriate to consult a trusted vet about what diet is best suited for your puppy. One must be sure not to overfeed the Pit Whip or leave food around unattended as it can tend to overeat.

Like every other dog, the Pit Whip needs a nutritious diet that is rich in minerals and nutrients, and can fuel its energy requirements. A growing puppy will need a lot of protein and calories, but not all high calorie foods are nutritious. Make sure you check the contents of the food before you decide the dog’s diet. For a grown-up dog, good quality dog food will suffice if given twice a day. You also need to understand the foods that your puppy finds to be allergic as it can inherit genes that make it intolerant to certain food items. The best way would be to choose from raw, premium, or homemade food, whichever is best suits your little canine. Homemade foods have had best results when it comes to fueking a dog’s growth.

 

Exercise Requirements:

Every dog has some basic exercise requirements that it needs to meet, and the Pit Whip is no exception. The Whippet Pitbull mix is not a dog that can be left alone to remain inactive. Leaving it alone for its excessive energy to multiply will only be pushing the destructive behaviour that it inherits from the Pitbull parent. The Pit Whip is a friendly dog indeed. But when left alone, this dog can start destroying objects around it like cushions or carpets.

Both the parent breeds of the Pit Whip are high-energy dogs. It is natural for the offspring to be enthusiastic and extremely energetic. Thus, you need to make sure that it gets a lot of activity throughout the day, so that the excess energy in your puppy does not pile on.

Your dog will enjoy long, regular walks, jogs, or even daredevil hikes! Such exercises not only fulfill its exercise requirements but also turn into a great moment for you to bond with your dog.

Remember, a tired puppy is a good puppy. Allow your dog to run around as much as it wants so it can exude the excess energy. You can let it run around and play in a safe and secured yard or a park for about an hour or two every day. You can also engage your dog in high energy games that develop its mind and body, like those of fetch, tugging, running, and other ball games.

 

Training Requirements:

The Pit Whip is a canine that will protect your family regardless of what danger is in front of it. They are smart, people-friendly and inherit this attitude from their parent genes. With an early socialization training that is taken on a regular basis, you will have a pup that is loyal, friendly, and always ready to obey your orders.

The Pit Whip is an independent dog that needs early training. Such early training will prevent your dog from becoming overprotective of the family. As your dog is confident and single-minded, there is a high chance for this confidence to turn into stubbornness. Such a strong-willed nature will pose problems for you if you cannot train the dog well. Thus it is crucial for you to draw a line in your puppy’s stubbornness during the early, formative years of the Pit Whip. The only way to ensure this is through consistent training which will ensure that your puppy gets along with children and other pets, and learns to socialize. Your dog will lose its aggressive streak and will adopt a friendly and pleasing attitude when you train it well.

The Pit Whips are intelligent puppies and adapt well to behavior training. They grasp new things quite easily and follow commands in the first go. But the trainer has to be patient when it comes to training dogs. Try repeating the orders until the dog learns to obey them.

 

Grooming Requirements:

Grooming sessions are great ways for you to bond with your canine. You need to start grooming your dog in its formative years, so that it gets used to the touch and may not be hesitant for grooming.

The Pit Whips have short coats and shed on a very light scale all through the year. Such low-shedding makes them a low-maintenance breed and do not need more than weekly-brushing to make its fur look sleek.

There is no specific routine as such when it comes to bathing and cleaning. When you feel your dog has got slightly dirtier than usual, you can give it a good shampoo bath. Even though these dogs have shorter coats, the Pit Whips can tolerate cold weather too due to their dense fur. But, this does not give you leverage to leave them out in icy conditions. Make sure you give your dog a warm blanket or little sunscreen according to the changes in the weather.

Make sure you clean your dog’s ears regularly and check for debris and pests. Make sure that you clean them as per a routine recommended by your vet. IT is also best if you trim your dog’s nails before they grow too long.You need to do it about once or twice every month. You should also brush your puppy’s teeth regularly to avoid tooth ailments. Brushing its teeth about once or twice every week should do the trick.

 

Health issues of Whippet Pitbull Mix:

Coming from the Whippet and American Pit Bull Terrier, the Pit Whip breed faces the same conditions that the parent breeds. To avoid such hassles you need to be sure that you know about the potential health issues your dog may face in the future. A good way to do this is to ensure your breeder’s reliability and confirm the health condition of the puppy at the time of adoption.

Here are some of the health issues that the Pit Whip may be prone to:

  • Elbow and hip dysplasia
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Heart diseases
  • Congenital Deafness

The hybrid dogs are known to be healthier than their parent breeds. But there are some inherited disorders that may be a cause of concern and make it vital for you to maintain proper care. You may need to take your dog for a regular veterinary checkup for Bloating, Cataracts, Hypothyroidism, Heart Murmur, Cryptorchidism/Cryptorchidism, Epilepsy and Pancreatitis. Occasional health checkups can prove to be useful, such as, eye examinations, heart tests, X-rays, thyroid tests, blood tests, and checkups of hips and elbows. Your vet can help you form a monthly care routine that will keep your dog healthy.

 

Final Thoughts on the Whippet Pitbull mix:

To summarize, the Pit Whip is a muscular and confident dog that inherits its genes from two formidable dog breeds. This is just the dog for you if you want an active puppy that is protective and people-friendly. The breed is easy to train, as they grasp new things quickly.

The Pit Whip can go to any heights to show its love for you when you train it right. It is undoubtedly the desired four-legged companion to have around the house.

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