Italian Greyhound Information

It is beleived that the Italian Greyhound has been around for more than 2,000 years, with reports of Italian Greyhound skeletons being found in the 5,000 year old ancient tombs of Egypt. The Italian Greyhound did not originate in Italy, but its association with Italian art during the Renaissance period is how the name came about.
The Italian Greyhound has always been a favorite of royalty and aristocracy, and many paintings show historical figures such as Princess Anne of Denmark, Queen Victoria and Catherine the Great of Russia with their beloved Italian Greyhounds. It is a well known fact that Frederick the Great was a great fan of this breed and was almost always seen with one or more of them.
In Europe, they are in the sighthound group. In Germany they call them 'Italienische Windspiele' (play with the wind). The Italian Greyhound is a true greyhound, his small size the result of selective breeding. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the breed was originally bred for hunting small game or just simply to be a pet and companion.

The Italian Greyhound resembles the larger dogs, the Greyhound and Whippet, it is of course, much smaller in size. IGs as they are known are very loyal to their owners, they live long and show an incredible amount of affection to those around them. They are extremely intelligent and enjoy running and chasing.
IGs are a beautiful and clean dog that requires little to no time for grooming. They're small enough to fit into any living situation yet large enough to be a real dog. Although small in size their bark is deceiving as they do bark not yap. In 1886 the first Italian Greyhound was registered by the American Kennel Club, the breed has remained quite rare in the United States until recently. An IGs life span is 13 to 15 years normally, although, 16 to 18 is not unusual.

Even though the IG is a small breed it has great agility and speed. IGs can run at speeds approaching 35 mph for short bursts and turn on a dime.

The IG standard is anywhere from 13-15 inches and weighs approximately 10 to 13 pounds. They have a short, silk-like coat and very rarely shed, which makes them an excellent pets for those with dog hair allergies. The IG is not a noisy dog, gets along well with other pets and is a clean and odorless dog.

Our dogs love to play ball and make some of the most awesome catches I have ever seen. Teaching them to play ball was perhaps the easiest trick, in fact they may have actually taught me. They also love a good game of tug of war. But when its time to relax and sit back they are the happiest, when cuddled up with people or other IGs. They really are a Velcro dog.

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Carl White

Carpentersville, Illinios

847-836-1389

Send e-mail to carl.wwhite@comcast.net