Gregarious and affectionate with those they know, the Segugio Italiano loves company, following a scent and being out all day. Despite being quite lightweight, they are formidable in a group against a larger potentially aggressive game. As a pet they will prefer company and are unlikely to tolerate being left for long by themselves. Expect hound style singing and howling at moments of excitement or frustration.

Country of Origin: Italy

The Segugio Italiano is an ancient Italian breed dating back thousands of years. Bred to hunt game including hare, rabbits and wild boar, they are tough dogs despite their small size and light build in comparison to other hounds.It is thought their ancestry lies in Phoenician sighthounds and the scent hounds of the Celts, but there is very little written history on this breed. Their appearance certainly suggests this could be true. They are much lighter in build, much racier and longer in the leg than any other scent hound, but their working style ‘nose down, tail up and covering ground rapidly’ is all scent hound!

The Segugio Italiano needs to have a balanced dog diet including all the main nutrient groups and a constant supply of fresh water. It's also important to conduct regular?body condition?scores to ensure you keep your dog in ideal shape, and remember to feed them at least twice daily in accordance with the feeding guidelines of their particular food.

Segugio Italiano is a dog with incredible stamina. Two hours out walking, running, following a scent is the bare minimum of daily dog exercise for the Segugio. Suited to working in a pack, they are likely to enjoy group walks with people and dogs, but would excel at scent-based dog games and sports such as scent detection and man-trailing. Better homed with people who enjoy long outdoor walks and lots of running.

Health and common concerns

The Segugio Italiano dog is a robust breed with no widely recognised specific health concerns.

Space requirements

One Segugio is not hard to house, this is a medium-sized dog with a light build – however one Segugio is likely to be lonely. Several Segugios will be happier but will require more room. A large and very secure garden attached to a medium to large rural home would be ideal. Not suited to urban living in the slightest due to their desire to follow scent for miles on end.

Training segugio italiano dogs

Typical of most scent-hounds, the Segugio is hard to motivate unless the job at hand is ‘follow that scent’. Easily considered stubborn, they simply won’t see the point of dog training and repeating tasks such as ‘sit’ or ‘down’ over and over. Engage and motivate your Segugio with food and the opportunity to follow scent however, and you will build a strong bond and excellent working relationship. Training a recall is vital, as is learning safe management using a long-line and harness. Segugios will enjoy tracking, either as the more formal competitive dog sport or the newer sport of Man-trailing.

Best family dog breeds

For those familiar with the hound nature, independent and strong-willed, with a strong drive to hunt prey, the Segugio might make an entertaining and engaging companion. Better suited to those with older children and the time to spend walking, running and training their hound. Not suited for those who want a very biddable, responsive dog or families with very little time to spare. While many dogs are traditionally thought of as being good with children, all dogs and children need to be taught to get on with each other and be safe together. Even so, dogs and young children should never be left alone together and adults should supervise all interactions between them.

Did you know?

While popular in its native Italy, the Segugio is so rare that there haven’t been any litters produced since 2007, and as a result in 2020 they were declassified by the Kennel Club in the UK.