Are Whippets Loyal? The Truth + 9 Interesting Facts

Pawscessories is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

Whippets are known for being friendly, affectionate dogs, but are they loyal? When you bring a new dog into your home you want to make sure the breed you’re looking at is loyal and loving.

So…

Are Whippets Loyal:

Whippets are exceptionally loyal dogs. They were bred to hunt small game which means it’s instinctive for them to develop a strong bond with the person(s) giving them commands. While whippets aren’t built for being protective guard dogs they show their loyalty in many other ways.

In this post you’ll discover:

8 real reasons why whippets are loyal
Whether whippets can be loyal to more than one person
How to help make sure your whippet is loyal to you
And much much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Are Whippets Only Loyal To One Person?

No, whippets aren’t only loyal to one person.

A Whippet’s ancestors were wolves. And wolves lived and thrived in packs.

While one member of the pack was the alpha, their loyalty was spread among the entire pack.

What this means for your whippet and your family is that they will likely have one person they become a little more attached to.

This is typically the person who feeds them, walks them, trains them, gives them treats and plays with them the most.

But this doesn’t mean they won’t be loyal and loving to the other members of your family.

Every person in your family, even other dogs and potentially cats, are a part of their pack which means they’ll be loyal to them.

While they may hold one person in particular a little closer in their heart, it won’t affect their loyalty to other people.

8 Reasons Why Whippets Are Loyal Dogs

1) You Fulfil Their Basic Needs

When you take care of your whippets basic needs it of course increases their loyalty toward you.

They need food, water and shelter in order to survive in this world and because you give them all these things they’re loyal to you.

Whenever their food or water bowls are empty, you’re there to fill them up every time.

Or when it’s freezing cold outside, you encourage them to come inside from the backyard so they can warm up.

You likely also give them a few treats here and there which they really enjoy.

Every time you provide them with their basic needs that help them live a happy, healthy life you’re increasing their loyalty to you.

2) They Respect Your Training

While it may be hard to believe when your whippet doesn’t listen to your commands right away, they do respect and appreciate structure/training.

Without structure or proper training it can make a dog very reactive and feel uneasy more often than not.

Which is why when you train them from a young age, and train them often, they look up to you as their leader and have increased loyalty to you.

It’s very important for dogs to know who the leader/alpha is in any family.

If they’re unsure who should be leading who, it will result in a reactive or even aggressive dog.

So when you train them, they understand that they’re to listen to your commands which puts them at ease in unfamiliar situations.

When training is done properly it helps your whippet understand who the alpha is.

And their respect/bond with you as their leader is strong which makes them considerably loyal.

3) It’s Natural

All dogs are naturally loyal animals.

It’s built into them from their wolf ancestors.

Wolves are pack animals that have a lot of difficulty surviving on their own.

Which means they always want to be in a pack with other wolves and are loyal to the other members of their pack.

If they were ever kicked out of the pack they know it would likely mean they would die.

When the consequences of being alone are that severe they naturally behave very loyally with other pack members to ensure they don’t lose their spot in the pack.

So at your whippet’s core, they’re considerably loyal because of instincts.

And since you’re the leader of their pack they’re very loyal to you in part because they want to make sure they keep their spot in your family.

Of course you’d never give them the boot, but it’s in their nature.

4) Your Love Makes Them Happy

When you interact with your whippet it simply makes them feel better.

It can be a simple pat on the head, a loving cuddle session, a good belly rub, or even just looking into eachothers eyes (seriously).

When you pay attention to your pup and give them affection, studies have found that it releases oxytocin in their body.

Oxytocin is a chemical their body naturally produces that helps with bonding by creating feelings of love and trust.

So the more interactions you have with your whippet that release oxytocin, the more loyal they’ll be to you.

Which simply means petting them, cuddling with them, playing with them and even a staring contest every now and then.

And the only reason these interactions have such a large, positive effect on your whippet is because of how strong their bond with you is.

Which contributes to them being loyal.

5) All Their Best Experiences Are With You

Dogs are required to be on a leash by law in most places.

Which means the only way for your whippet to experience the outside world is when you’re attached to the other end of their leash.

Whether it’s on their everyday walks where they get to enjoy new smells, seeing new things on adventurous hikes, or trips to the dog park (before they’re let loose).

Whenever they’ve had one of their more enjoyable life experiences, you were there with them.

Which is another reason why your whippet is so loyal to you.

Their life without you is mostly a boring time being alone at home.

But when you’re around they get to interact with new dogs and people while experiencing new sights and smells.

6) You Spend Time With Them

The more quality 1 on 1 time you spend with your whippet the more loyal they are to you.

Simple as that.

It doesn’t take much to make your pup happy.

A few treats here and there and quality time where you’re giving them your attention and affection.

Time spent with you is simply better than time spent without you.

And when your pup associates being around you with having a good time they’ll be more loyal and want to be around you as often as possible.

A funny situation that makes people question who their dog is more loyal to and loves more is when they’ve done something bad.

Usually the dog will rush over to the non-disciplinary parent.

Which is typically dad because mom is stuck being the bad guy.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more loyal to the non-disciplinary parent, they just know they’re less likely to not get yelled at by them when they do something bad.

7) People Pleasing Breed

Whippets were not only bred to race, but also to take care of small rodents like squirrels and rabbits.

Which means they were a hunter’s best friend.

For years they would accompany their owner to hunt small game and were rewarded for doing so.

This means they naturally develop a strong bond and loyalty to the person who gives them commands.

While whippets aren’t typically used for hunting nowadays, they still participate in activities where a strong relationship and desire to please their owner is necessary.

Things like agility, lure coursing, rally, obedience competitions, and flyball.

8) You Helped Them When They Needed It

When you show loyalty to your whippet it’s natural for them to return that loyalty to you.

If your pup had an abusive owner in the past it would have made it hard for them to trust you in the beginning.

But once you gained their trust their loyalty knows no bounds.

It could also be that when they were physically hurt you helped nurse them back to health.

Helping them do basic things that were once easy but aren’t now that they’re injured.

Giving them medicine and/or keeping their wound(s) clean.

All these acts of love by helping your whippet when they needed it make them more loyal to you.

Final Thoughts

When a whippet is treated well it’s completely normal for them to be very loyal dogs.

They want to spend most of their time with you and all the things you do for them on a daily basis make their love and trust for you considerably strong.

The only way whippets may not show their loyalty is by being protective.

They tend to be scared more easily and weren’t bred to be guard or watch dogs.

Other posts you might find interesting:

8 Reasons Why Your Whippet Is Shedding So Much + 4 Tips

Are Whippets Aggressive? The Truth + Anti Aggression Tips

What Age Do Whippets Calm Down? Age By Age Breakdown