Crossbreed - no registry group (parent groups: Hound + Sporting) · Large (40-60 lbs typical) · 11-14 years
Whipador
Typically calm from the Whippet side and friendly from the Labrador Retriever - but a cross is an individual first: littermates can land at opposite ends of both parents. Meet the dog, not the label.
Crossbreed
40–60 lb
At a glance
Kid-friendly
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First-time owners
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Energy
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Shedding
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Good with cats
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Alone time
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Apartment OK
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Trainability
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Why it matters
Color & health
Whipadors can inherit color-linked health risks from either parent line. A cross does not dilute these — the gene is either there or it is not.
Dilute colors — blue, silver, gray, fawn, lilac, isabella (from the Whippet line)
Risk: Color dilution alopecia
The dilution gene clumps pigment in the hair shaft, weakening it until it breaks. Thinning usually starts between six months and three years, in the diluted areas only, with dry flaky skin and recurrent skin infections. It is managed, not cured.
What to ask a breeder: Ask whether either parent or any previous puppy has shown coat thinning. Be skeptical of a premium charged for a dilute color — the risk travels with it.
Risk: Color dilution alopecia
The dilution gene clumps pigment in the hair shaft, weakening it until it breaks. Thinning usually starts between six months and three years, in the diluted areas only, with dry flaky skin and recurrent skin infections. It is managed, not cured.
What to ask a breeder: Ask whether either parent or any previous puppy has shown coat thinning. Be skeptical of a premium charged for a dilute color — the risk travels with it.
Predominantly white / extreme piebald (from the Whippet line)
Risk: Congenital deafness
Deafness is linked to the pigment genes behind large areas of white, independently of merle. It may affect one ear or both, and a unilaterally deaf dog often seems normal at home.
What to ask a breeder: Ask for the BAER hearing test result. Reputable breeders in this breed test as standard.
Risk: Congenital deafness
Deafness is linked to the pigment genes behind large areas of white, independently of merle. It may affect one ear or both, and a unilaterally deaf dog often seems normal at home.
What to ask a breeder: Ask for the BAER hearing test result. Reputable breeders in this breed test as standard.
On crosses: Merle marketed in a cross whose parents are not naturally merle means the pattern was introduced from somewhere else, and it brings the double merle risk with it. 'Merle doodles' are the common example.
Most color variation is exactly what it looks like — variety, and nothing more. Black, yellow and chocolate Labradors are equally healthy. Rough and smooth Collies differ only in coat. A Chihuahua's long and smooth coats are both standard. This section is about the specific cases where color and health are genuinely linked, not a suggestion that color usually matters.
What this is
A cross of: Whippet × Labrador Retriever. A cross can inherit from either parent line — in temperament, coat and health. Read both parent breeds, and treat anything shared by both as the risk that matters most.
What this is
What they’re great at
✓ Forgiving of first-timer mistakes
✓ Handles alone time better than most breeds
✓ Adapts beautifully to smaller spaces
✓ Quiet by nature
Why it matters
Honest challenges
Prey drive is hardwired
Small fast animals flip an ancient switch - this is wiring, not disobedience.
What helps: Management IS the training: never unsupervised with small pets, period. Secure fencing plus leash or long line outdoors for life. Feed the drive legally: flirt pole and lure-chase games.
Small fast animals flip an ancient switch - this is wiring, not disobedience.
What helps: Management IS the training: never unsupervised with small pets, period. Secure fencing plus leash or long line outdoors for life. Feed the drive legally: flirt pole and lure-chase games.
Alone time is genuinely hard
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.
What helps: Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one. The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots. Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing.
Bred to work or live beside a human all day - solitude was never in the job description.
What helps: Train it like a skill: the Alone-Time guide builds tolerance in micro-doses from day one. The frozen-KONG-only-when-you-leave ritual turns departures into jackpots. Cover long days honestly: a midday walker, daycare 2-3x a week, and a camera to know (not guess) how they're doing.
Needs a real outlet, rain or shine
Moderate-high drive doesn't take days off.
What helps: Build the outlet into the routine: Dock diving superstar. Brain work counts double on bad-weather days - see Training School. A flirt pole in the yard delivers a workout in ten minutes.
Moderate-high drive doesn't take days off.
What helps: Build the outlet into the routine: Dock diving superstar. Brain work counts double on bad-weather days - see Training School. A flirt pole in the yard delivers a workout in ten minutes.
The fur is a lifestyle
Heavy-shedding coat with seasonal blowouts.
What helps: The weekly rake routine in the Grooming Kit halves it. Robot vacuum on daily patrol (see Home Setup). A professional deshed blowout during coat-blow weeks saves the house.
Heavy-shedding coat with seasonal blowouts.
What helps: The weekly rake routine in the Grooming Kit halves it. Robot vacuum on daily patrol (see Home Setup). A professional deshed blowout during coat-blow weeks saves the house.
What you can do
Exercise & training
Exercise: Moderate - daily walks plus sprint sessions (from Whippet) / High - 1-2 hrs/day of vigorous activity plus swimming/fetch (from Labrador Retriever) - a cross can land at either end, or between.
Training profile — Sighthound: The 40-mph couch potato pattern: brief intense exercise, then 20 hours of professional napping. Respect the sprint/rest rhythm.
Sports and outlets that suit them: Fast CAT · Lure coursing · Small-dog racing (WRA)
What you can do
Grooming & coat
Grooming: Low effort expected. The specifics depend entirely on which coat this individual inherited - see coat_and_grooming for the honest version, including matting risk and professional grooming budget.
Shedding: Moderate as a starting expectation - but shedding is one of the least predictable traits in a cross. See coat_and_grooming: a single litter can produce both a low-shed and a full-shedding coat, and no breeder can promise which you'll get.
Good to know
Health to know about
From the Whippet line: Dental disease, cardiac issues (mitral valve), anesthesia sensitivity; very healthy overall | From the Labrador Retriever line: Hip/elbow dysplasia, obesity, exercise-induced collapse (EIC), PRA, ear infections
Breed-typical tendencies, not a diagnosis. Individual dogs vary enormously — your veterinarian screens for what matters for your dog.
How much should YOUR Whipador eat?
Open the appThis page can only give breed ranges. The app calculates calories and portions from your dog’s actual weight and life stage, splits them across the right number of meals, and adjusts as they grow.
Why it matters
Emergency red flags
Poisoning (chocolate, xylitol, grapes, medications, rodenticide)
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Know your ER
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
Cardiac event (documented heart-disease breed)
Fainting/collapse during activity, night coughing, resting breathing rate over 30-35 breaths/min while asleep, blue-tinged gums
→ Sleeping respiratory rate over 30 warrants a call today; collapse or labored breathing means ER immediately
Fainting/collapse during activity, night coughing, resting breathing rate over 30-35 breaths/min while asleep, blue-tinged gums
→ Sleeping respiratory rate over 30 warrants a call today; collapse or labored breathing means ER immediately
This page never carries product links in the emergency section. ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661.
These need to work when the signal does not
Get it on your phoneThe app keeps every Whipador red flag on your phone and opens them with no connection at all — which is the whole point at 2am in a car park. Add it to your home screen and it works like any other app.
📊 The numbers›
Typical ranges for planning, not promises — costs vary by region, breeder and individual dog.
| Group | Crossbreed - no registry group (parent groups: Hound + Sporting) |
| Size | Large (40-60 lbs typical) |
| Lifespan | 11-14 years |
| Healthy adult weight | 40–60 lb |
| Original purpose | Bred as a companion cross, not for a working role. The instincts still arrive from both sides - Whippet: Coursing rabbits; sprint racing. | Labrador Retriever: Retrieving waterfowl and game for hunters; retrieving fishing nets. |
| Monthly care | $60-$175 (estimated range across both parent lines) |
| Typical puppy price | $800-$2,500 (spans both parent breeds; reputable cross breeders should still health-test BOTH lines) |
Got a Whipador?
Open the app
Add them in the app for feeding by weight, training for their stage, and Whipador emergency red flags saved to your phone. Free, no account needed.
Bring your Whipador in
Add your dogAdd them once and everything here becomes about your dog: feeding by their weight, training picked for their stage, a day built around your hours, and a vitals log that shows the trend. Free, works offline, no account needed.