tokipoke

It very well may be the sleekness factor. I admit I am attracted to the look of sighthounds like Afghans and Salukis. Leroy is tall and skinny, I always exclaim what a cute, tiny, waist he has! Unlike other breeds that look like sausages (bully breeds). I think Poodles and Havanese make a great match

Are you still getting a toy poodle?

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frankgrimes

I keep flip flopping back and forth. Some days I'm 100% sure I'm getting a toy, then the next I think it's a terribly impractical idea (two Poodles to groom, it's sooo cold where we live a toy may freeze or refuse to go outside etc). I was thinking about other breeds (i.e., whippet terrier etc) but honestly, I can't think of a match better than another Poodle for ol' Ralph....

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Poodlemama99

Toys are very hearty and will go out in the cold. My 3 lb teacup loves the cold and snow.


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Poodlemama (Omar 13, Maggie 8, Nicholas 6, Penelope 1 (RIP Lila)

Keithsomething

I think its the elegance factor really, sighthounds carry themselves with such poise its amazing. I've noticed alot of poodle owners also own dobermans as well, another regal breed with such a great presence

I know alot of people with poodles and Havanese, they're a great little breed VERY poodle like!

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Ladywolfe

frankgrimes; I've often wondered the same thing about the poodle/doberman connection. Have you ever considered a lovely dober-pal for Ralph? Can you tell, I am a past two-dobe owner?

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Meg

My last dog was a Great Dane, a very elegant 'look at me' breed. When he passed away I looked at lots of different breeds (Dobermans were high on the list) and the two that I narrowed it down to were the Whippet and Standard Poodle. I weighed the pro's and con's and asked family members what they would prefer and that's why I settled on a spoo.

I had no idea that there was any connection between the two breeds at the time, but since getting my spoo I have remarked on the odd link to friends and other dog people.......and I still want a Whippet in a few years, lol.

outwest

I own two poodles and a whippet. Whippets are elegant dogs. I feel like I have a sphinx lying around the house:


He's just a beautiful dog. I got him to keep my last poodle company and because I knew they were easy dogs to have as long as you give them space to run. In the house they are calm couch potatoes. They can be catlike (mine actually licks himself to get clean). I would have gotten another poodle, but I thought I'd mix it up. I also wanted a dog that didn't need grooming. He sheds, but not much and the hair is very short and not noticeable unless you are wearing black and sit on the couch (okay- so I let him on the couch. When I say no grooming, I mean a bath a couple times a year and warm wet washcloth otherwise. He needs no brushing. I take him to have his nails dremmeled every 6 months or so at the poodles groomer. Whippets are sweet, gentle and very calm dogs and also silly like poodles sometimes. Whippets have almost NO health problems other than tight skin that can tear easily and various benign lumps and bumps that show up as the age. Very healthy dogs. Mine is almost 7 and only been to the vet a few times.

Whippets have totally different personalities other than being very sweet like poodles. Boy, can they run and turn on a dime. I remember being a little creeped out when I first got Echo because he stared at me whereever I was. His vision is amazing. He can see something down the street and he'll bob his head trying to get a fix on it while the poodles don't even notice. The poodles don't see as well. I love whippets angles and athleticism. They are terrible watch dogs, though. I rely on the poodles for that.

Let's see, what else: They are really bad with too cold and too hot. They don't like hard surfaces (you'll never find mine sleeping on the tile). They are smart, but not in the same way as poodles. They are trainable, but not as eager to please people as a poodle. Poodles are focussed solely on their people usually. Whippets just want their people hanging around in the same room.

It's really fun to have poodles and a whippet because they seem like such opposite ends of the spectrum. People usually really like one or the other when I take them on walks. Mine is playful and fun, very obedient and great with all kinds of people. Being sighthounds they aren't nearly as in tune to people as the poodles, but more in tune than greyhounds because they were bred as family pets with a dual duty of catching rabbits and racing for fun. They also can't be left alone for long periods or they aren't happy because they are not as independent as greyhounds. Echo can't keep up with Bonnie's antics, either. Bonnie loves playing with Jazz for hours.

Poodles are also elegant. Maybe that's why I like them both? I never thought about it before. Whippets carry themselves with dignity the same way the poodles do, but they are very different dogs personality wise. They also have a poker face. Poodles ooze emotion from their faces and you never know what a whippet is thinking.

Interesting topic. I was surprised how many other poodle people owned whippets, too. I thought I was the only one.

KidWhisperer

IDK about whippets, but I'm a sucker for hairless Chinese Cresteds. I love their flowing manes and tails, and I think they are unusual, but gorgeous.

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Karen

ArreauStandardPoodle

My daughter and I had dreams of rescuing a retired racing Greyhound and were in the final step when I had an intuition and contacted a Whippet/Greyhound breeder who is also a vet, to get her opinion on how the two kitties and two dwarf rabbits we had at the time would fare. After a huge NOOOOOO from her, I began a mission to get our first Whippet. I love their grace. They love to run and romp but are just as happy to be couch potatoes. They are loyal and devoted like the Poodles, but not as velcro-ish. The biggest draw for me to want another is their complete lack of grooming needs. They get a bath a few times a year and nails trimmed once every few weeks. The Poos and Whippets love one another and the Whippets think the Spoos are their own personal, four footed hot water bottles. Just a perfect compliment to one another. They do shed like crazy though and the older I get the bigger a deal that is to me. I never envisioned myself without one, but think my next smaller dog will be a Powder Puff Chinese Crested.

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bookwormjane

I've had greyhounds for a number of years, starting out with a retired racer and then moving on to show-bred hounds. They are wonderful dogs to live with; active when you want to be active, happy to nap when you want, too. They aren't very bark-y. Certainly less than my spoo. They tend to be healthy as a breed, excepting bloat and osteosarcoma. I have NEVER heard of a greyhound with hip dysplasia. Grooming is almost non-existent, even when showing my dogs. They do shed, but have a dry (not oily), non-stinky coat.

The best toy I ever brought them was a standard poodle puppy. Since my hounds are both males, and stayed intact as long as they were showing, their play would often turn nasty. Daphne can play with either dog, or both, so is a great buffer between the two. Many times, they both chase her until she collapses on the ground, showing her belly. Then they enjoy "eviscerating" her. She seems to enjoy it too.

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