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Italian Greyhound Mobile

Italian Greyhound

This is an elegant and slender dog, looking like a standard Greyhound but in miniature. The coat is smooth and glossy and can come in a variety of shades. The head is narrow with a very fine muzzle and ears are softly folded and set high on the head. The spine slopes gently and there is a defined tuck-up in the loins. The gait is high stepping and free.

The need-to-know
  • Dog suitable for owners with some experience
  • Basic training required
  • Enjoys active walks
  • Enjoys walking half an hour a day
  • Little toy dog
  • Minimum drool
  • Requires grooming once a week
  • Non hypoallergenic breed
  • Chatty and vocal dog
  • Guard dog. Barks and alerts
  • May require training to live with other pets
  • May require training to live with kids

Key Facts

Lifespan: 14–15 years
Weight: 3.5–4.5kg
Height: 32–38cm
Colours: Black, fawn, blue fawn, chocolate, sable, tan, red fawn, blue, slate grey, grey, yellow and red
Size: Small
Kennel Club group: Toy

Ratings

Family-friendly: 5/5
Exercise needs: 4/5
Easy to train: 3/5
Tolerates being alone: 1/5
Likes other pets: 4/5
Energy level: 4/5
Grooming needs: 3/5
Shedding: 2/5

Personality

This is a clean, shy, gentle dog that loves to snuggle, partly out of affection and partly due to their need to keep warm! The Italian Greyhound does better with early socialisation so they will accept new people and situations more readily but they are nearly always a one-person dog. Once they have bonded to their owner, they will be inseparable and often are disinterested in other people or dogs.

History and Origins

Country of Origin: Italy

The Italian Greyhound is virtually a complete miniature of the full-sized Greyhounds and originally was of great value as a high-status symbol in the poshest of households. Artists such as Van Eyck and Memling included these dogs in their paintings and in Britain. They became highly fashionable in the Tudor and Stuart periods. Royalty fell under their spell and Charles 1, Queen Anne and Queen Victoria all owned Italian Greyhounds. Like many breeds however, the thing that made them popular became their downfall as the quest for smaller and smaller dogs led to serious health issues – and a dog that was far too delicate for anything but the most cossetted life. The breed was on the way to extinction before sanity prevailed and a group of breeders in the late Victorian era set about bringing the breed back to the unexpectedly hardy little dog they had previously been and that can now be seen today.

Did You Know?

  • Despite the name, the Italian Greyhound comes originally from ancient Egypt (where their mummified remains could be found entombed with pharaohs) as well as Greece and Rome.
  • They are probably the very first breed to be developed purely as a companion and have been around between 4,000 – 7,000 years.
  • Italian Greyhounds are known to chase cars, bikes, people and cats – they are a sighthound after all!

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