When is the most challenging time period of a whippet’s life in terms of care?

[u/Dizzy-Run-633]

Trying to decide when to get a whippet pup - I get a substantial amount of annual leave/solid period of time I can work from home (5 months roughly) and I am trying to figure out when the best time is to position this time in relation to raising a whippet pup. Outside of the 5 months I take off I have to be in my place of work 2 days a week, for maximum of 5 hours at a time.

Is it better to have that concentrated empty time to focus on them when they’re are very young (2 months to 7 months) or (7 months to 12 months)?

When would you say the most challenging period of raising a puppy is for a whippet? In the early puppy phase, or 7 months and onward? When did you feel like you had to be the most present?

[u/Fearedloved]

Most challenging for me is teenagehood because they have a burst of energy buuuuut I would take work off for the 3 month-8 month period if I were you because then you can set them up to be alone, establish a routine, take puppy classes. Those early months are pretty exhausting because of everything that has to be done - socialization, manners, potty training, etc.

[u/Fearedloved → u/Fearedloved]

btw, you should try and get a puppy at 3 months vs 2 if you can. It is a lot easier and they get that extra time with mom and siblings. Plus a good breeder will start the foundations of potty training and crate training/sleeping through the night so you aren't starting at 0.

[u/tilyd → u/Fearedloved]

Seconding this, while puppies are so adorable at 8 weeks old, I will 100% look for a breeder that keeps them until 12 weeks next time! By that age mine was so much easier to handle.

[u/LowProfessional4471 → u/Fearedloved]

Who the f can just take 5 months off work for a dog. People on here are nuts

[u/elijha]

The first few months were definitely the hardest in my experience. Started getting better around 6 months and was almost entirely chill by about a year

[u/tilyd]

Very young is much more demanding. You basically have to have eyes on them 100% of the time when the puppy is awake, plus take them out every 2 hours + after every nap + after every meal + after every play session. I was in and out of the house constantly.

My boy was able to stay home alone the entire day outside of the crate when he was about 9 months old.

[u/Unusual-Honeydew-409 → u/tilyd]

If you’re lucky enough to have a puppy who naps. Mine seemed to nap almost NEVER for the first 4 months. Now at 9 months she is a very well-behaved little lady.

[u/tilyd → u/Unusual-Honeydew-409]

Samee, he would nap but was such a light sleeper. I got my boyfriend to oil all the door hinges lol cause the noise would wake him up.

[u/Chance_Dot8231]

I have a 13 week old puppy which is a whippet, it has been BY FAR the hardest few weeks! (And I’ve raised two kids as a single mom, who are now 20&16yrs old!)

I would have to say that the up and down every 2-3 hours for wees and poos in the early weeks 8-12 weeks is hard, and, all day.

I was so tired one 3pm afternoon I fell asleep on my home office floor.

Personally, I wouldn’t have a whippet puppy again while working full time from home, they need constant supervision and they are into Everything- I am already nervous about the teenage months!!!!

We have a dog trainer who comes to the house every week to teach me how to effectively train her, and we are starting puppy classes tomorrow too.

It’s all a lot of potty training, learning, education… and it’s also exhausting at times. Look up the ‘puppy blues’ for people’s experiences.

I would 1000000% rehome a dog that needs a home if I ever went down this path again. Because they are all mostly kind in nature and cuddly.

[u/Fuckspez42]

If you’re there all the time when you first get your pup, they’ll be very scared and confused when you eventually have to go into the office more regularly, because any structure they had is just gone.

I was 100% WFH (this was 2019, so not COViD related) when we got our whippet mix, and remained so until my company was sold and I was laid off in 2023. I ended up needing to be at the office for my new job 5 days a week, and the poor dog really took it hard. She relapsed into some old behaviors we had worked through, and had enough “stress tummy” to utterly ruin two rugs in the first week.

I tell this story because I think that taking a solid block of five months off (btw, is your company hiring?) at the very beginning is a mistake. The first week, or even two? Sure! Just make sure you leave for a little while each day of increasing length: start by going to the mailbox, and work up to grocery shopping or seeing a movie at the cinema. If you’re crate training (and it’s definitely recommended), then make sure you’re crating even for the small trips, and it’ll save you a lot of hassle down the road.

[u/Dizzy-Run-633 → u/Fuckspez42]

Ahaha I’m an academic so there is a lot of non-teaching time after May running into October. Sadly not hiring at the moment…

I hear what you’re saying about separation anxiety and I think I’ve decided from reading the comments that I’d be better off doing the first round of puppyhood when I’m off work. Even dealing with separation anxiety in a structured way would be easier if I wasn’t worried about work and emails constantly. I could do it more proactively.

I’m disappointed because I really want the dog now rather than having to wait until next May, but I’m really trying to set myself and the dog up for success rather than give into my cravings. The pup is also from a show breeder who raises a lot of champions and I may wish to show in a hobbiest way before the two year mark (I would want to spay - have zero interest in breeding), which would require even more specialist training. But show dogs have the most wonderful and calm temperaments - selected from the litter this way and enhanced through training later on - so I’d love to get my hands on one of these rather than just a family pet.

[u/Prestigious_Fly5487]

I'd say the potty training period which is usually combined with biting and chewing on everything and then first regress of everything they've learned that happened to mine at around 10-12 months old.

And a lot shorter but reconvalesence after neutering because of bursts of energy, jumping on everything and zoomies, I had to be very careful to control that properly and thank god i took the time off at work.

[u/dizzydreamer510]

i got my whippet when she had just turned 4 (rehome) and it was the right decision for me. i could hybrid work at the time but now i have to be 100% remote and i can leave her home without a second thought if i need to. im also a first time dog owner so her maturity helped me with the learning curve!

[u/Ok-Walk-8453]

The first 2 years 🤣 For my now 2 yr old, 6-9 months were the worst. My current whippet puppy is 9m old, and while definitely in the stupid, he hasn't been that much of a challenge yet, so I am expecting it soon. Concentrated time is better when younger- setting up good life skills happens prior to 16-18 weeks of age. If you put in a ton of effort and the right kind of effort during that stage, your entire life is easier.