Coat, Ears & Tail

AKC Hound Group · No. 48 in 2025

How to identify a Whippet

The Whippet is a medium-sized sighthound standing 18 to 22 inches, ranked No. 48 by the AKC in 2025. It has small rose ears folded back, a short, smooth coat in any color, and an arched backline over the loin. The long tail is carried low.

Photo of a Whippet
Photo: Winky · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Field marks

These four marks are the ones the game gives you as clues. They paraphrase or briefly quote the AKC Whippet standard.

  1. Small “rose ears” folded back along the neck at rest
  2. “Short, close, smooth” coat; “color immaterial”
  3. Backline with “a graceful natural arch” over the loin
  4. Long, tapering tail carried low “with only a gentle upward curve”; 18 to 22 inches

Tell them apart

Whippet or Borzoi?

Check the coat and the size. A Borzoi is tall, at least 26 to 28 inches, with a long, silky coat and a curly neck frill. A Whippet stands 18 to 22 inches and has a short, smooth coat. Both share the deep chest and the arched loin.

Whippet

Whippet

  1. Small “rose ears” folded back along the neck at rest
  2. “Short, close, smooth” coat; “color immaterial”
  3. Backline with “a graceful natural arch” over the loin
  4. Long, tapering tail carried low “with only a gentle upward curve”; 18 to 22 inches
Borzoi

Borzoi

  1. “Long and narrow” head, slightly domed and “inclined to be Roman-nosed,” with scarcely any stop
  2. “Long, silky” coat, flat, wavy or rather curly, with a profuse, curly frill on the neck
  3. Back “rising a little at the loins in a graceful curve” over a deep chest
  4. Long tail “carried low in a graceful curve”; “any color” allowed; males at least 28 inches

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