The Italian Greyhound is a toy breed dating back many hundreds of years. The Italian Greyhound can be found in many Renaissance paintings and was also a favorite subject for sculpture and tapestries. Some believe he was originally bred for coursing rats and other small vermin, but the popular belief is that he was intended mainly to be a beloved and elegant pet.
The Italian Greyhound is one of several breeds regarded as being one of the oldest in existence. Undoubtedly gazehounds, the Greyhound, Saluki, Borzoi, Scottish Deerhound, Ibizan Hound, Pharaoh Hound, Cirneco dell'Etna and Italian Greyhound all have a common ancestor, which was probably larger than the current IG, and smaller than some of the modern sighthounds.
The IG was attributed to Italy because of the many works of art originating in in that country. By the Middle Ages, the IG had appeared throughout southern Europe. It became a favorite of Italian ladies of the sixteenth century and less than one hundred years later, was introduced to England.
The IG should be a refined miniature of the large English Greyhound. Like his racing relatives, he is fast and light on his feet, but lacks both the endurance and the almost fanatical will to run of the larger dog.
IG's are people dogs. They do not do well under impersonal conditions. IG's do well with children who are old enough to understand that they must be handled with sensitivity. In obedience training, IG's can be sharp workers, eager one day and absolutely impossible the next. They seem to delight in goofing exercises and thereby attracting the amused attention of ringsiders.
Imaginative, full of fun, and passionately devoted, the IG is bright and quick to learn, providing his trainer can avoid boring him. Many lovers of elegant dogs have made the transition from poodles and other heavily coated breeds to the effortlessly groomed IG, without feeling that any beauty has been sacrificed. There is certainly no money to be made in a breed that tends to select its owners rather than vice versa, but owning an IG may just change your entire lifestyle.
