Italian Greyhound
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| Italian Greyhound | |||||||||
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| File:Italian greyhund.jpg Italian Greyhound | |||||||||
| Other names | Piccolo Levriero Italiano | ||||||||
| Origin | Greece Turkey Italy | ||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||
The Italian Greyhound is a small breed of dog, specifically a member of the sight hound family and member of the toy group. They are sometimes called an "I.G." or "Iggy" for short.[1]
Appearance
The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the sight hounds, typically weighing about 7 to 11 lbs or so. Standing about 13 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder or whithers.[1] Though they are in the "toy" group by their weight, they physically occupy more space because of their skinny bodies, so owners must be careful when sizing clothing or accommodations.
The Italian Greyhound's chest is deep, with a tucked abdomen, long slender legs and long neck. The face is long and pointed, somewhat like that of a Dachshund. Overall, they look like miniature Greyhounds. Their gait is distinctive and resembles the elegant trot of a horse. They are able to run at top speed with a double-suspension gallop, and can achieve a top speed of up to 25mph.
The colour of the coat is a subject of much discussion. In the UK, the USA, and Australia, white spotted IGs are accepted, while the FCI standards adhered to in Europe allows white spots only on the chest and paws.[2]
The modern Italian Greyhound's appearance is a result of breeders throughout Europe, particularly Austrian, German, Italian, and French breeders, making great contributions to the forming of this breed. The Italian Greyhound should resemble a small Greyhound, or rather a Sloughi, though they are in appearance more elegant and graceful.
Temperament
The Italian Greyhound is affectionate and makes a good companion dog. The breed is excellent for families and enjoys the company of people. While they are excellent with children, the breed's slim build and short coat make them somewhat fragile, and injury can result from rough play.
Although the Italian Greyhound appears fragile, they have some characteristics of larger dogs. Their large, strong lungs enables a bark that is deeper than one might expect from a small dog.
The breed is equally at home in the city or the country and does not require as much exercise as larger breeds, although they are fast, agile and athletic. 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. They enjoy running as fast as they possibly can, typically faster than other larger dogs.
In general the Italian Greyhound is intelligent, but they often have a "what's in it for me attitude," so patience and reward in training seem to work best. The are also known for their mischievous ingenuity; despite a high center of gravity, they can easily walk upright on their hind legs to reach items up on tables.
Italian Greyhounds make reasonably good watchdogs, as they bark at unfamiliar sounds. They may also bark at passers-by and other animals. However, they often get along well with other dogs and cats they are raised with. They are not good guard dogs as they are often aloof with strangers and easily spooked to run.
Due to their slim build and extremely short coat, Italian Greyhounds are at times reluctant to go outside in cold or wet weather, so some owners lay old newspaper on the floor near an exit so their pets can relieve themselves. Some respond well to dog-litter training as well. This breed tends to gravitate to warm places, curl up with other dogs or humans, or burrow into blankets and under cushions for warmth.
As gazehounds, Italian Greyhounds instinctively hunt by sight and have a high predator drive. Owners of Italian Greyhounds 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. Also, a short leash is highly suggested to owners due to reports of animals breaking their own necks when running a full lead mounted to the ground or a wall.
Like most small breeds, Italian Greyhounds have small bladders. Housebreaking progresses with training and patience, but still at a slower pace than with larger breeds.
Italian Greyhounds are known for their lack of bladder control in comparison to other dogs. This is thought to be due to the bladder muscle in the dog being far too weak and due to many generations of breeding without removing the undesirable genetic traits.
Grooming
Dogs of this breed have an extremely short and almost odorless coat that requires little more than an occasional bath. Shedding is typical as of other breeds, but the hair that is shed is extremely short and fine and is easily vacuumed.
The teeth of an Italian Greyhound should be brushed regularly. Their scissor-bite and thin jaw bones make them susceptible to periodontal disease, which can be avoided with good dental care, which can be as simple as feeding your dog a rawhide chew daily.
Health
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, ie: 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)
- Deafness (in dogs lacking pigmentation)
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.
History
The name of the breed is a reference to the breed's popularity in Renaissance Italy. Mummified dogs very similar to the Italian Greyhound (or small Greyhounds) have been found in Egypt, and pictorials of small Greyhounds have been found in Pompeii, and they were probably the only accepted companion-dog there. As an amusing aside the expression 'Cave Canem' (Beware of the dog) was a warning to visitors, not that the dogs would attack but to beware of damaging the small dogs.
Although the small dogs are mainly companionship dogs they have in fact been used for hunting purposes, often in combination with hunting falcons.
The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the family of gazehounds (dogs that hunt by sight). The breed is an old one and is believed to have originated more than 2,000 years ago in the countries now known as Greece and Turkey. This belief is based on the depiction of miniature greyhounds in the early decorative arts of these countries and on the archaeological discovery of small greyhound skeletons. By the Middle Ages, the breed had become distributed throughout Southern Europe and was later a favorite of the Italians of the sixteenth century, among whom miniature dogs were in great demand. It is, in fact, due to its popularity in Italy at this time that the breed became known as the "Italian Greyhound." From this period onward the history of the breed can be fairly well traced as it spread through Europe, arriving in England in the seventeenth century.
Miscellaneous
Italian Greyhounds in the arts
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The grace of the breed has prompted several artists to include the dogs in paintings, among others Velasquez, Pisanello and Giotto.
The breed has been popular with royalty throughout, among the best known royal aficionados were Mary Stuart, Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Catherine The Great, Frederick the Great and the Norwegian Queen Maud.
Italian Greyhounds in popular culture
- Nelly from the film Good Boy! is an Italian Greyhound played by "Montif" and "Imp". [2]
- The American math rock band Shellac named their fourth album Excellent Italian Greyhound in reference to drummer Todd Trainer's pet Italian Greyhound, Uffizi.
Activities
Some Italian Greyhounds enjoy dog agility. The breed's lithe body and its love of action enable it to potentially do well at this sport, although not many IGs participate and their natural inclination is for straight-out racing rather than for working tightly as a team with a handler on a technical course.
Lure coursing is another activity well-fitted to the Italian Greyhound, and they seem to enjoy it tremendously. Although the Italian Greyhound is a very fast dog, it is not as well suited to racing as its larger cousin.
External links
- Clubs, Associations, and Societies
- IG Information Resources
- Miscellaneous
References
- ^ Barber, Lillian S., The New Complete Italian Greyhound, p.5 (1993, Italian Greyhound Productions) ISBN 0961198621
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326900/fullcredits#cast Internet Movie Database: Good Boy! Full cast and crew. Retrieved April 26 2007