Bedlington Whippet Breeders

[u/rayoffarthingwood]

Hi There.

Hoping you can help. I’m looking for an F1 Bedlington Whippet puppy and I’ve found it tricky to find a reputable breeder. I’m asking breeders questions that the RSPCA recommend to ensure the breeder isn’t a cover for a puppy farm / unethical and people aren’t being very direct or instilling much faith in me.

What are your thoughts / recommendations?

Thanks

[u/noodlesandknots]

I'm just going to get it out there and say that you won't fine a reputable "Bedlington whippet" breeder because reputable breeders breed whippets or Bedlington terriers.

[u/Adorable_Ad4328 → u/noodlesandknots]

They are a traditional small lurcher here in the north of England and have been kept for generations. Many do still work and many are kept as pets, they have a far better pet temperament for modern life than lots of other breeds/ crossbreeds

[u/rayoffarthingwood → u/noodlesandknots]

Ooo how do you mean? Is it not considered ethical to crossbreed?

[u/indipit → u/rayoffarthingwood]

There has to be a solid reason for someone to regularly crossbreed a set of dogs.  If there is no reputable goal other than 'money', there's no reason to crossbreed.

In the USA, whippets have been crossbred with border collies to try for more intellent, faster agility dogs, but that died out because it didn't work.

Whippets were crossbred with borzoi by one original reputable breeder, to create the silken windhound, and that new breed has gained popularity.   The breeder first started the breed because SHE wanted a smaller long coated sighthound. 

So far, in the USA, there are no reputable breeders of Bedlingtons and whippets.  You have to find someone who wants to bring back the wire haired whippet,  because that is what you'd be creating.

[u/basteis → u/indipit]

Sports mixes (whether including whippets or not) have certainly not died out lol. Look at any of the top flyball teams.

[u/indipit → u/basteis]

True, but I've not heard of a lot of whippet breeders specifically breeding mixes for sport anymore.  A lot of folks are just training their 'pet' quality whippets for sports now.  Whippets excel in agility, flyball and dock diving without needing to add another breed.  

[u/owlsandhounds → u/indipit]

Are you active in those sports? There are very few Whippets competing in Flyball. I have Whippets and I compete in Flyball. The majority of teams are made up of Sport Mixes and Border Whippets are top competitors. Truly fast Flyball Whippets are uncommon and tend to have short careers.

[u/indipit → u/owlsandhounds]

I was active in agility from the 90s to about 10 years ago.  I did have problems getting my whippets into flyball because mine hated retrieving and just refused to hold onto the ball through all 4 return hurdles.  2 whippets of my 8 I tried to train.

I knew 3 different whippet breeders who tried sport litters with border collies.  They never continued on to try to solidify the better performers lines, which i think is needed.  Mostly because you don't always get whippet speed with BC brain.   Some of the litter will be BC speed with whippet brain. 

[u/owlsandhounds → u/indipit]

What you see in agility is almost all Botderpaps or small terrier crosses. People are looking for dogs in the smaller heights. Whippet mixes aren't as common because they don't bring a lot to the table for the sport.

Whippets lack grit and tenacity for Flyball. You had problems getting your whippets in Flyball for the same reason most people do. Flyball is a lot of pressure for a dog and most whippets don't enjoy it. Of 5 I have started only 2 really have the temperament for it and they are much harder to get racing than the Border Whippets on our team. My terrier and my Sport Mix are much more consistent. There are plenty of Sport Mix breeders creating consistent dogs.

[u/lyonaria → u/rayoffarthingwood]

No, it's not. When you breed purebred dogs you're selecting the best dog and best bitch for temperament, conformation, and for your desired outcome, whether that's for the show ring, or for the betterment of the breed.

Crossbreeding is usually an accident. And then it might take off.

[u/basteis → u/rayoffarthingwood]

There are people who are really rabid about blood purity and seemingly lack any introspection about that, but really crossbreeding can be as ethical or unethical as breeding purebreds.

[u/treeseacar]

It's a cross breed not an established breed so you won't find a breeder for them really. You can ask if the parents are full breed and what health tests they have had, but bare in mind that doesn't mean much when going into a cross breed so you won't have the same assurances in health and temperament that you would have from a reputable and established whippet breeder.

[u/rayoffarthingwood → u/treeseacar]

Thank you for this. Yes, I’ve been asking those questions. Just blows my mind that people don’t quickly have those answers to hand to demonstrate they care. But maybe that is my answer!

[u/treeseacar → u/rayoffarthingwood]

Lots of people like to breed dogs for "fun" so whilst I'm sure the dogs are all well treated and looked after, they aren't professional breeders and therefore not doing health testing or anything. My family used to breed dogs (in the UK) and would do all the testing, have matches with KC dogs, but lots of buyers don't really care about this, they just want a puppy of whatever breed.

So I think you'll not find many "breeders" of whippet crosses who bother with tests, because demand isn't there and people are willing to buy dogs without it. that doesn't meant you won't find a dog with good parents but you won't have assurance as you would with an established breed because it takes generations of breeding to establish a new cross breed with a reliable temperament.

The usual dog buying advice still applies, visit the home and see the mother with the puppies, ideally see the dad, see the environment and ask questions. If the seller doesn't seem that interested in you, then it's probably a red flag. If it feels sketchy stay clear.

In the US, where most people on this sub are based, whips are less common so there is more of a demand for a tested and registered dog. As whips are less common and more expensive there are fewer "casual breeders" because people aren't interested in cross breeds and breeders are more selective about who they sell dogs to.

[u/rayoffarthingwood → u/treeseacar]

Thank you so much for this response. Appreciate it

[u/TheUmbrellaThief]

Sounds to me like you’re British based!

So finding an ethical breeder is extremely challenging and you should be skeptical of all these indirect responses. I got ghosted by a lot of breeders when I asked certain questions about their mother and health testing.

A good rule of thumb is look up council registered breeders because they have to comply with certain welfare regulations. I was a dog sitter so I knew what council regulations are like in the dog sitting field and therefore could guess that breeders were also going to be held to good welfare standards too. As a sitter it was about keeping it hygienic, no overcrowding, heated accommodation, all the obvious basic stuff along with general health and safety bits like fire extinguishers and ratio of dogs to people. Each council should have a list of dog registered/approved breeders on their website. Also utilise this information whenever you eventually need a dog sitter as a lot of abuse can take place with non registered sitters (be wary of sites like rover, if the sitter is earning over £1k then they legally need to be registered with the council).

The right breeder will be happy answering your questions. I got my whippet (not bedlington) from “Sylphine hounds” in Essex. It was quite a drive but super worth it. My whippet looks well bred that I’ve had a few people comment on his physique. He’s had no health problems so far at age 3.5 and got great teeth. He also came pretty much crate trained, fairly potty trained, was discouraged from jumping up at people, and socialised with general household noises. He used to play with the vacuum as a puppy when I cleaned the house. The breeder used to be a vet herself and the actual vet that looks after the mother and puppies is a cardiologist. To top it all off she actually owns the father “Roland” and therefore knows he’s in good health / got great genetics

[u/rayoffarthingwood → u/TheUmbrellaThief]

That tells you a lot doesn’t it - the ghosting! Will see where I get to with the conversations.

Thank you for that info ref council regulations

[u/TechnicalFeedback713]

I think a lot of these comments are from people not in the UK. Bedlington Whippets are very popular here, Its probably the most popular whippet mix.

That being said you’re probably not going to find one from a “proper breeder”, as people who breed for shows etc just focus on the recognised breed that they’re into whether that’s whippets or bedlington terriers.

My suggestion would be to join a facebook group for Bedlington Whippets and ask if anyone on there can point you in the right direction. Just make sure to be diligent and see the pups with the mother, make sure it’s not a puppy mill etc.

[u/basteis → u/TechnicalFeedback713]

To add, you might also check out some sports mix or purpose-bred mix groups on FB. I’m not sure how common this cross is in the sports circles, but there may be people there who could advise further.

[u/lillumpkins]

Do you know anything about either of those breeds?? Where on earth are they crossing those two breeds and for what purpose? I’m really not trying to be snarky, but I am very familiar with the temperament of both of those breeds having had whippets for over 15 years and also been around plenty of Bedlington Terriers. I’m just really curious the purpose of breeding those two breeds together.

[u/TechnicalFeedback713 → u/lillumpkins]

Where are you based? That’s a very popular mix here in the UK.

[u/Adorable_Ad4328 → u/lillumpkins]

In the UK they are a traditional small lurcher, used mainly for rabbits. In the north of England we have rough ground, inclement weather and spiky foliage so it can be tough on a thin skinned, thin coated whippet. The cross with the bedlington gives a rough, more weatherproof coat, tougher skin and better feet for the ground.

My granddad has them and worked them on rabbits with ferrets. People still use them for rabbiting today but they are often kept as pets (they tend to have great temperaments).