Italian Greyhound

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Italian Greyhound

Italian Greyhound Characteristics

Size:
Grooming Needs:
Exercise Needs:
Good With Dogs:
Watchdog Ability:

Italian Greyhound Breed Information

Breed Group: Toy

Weight: 7-14 lbs

Height: 13-15 inches

Color(s): any color but brindle or black and tan

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Italian Greyhound

$600.00

Italian Greyhound $780 (Empire Puppies)

Italian Greyhound

$780.00

Italian Greyhound Female Puppies

Italian Greyhound

$450.00

Overview

The Italian Greyhound was brought to Europe by the Phoenicians when it was later developed by the Romans. This breed was a favorite by Catherine the Great of Russia. This breed is now most commonly seen in a family environment, as a companion. The Italian Greyhound can be very shy and timid; however can also be destructive in an endearing way. Harsh punishment is sure to drive this dog into submission, so gentle handling and correction is a must.

Character

The Italian Greyhound is very dependent and does not do well in a kennel type environment. This breed should always be kept as a companion. They can be somewhat high strung, but are very sensitive and always need reassurance by their owner that they have not done something naughty. The Italian Greyhound is a very active dog and is very fast, making him great for agility trials in which he is commonly used.

Temperament

Italian Greyhounds make wonderful companions, especially for a family. However, they should never be placed in a home with small children. This breed is so sensitive and can be very timid that small children that pester will be sure to make this dog extremely timid. The Italian Greyhound does fairly well around other dogs, but does best in a home with other Italian Greyhounds as this breed does not do well around large and more dominant dogs.

Care

The Italian Greyhound has a coat that is very easy to groom. This breed sheds very little if any hair making grooming very simple. A regular wipe down with a soft towel or chamois is sure to keep his coat in tiptop shape and looking glossy and beautiful. The teeth of this breed should be brushed on a regular basis to prevent tartar buildup and/or gum disease. Italian Greyhounds should be protected from the cold and should have their nails clipped at least once every two weeks.

Coat

The Italian Greyhound has a very beautiful coat that consists of short and fine hair. This breed looks like a smaller version of the greyhound and has the same basic coat texture and shine. The skin of this breed should always be supple while the hair should be short and glossy, much like satin. The hair should always be soft to the touch, never coarse.

Training

The Italian Greyhound can be extremely difficult to train, as they can be very high-strung, yet so sensitive at the same time. Many times this requires professional training from a trainer experienced with the Italian Greyhound. Housebreaking can be very difficult, even though they are very intelligent and eager to please. Obedience classes are definitely recommended as this breed has the tendency to become very submissive if corrected in a harsh manner.

Activity

The Italian Greyhound is very lively and active so he should require vigorous exercise daily. This breed loves long walks and runs and does best with at least a small yard to roam free in. This breed is very fast and agile so jogging and running are his specialty and he sure loves to do it. The Italian Greyhound however should always be kept on leash or in a safe and fenced in area as this breed has the tendency to wander off if let loose in an open area.

Ask a Question Italian Greyhound Questions & Answers

QUESTION: HOW MUCH CAN I EXPECT TO PAY FOR AN AKC REG ITALIAN GREYHOUND???

Anonymous - 1/7/2012 4:15:39 PM

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QUESTION: My IG is mostly white, has a wonderful temperment and is a great dog except he is deaf. He was adopted and is about to turn three years old. Is deafness common in the white color? He is beautiful and I would like another white one but sometimes the deafness is a challenge.

Anonymous - 11/25/2011 6:15:58 PM

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QUESTION: Can I keep an Italian Greyhound with a Boxer? My boxer likes to be in charge but will back off if hinted at. She might also pester the new dog for a few days. Will the IG feel comfortable after the first week when my boxer has gotten used to her? URGENT.

Anonymous - 11/24/2011 7:30:30 PM

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I introduced my IG to my husbands Chocolate Lab 3 years ago. He is a male and she is female. They get along prefect together. Hope your two will receive each other well.

Anonymous - 1/8/2012 4:20:57 PM

QUESTION: I have a 4 year old Italian Greyhound who is a bit bigger for the breed but also a bit overweight. I've tried cutting down her portions (She eats Taste of the Wild grain free) and I try to walk her daily, sometimes one or two miles. But all she wants to do is lie in bed. Is this normal? How much exercise should she be getting? I live in the city, so there's no backyard. She occasionally gets to go to off leash hours at the park, but I'm wondering how long our walks should be... especially if I want her to lose some weight.

Anonymous - 11/23/2011 9:57:25 PM

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QUESTION: We have a 1 yr old I.Greyhound. Throughout the summer, even though we left the back door open he will still poop in the house. 2 or 3 out of 7 nights he willl pee inside at night. We let him out at 11:00pm and again at 6:00am. I have heard they are hard to housetrain. Any tips

Anonymous - 9/20/2011 12:47:38 AM

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It might be separation anxiety. Is your IG near you at night? Mine does sleep with us and she likes to burrow under covers. It is endearing. During the day when I am at work, my Bella is kept in the tiled laundry room with a doggy diaper pad down because she gets frantic when I leave for the day even when I try leaving with as little commotion as possible. you can get the pads at target or walmart.

Anonymous - 12/23/2011 2:16:50 PM

Try paper training your greyhound. Confine him to a room with a baby gate and paper the entire room. Put his crate in the room without the door on. Feed him in the crate, put toys in the crate. Leave water out at all times. He will pick an area outside the crate to eliminate. Shrink the paper to that area gradually. Leave paper there or put a litter box down. That way if he goes in the house, he has a designated area to do so.

Anonymous - 10/18/2011 10:00:26 PM

QUESTION: Are Italian Greyhound good with kids?

Anonymous - 9/5/2011 1:47:21 PM

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QUESTION: Can an Italian Greyhound be kept with a Wired Hair Fox Terrier? Respond ASAP!

Anonymous - 7/8/2011 11:10:27 PM

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Adult dogs are not as fragile as they may appear. This dog can be high-strung and timid if they are over protected, and do not receive enough exercise, including a daily pack walk. Italian Greyhounds do best in a quiet household, although they do get along well with children and other dogs and cats, so long as the humans around them display leadership. In a stressful situation, do not try to reassure the dog by stroking or cuddling, as this intensifies the stress in the dog. In the dog world, when a dog is in an unstable state, and you try and give him reassurance with affection, the dog sees you as being in a weaker state than his own. This intensifies the instability. You need to give off a stronger, more stable energy the dog can feed from. This dog needs you to be his pack leader. Dogs who are babied, and over protected will be snappish if they are frightened. Do not allow your little dog to develop Small Dog Syndrome, where the dog believes they rule the home.

Anonymous - 7/19/2011 5:02:08 PM

QUESTION: Can I keep an Italian Greyhound with a Wired Hair Fox Terrier?

Anonymous - 7/8/2011 11:09:36 PM

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QUESTION: WHAT SHOULD THE BREEDER GIVE YOU WHEN YOU PICK UP YOUR PUPPY, SUCH AS MEDICAL RECORDS WHAT ELSE AND WHICH MEDICAL RECORDS SHOULD IT HAVE ?

Anonymous - 7/1/2011 4:52:15 PM

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It should say their birthday, breed, maybe parents, color, weight, height, personality, breed group.

Anonymous - 7/19/2011 5:03:02 PM

QUESTION: do Italian greyhounds have a lot of health problems because I would like to know this info asap

Anonymous - 5/5/2011 11:10:18 PM

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I havent owend an Italian greyhound yet but i do know that they are very prone to breaking legs especially as puppies, for instance you should not let them on any furniture until about one and a half years

Anonymous - 5/9/2011 12:28:24 PM

QUESTION: How long do Italian Greyhound's live for?

Anonymous - 4/11/2011 8:41:15 PM

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Italian Greyhound's can live up to 15 years, I'm not sure what the avearge is though.

Anonymous - 5/30/2011 1:55:42 PM

QUESTION: Do Italian Greyhounds do well with cats? Also, I have a Italian Greyhound Black Lab mix and she was very easy to train......why do people say that Italian Greyhounds they are so hard to train? My dog was very easy.

Anonymous - 4/8/2011 1:40:20 PM

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I've never had problems with my italian greyhounds and cats. As far as housebreaking is concerned, it is hard to train them, but possible. It took probably a year and a half to house train my first, now he is absolutely perfect. They just take a lot of time and patience, but they are truly a unique breed.

Anonymous - 5/20/2011 4:40:08 PM

QUESTION: I saw on television that IGs can be litter trained, is this true? If so, how easy or difficult is it to train them?

Anonymous - 1/8/2011 7:54:18 PM

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I had my IG which I purchased from a private owner when she was 6 mos. old litter trained using newspaper and a tupperware (plastic) box. It was very easy to train her, but it became old because of having to change the paper countess times a day. When I decided, after a long period, probably 2 years, not to have her litter trained anymore, she easily adapted to doing her business outside. Surprisingly easy!!!!

Anonymous - 1/19/2011 1:59:08 PM

QUESTION: What is the average life expectency for a miniature italian greyhound.?

Anonymous - 12/22/2010 12:36:39 PM

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Italian Greyhounds can live up to 15 years on average. There is no such thing as a miniature italian greyhoud however.

Anonymous - 5/27/2011 2:15:27 PM

QUESTION: I have two Italian Greyhounds. They are both purebred dogs. My older one I got because someone bought her on a whim and couldn't take care of her. She's now 8 years old and about 15 lbs. My other i.g. I picked out from a breeder when she was 2 weeks old. The older dog has a full coat of hair, but the younger dog only has hair on her neck. Other than the hair on her neck she is hairless. Is this normal???

Anonymous - 12/22/2010 10:44:50 AM

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The Italian Greyhound is one of the easiest dogs to groom. All that is needed to keep the fine, silky coat gleaming is a rubdown with a piece of toweling or chamois. Only bathe when absolutely necessary. After bathing make sure the dog is thoroughly dry and warm. Trim toenails regularly. This breed sheds little to no hair.

Anonymous - 7/19/2011 5:03:47 PM

QUESTION: Can you get brindle italian greyhounds??

Anonymous - 12/1/2010 2:15:10 PM

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An Italian Greyhound cannot be brindle because a pure bred Italian Greyhound does not carry the brindle gene. If you see a brindle I.G., it is not pure bred.

Anonymous - 12/7/2010 4:08:19 PM

QUESTION: I have recently found some italian greyhound puppies for sale. They are full itailan greyhounds but their mom is not KC registered. They are a lovely litter of mainly blues and fawns but me and my partner have fallen for a grey/blue bitch from the same litter but she is brindly. I know that the brindles are disqualified from showing. (im not planning on showing) I cant find any other photos of brindle ig either?

Anonymous - 11/28/2010 12:49:04 PM

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There is no such thing as a brindle Italian Greyhound. The pup may likely have some whippet in her or some other breed. Whippets and Greyhounds can be brindle in color - but not IG's. This does not mean that she won't make a great pet though - but she is not purebred.

Anonymous - 5/30/2011 1:58:08 PM

QUESTION: What breads make up the Italian Grehound dog?

Anonymous - 11/10/2010 7:51:36 PM

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There are two theories. One, Italian Greyhounds were bred down from the larger hunting dogs of the Pharaohs. Or they were developed in ancient Turkey or Greece, Regardless, they are downsized from the full sized hunting greyhounds. Over a long period of time, humans selected the smaller/finer of the puppies to produce the next generation.

rocknrollover - 11/24/2010 2:19:10 PM

QUESTION: Do Italian Greyhound dogs shed a lot?

Anonymous - 10/14/2010 3:07:36 PM

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Italian Greyhounds do not shed very much . They have very thin light coats.

dlynn89 - 5/31/2011 6:27:22 PM

I have a six year old IG and have never noticed her hair in the house. However, when we are in the car and I am wearing a light colored shirt I notice many hairs on my clothing. I have met others that shed quite a lot just through normal petting, but in general their hair is so short that it shouldn't accumulate and be an issue with carpet and furniture.

Anonymous - 5/27/2011 2:17:27 PM

Many many people contact us looking for hypo-alergic dogs. Italian greyhounds are one of the few hypo-alergic breeds.

rocknrollover - 11/24/2010 2:20:38 PM

Italian Greyhounds have such short, smooth hair that it is not noticable. Many people who are allergic to other dogs are not allergic to IGs, as they don't have a lot of dander. They are great dogs!!!

tcarlson2003 - 10/15/2010 9:52:25 PM

QUESTION: How long can I leave my italian greyhound alone (with the cat) while i´m at work? can I get it used to it when getting it as a puppy?

Anonymous - 10/12/2010 2:23:19 PM

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My advise is to google "crate training puppy" and follow this method. You will find it helps incredibly with the house training issues for your italian greyhound.

rocknrollover - 11/24/2010 2:27:56 PM

Dogs (of just about any breed) age from birth to the equivalent to a 16 year old from their birth to age 12 months. By the time they are a year old, they will be about 16 years old (in human years). If you have a puppy, you will not want to leave it alone by itself until it is old enough to be able to act like an adult - probably about 18 months or so - perhaps longer depending on the maturity of the individual dog. Crate training will keep your puppy (and cat!) safe and sound while you are gone. It's not cruel - it's kind! Dogs like to be in a bed of their own and your puppy will soon come to see its crate as a safe place to be.

tcarlson2003 - 10/15/2010 9:51:01 PM

QUESTION: About how big does the Italian Greyhound grow? About how much do they cost, and do they bark a lot?

Anonymous - 9/22/2010 4:06:58 PM

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I have been to many Italian Greyhound playdates and seen them anywhere from 5 pounds full grown to 22 pounds. Mind you, the 22 pounders are generally very overweight. As far as barking goes they definitely can bark and some do so "too much". I have a reactive barker who barks at anything and everything that makes noise outside - but she didn't make a peep until 9-10 months old. PS - never leave an IG in an unfenced area without a leash!!! This is well known in the sighthound community and many owners lose their pets this way.

Anonymous - 5/30/2011 2:02:08 PM

Italian Greyhounds usually get up to 10 in. tall. They don't bark.....my Black Lab Italian Greyhound mix only makes a muff sound because of the Lab in her. These dogs are like the greyhound but much smaller, they are built to race but have fragile bones as puppys. I mean they still do as an adult but they are more prone to break something as puppys. They are great dogs to have and I would recommend getting one! :)

Anonymous - 5/24/2011 8:51:36 PM

THere is a great difference in show and pet quality IGs. A show quality Italian Greyhounds will be about 12-13 inches and would avg about 10 lbs. Because show breeders exclude bad genes, and pet breeders do not, you will find the show quality healthier, with more consistent personalities, and of course more beautiful. Our show quality males are $500. Female are $600. Some alert bark and some do not. It is a genetic trait.

rocknrollover - 11/24/2010 2:24:53 PM

My Italian Greyhound was about 25lbs. at 8 years old. He was big for an Italian Greyhound, but they can get bigger than 12lbs. . . They cost about $500-$600, but it is well worth it! . . . IMO: IG's are the BEST dogs ever!!!

Anonymous - 10/6/2010 9:04:10 AM

If you are looking for Italian Greyhound puppies for sale from reputable Italian Greyhound breeders or to adopt an Italian Greyhound from an Italian Greyhound rescue then make sure you understand as much about the dog breeds you are interested in as you can. Every puppy breed is different. Begin your research by reading the breed information about the Italian Greyhound puppy above. Search our dog breeds section to find Italian Greyhound puppies, dogs and puppies that make great pets.

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