Italian Greyhound The Dog Breed

The Italian Greyhound is extremely slender and barely over a foot tall, but has all the grace and sweetness of his taller Greyhound relatives. There is debate as to whether they were originally bred for hunting small game or meant to be simply a companion. In all likelihood, both are true, as they are adaptable to city and country life. The Italian Greyhound’s coat can be any color, except brindle and classic black and tan.  Playful and intelligent, the Italian Greyhound is generally easy to train and prefers to spend most of his time with his owner. They like attention and affection, and are a peaceful, gentle friend to adults and children. Italian Greyhounds are an active breed that loves to run and play and requires daily walks. Their small size makes them ideal for an apartment and his short, smooth as satin coat makes him one of the easiest breeds to groom.

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Italian Greyhound

  

Breed Standard

General Appearance
The Italian Greyhound is very similar to the Greyhound, but much smaller and more slender in all proportions and of ideal elegance and grace.
Head
Narrow and long, tapering to nose, with a slight suggestion of stop. Skull Rather long, almost flat. Muzzle Long and fine. Nose Dark. It may be black or brown or in keeping with the color of the dog. A light or partly pigmented nose is a fault. Teeth Scissors bite. A badly undershot or overshot mouth is a fault. Eyes Dark, bright, intelligent, medium in size. Very light eyes are a fault. Ears Small, fine in texture; thrown back and folded except when alerted, then carried folded at right angles to the head. Erect or button ears severely penalized.
Neck
Long, slender and gracefully arched.  "Faux-Leather Dog Collar in Brown"
Body
Of medium length, short coupled; high at withers, back curved and drooping at hindquarters, the highest point of curve at start of loin, creating a definite tuck-up at flanks.
Shoulders
Long and sloping.
Chest
Deep and narrow.
Forelegs
Long, straight, set well under shoulder; strong pasterns, fine bone.
Hindquarters
Long, well-muscled thigh; hind legs parallel when viewed from behind, hocks well let down, well-bent stifle.
Feet
Harefoot with well-arched toes. Removal of dewclaws optional.
Tail
Slender and tapering to a curved end, long enough to reach the hock; set low, carried low. Ring tail a serious fault, gay tail a fault.
Coat
Skin fine and supple, hair short, glossy like satin and soft to the touch.
Color
Any color and markings are acceptable except that a dog with brindle markings and a dog with the tan markings normally found on black-and-tan dogs of other breeds must be disqualified.
Action
High stepping and free, front and hind legs to move forward in a straight line.
Size
Height at withers, ideally 13 inches to 15 inches.
Disqualifications
A dog with brindle markings. A dog with the tan markings normally found on black-and-tan dogs of other breeds.


Italian Greyhound Health Issues

The Italian Greyhound has a median lifespan of 13.5 in a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey.  A 1993 US breed club survey gives an average lifespan of 9 years but more than a quarter of the dogs had "accidents" recorded as cause of death.

Health problems that can be found in the breed:

• Epilepsy
• Legg-Perthes disease (degeneration of the hip)
• Patellar Luxation (slipped stifles)
• von Willebrand disease (vWD) (Bleeding disorder)
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
• Color dilution alopecia (hair loss in dilute pigmented dogs, i.e.: blues, blue fawns, etc.)
• Leg Breaks (most common under the age of 2)
• Cataracts
• Vitreous degeneration
• Liver shunts
• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
• Periodontal disease, gum recession, early tooth loss, bad tooth enamel
• Hypothyroidism, Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (Hashimoto's disease)

Responsible breeders will routinely check their dogs for the onset of various inherited disorders, these commonly include (but are not limited to): CERF examinations on eyes, OFA patellar examinations, OFA thyroid function panels, von Willebrand's factor, OFA hip and Legg-Perthes disease x-rays, and others.In research by the Ortheopedic Foundation for Animals, the Italian Greyhound was found to be the least affected by hip dysplasia out of 157 breeds. Tests were conducted on 169 individual Italian Greyhounds, of which none were found to have hip dysplasia and 59.2% scored excellent on their hip evaluations.


Italian Greyhound Temperament

The Italian Greyhound makes a good companion dog and enjoys the company of people. However, the breed's slim build and short coat make them somewhat fragile, and injury can result from rough or careless play with children. The breed is good with the elderly or a couple without any children for it prefers a quiet household but they are also generally fine with older children. They also are equally at home in the city or the country, although they tend to do best in spacious areas. They are fast, agile and athletic. Like any dog, daily exercise is a must for a happier, well-adjusted pet. Italian greyhounds love to run. The young dog is often particularly active, and this high level of activity may lead them to attempt ill-advised feats of athleticism that can result in injury. Due to their size, and in some lineages poor bone density, they are prone to broken legs. Italian Greyhounds make reasonably good watchdogs, as they bark at unfamiliar sounds. They may also bark at passers-by and other animals. However, they should not be considered "true" guard dogs as they are often aloof with strangers and easily spooked to run.  "MeteorLight K-9 LED Dog Ball"
As gazehounds, Italian Greyhounds instinctively hunt by sight and have an extremely high predator drive. Owners of Italian Greyhounds should typically keep their dogs leashed at all times when not in an enclosed area to avoid the risk of even a well-behaved pet breaking away at high speed after a small animal. Like most sight hounds, the Italian Greyhound’s slender skulls are near the same width of the dog’s neck, and the use of a “martingale” style collar is advised for walking Italian Greyhounds, it tightens up when pulled while remaining comfortable slack when the dog is walking politely. This prevents the dog backing out and escaping. Breakaway collars are advised for identification, because this active and acrobatic breed could easily injure themselves when put in a collar they cannot escape from, and this leads to possible neck injuries and strangling.


Did You Know?

• The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the family of Gazehounds (sighthounds).
• The Italian Greyhound is believed to have originated more than 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean basin, possibly in the countries now known as Greece & Turkey.
• The Italian Greyhound was a favorite of the Italians of the 16th century with whom miniature dogs were much in demand.
• The Italian Greyhound was frequently included in Renaissance paintings by such famed artists as Giotto, Carpaccio, Memling, Van der Weyden, David, and Bosch.
• Favorite of various royal families, including the consort of England’s James I, Anne of Denmark; Mary Beatrice d’Este of Modena, the Italian consort of James II; Frederick the Great of Prussia; Catherine the Great of Russia, and Queen Victoria.
• The first volume of the English Kennel Club’s Stud Book listed 40 of the breed; Volume III of the AKC Stud Book (1886) contains the first Italian Greyhound registration in this country, although it was not until 1950 that as many as 50 were registered in this country.
• President John Tyler bought his wife an Italian Greyhound named "Le Beau."

Italian Greyhound History

As with many ancient breeds it is their depiction in art and architecture that gives insight into their origin. Miniature greyhounds appear in ancient decorative arts of the Mediterranean countries dating back 2000 years. It was during the sixteenth century when this diminutive gazehound was highly sought by Italians and Southern Europeans that it acquired the name Italian Greyhound. The breed made their way to England in the seventeenth century steadily gaining in popularity.
An Italian Greyhound was registered for the first time with the American Kennel Club in 1886. Following World War I when the breed was in danger of extinction in Great Britain, fresh stock was imported from the United States, giving evidence of the high quality to be found in America at that time. The Italian Greyhound Club of America was founded in 1954.  The Italian Greyhound is a true greyhound, his small size the result of selective breeding. There is debate as to whether he was originally bred for hunting small game or was meant to be simply a companion. In all likelihood, both are true, as he is adaptable to city and country life.

Italian Greyhound Dog's 101 Video

 AKC Registered Breeders

Italian Greyhound
Parent Club: Italian Greyhound Club of America, Inc.
Breeder Referral: Lilian Barber; PST (951) 679-5084
Breeder Directory: website 

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