Encourage favourite dog (7)

I believe the answer is:

whippet

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dog' is the definition.
(whippet is a kind of dog)

'encourage favourite' is the wordplay.
'encourage' becomes 'whip' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'favourite' becomes 'pet' (synonyms).
'whip'+'pet'='WHIPPET'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for whippet that I've seen before include "Small greyhound-type dog" , "dog class?" , "Dog related to 9 down" , "Dog similar to a greyhound" , "Racing-dog" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.