ITALIAN GREYHOUND
APPEARANCE
The Italian Greyhound’s chest is deep, with a tucked up abdomen, long slender legs and a long neck that tapers down to a small head. The face is long and pointed, like a full sized greyhound. His short coat is very glossy and close. The coloring of the Italian Greyhound can vary and includes fawn, red, cream, blue, black, and other colors, sometimes with white patches. They typically weighing about 8 to 15 lbs (3.6 to 6.8 kg) and standing about 13 to 15 inches (33 - 38 cm) tall.
PERSONALITY
The Italian Greyhound is affectionate and makes a good companion dog. The breed is excellent for families and enjoys the company of people. They can be stressed easily and may get snappy when frightened but can be soothed with calm strokes. The Italian Greyhound shares the same love for the chase that his larger cousin has, so be careful when the dog is playing off leash.
TRAINING
This breed is intelligent and bright so training should not be difficult provided their owner is consistent and repetitive. These dogs are sensitive and will need a gentle training method to fully understand and respect their owner’s commands. Housebreaking the Italian Greyhound can be extremely hard due to their small bladder. Consistency and monitoring their pee breaks will be needed for the first month or two to ensure they have this house rule understood.
EXERCISE
Italian Greyhound is a very energetic dog when younger, although his energy levels will moderate as he grows older. These dogs will need to be taken out on regular walks and even to dog parks so they can run around off-leash and socialize with other dogs at the same time. He is a very fast dog and is excellent at jumping, so you should ensure that he is able to exercise in an area that is safe and securely fenced.
SOCIALIZATION
Italian Greyhounds often get along well with other dogs and cats they are raised with. This breed gets along well with people, dogs, and smaller pets but are reserved when meeting any of these for the first couple of times. Once this dog is accustomed to a stranger they will warm up quickly. They are not good guard dogs as they are often aloof with strangers and easily spooked to run.
LIVING CONDITIONS
Italian Greyhounds would do well living in an apartment because they are moderately active indoors and will get by fine with daily exercise. This breed enjoys the outdoors in warm weather and they don’t like cool climates.
GROOMING
Italian Greyhounds have an extremely short and almost odorless coat that requires little more than an occasional bath, but a wipe-down with a damp cloth is recommended after walks as seeds, burrs and floating dust in the air can get into the coat and irritate the skin. The teeth of an Italian Greyhound should be brushed daily. This is also a very low shedder, and could therefore prove ideal for those with allergies.
HEALTH ISSUES
The lifespan of the Italian Greyhound is around 13-15 years. You should bear in mind that the Italian Greyhound can be extremely sensitive to cold because of his size and thin skin, and should always wear a jumper in colder weather. This breed is prone to epilepsy, luxating patella’s, and fractures because their bones are quite fine. They may also be prone to hypothyroidism, eye problems such as cataracts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy, and Legg Perthes syndrome.
HISTORY
As the name suggest, the Italian Greyhound originates from Italy, and has a history that spans over two thousand years. One of the first breeds to be bred as a companion in ancient history, these dogs became popular with Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and others. The Italian Greyhound was registered with the AKC in 1886.
