Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue

Italian Greyhounds

Before you decide to buy or adopt an Italian Greyhound, please consider the following:

The #1 reason IGs are surrendered to rescues or shelters: housetraining accidents. IGs are notoriously hard to housetrain, and even the best-trained IG may occasionally have an accident, especially in cold or wet weather. It takes diligence, a schedule, confinement, appropriate clean-up of accidents, and a forgiving nature to housetrain an IG.

Confining an IG is essential for successful housetraining, but should not be abused. An IG should not be expected to stay in a crate or kennel for eight to 10 hours a day. If you use a kennel/crate while you're gone, it's best to hire a dog walker to come in midway through the day to take the dog outside if you'll be gone more than six hours, or use an alternative such as litterbox training or dog daycare. Many dogs are successful with paper training/potty pads or a litter box inside of an exercise pen, a giant-sized crate (dog bed in the front, potty pad in the back), or a designated dog room. Others enjoy going to a dog daycare where they are surrounded by other dogs in a stimulating environment.

If you plan to keep your IG in a crate both during the day and overnight, consider how few hours your dog will be out of a crate. Six? Five? Four? What if you go out in the evening, or have kids in sports or other activities? If you crate your dog overnight, please consider an alternative to crating during the day, whether it's an exercise pen, a dog room, or doggie daycare. Or, maybe this isn't a good time to get an IG. It might be best to wait until your kids' activities or your work or social commitments are not as demanding upon your time.

Italian Greyhounds are not miniature greyhounds and do not have activity levels similar to retired racing greyhounds. Most young IGs (under 5 years) are very active and require daily walking along with off-leash playtime in a safely fenced area.

The #2 reason IGs are surrendered to rescues or shelters: high energy level. This is, for the most part, not a laid-back toy breed. IGs, especially young ones, can be very active in the house. They like to run, jump off furniture and roughhouse with other animals. They're not a breed to have if you don't want pets on your furniture or bed, or if you like to display expensive collections on low tables or open shelves.

Due to their size, IGs can be easily injured by young children or large dogs who play roughly. Leg breaks - the #3 reason for surrendering to rescue - are not uncommon in this breed, and very expensive to treat. Many IGs cannot be placed in homes with very young children who might drop or step on them, or with large dogs, without an extensive home visit. That said, many IGs have been happily placed in homes with well-behaved and supervised young children, other breed dogs, and retired racing Greyhounds IF the Greyhound has been certified as safe around small animals/dogs.

Italian Greyhounds need a lot of stimulation. They need to be physically and mentally fit, which includes scheduled exercise, free playtime in a safe, fenced environment and training classes. All dogs can benefit from at least one six to nine week class session of basic obedience, and many will go on to complete more obedience classes. Almost any IG can learn the basic skills to test for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Award. Or, try agility, flyball or another dog sport. IGs with a high prey drive may enjoy lure coursing or straight racing. Many IGs make excellent walking or jogging partners, but may want to stay home in cold or wet weather.

IGs should never be off lead in any area that's not safely fenced. They are sighthounds, and even the best trained IG may take off after a rabbit, squirrel, or piece of paper blowing in the wind and meet a tragic end, either by becoming lost, or killed by traffic or a predator. Safe fencing includes stockade, privacy or chain link, not invisible or electric fencing. Invisible fencing is not recommended because: it does not keep other dogs out of your yard, the batteries in the collar may malfunction, and an excited IG may run through the fence, then become frightened of the shock and keep on running. If there's not a safely fenced area, an IG should be kept on a lead. Using a retractable lead or 20 foot training lead, in an open/unfenced area, will give an IG quite a bit of freedom to roam, which still giving the owner control.

Senior IGs (10+ years) will more readily adapt to a life of leisure, and may be better suited companions for someone who does not want the additional responsibility of an active, younger dog. But, even older dogs will gain weight and lose muscle tone if they are not given enough exercise. Short walks, several times a day, may be the answer. IGs often live to be 14 - 17+ years, so your companion will probably be around a long time.

IGs have a low body fat ratio, and sparse, fine hair. They cannot tolerate the cold. During winter months they need heavy coats on to go outside, boots for walks in the snow and even a sweater, indoors, if the heat is kept low. Their ears are susceptible to frostbite, and must be protected for extended periods outdoors with a snood.

Since IGs have such short, fine hair, you will seldom notice much shedding hair. A healthy IG will not have a 'doggy' smell, either. Most will seldom need bathing, although, many enjoy a warm bath and rub down.

The vocalization of IGs range from nothing to the extreme. Some IGs never bark, others have a repertoire of whines, barks and howls. It seems to depend on the individual dog. This is something to keep in mind if you live in an apartment, condo or townhouse, or live close to neighbors who might object to the noise.

Though they are a toy breed, IGs are still sighthounds, and many have very high prey-drive. Most IGs will chase cats, even if they won't harm them. Most are not safe around rabbits, ferrets, birds and pocket pets unless they are raised with them. Care should be taken to keep IGs away from small animals any time they aren't monitored.

IGs like to be with people. They love to keep up with whatever is going on, and may follow you from room to room, even the bathroom. Your IG is your constant companion and loves to be loved.

All IGs need dental care. Most should have their teeth brushed at least twice a week, and should have their teeth evaluated for professional cleaning, annually, by a veterinarian. They have large teeth in a small, tight mouth, and are prone to tooth and gum diseases. Many begin to lose teeth while very young. Others, have a hereditary enamel problem, and have small, pointy, yellow teeth that are hard to maintain.

Their toenails grow quickly, and need weekly trimming. Unlike some larger breeds, they will not wear down their nails simply by walking on sidewalks. Some people use a Dremel tool and grind the nails down. Your rescue contact can demonstrate this if you'd like to use that method.

In short, an IG is a fabulous pet for the right type of family, and a disaster in the wrong type of family. Many of us find this athletic, elegant breed to be excellent companions!

(To read the Italian Greyhound breed standard, please go to American Kennel Club - Italian Greyhound on the AKC official website.)

Please do not purchase an IG from a pet store, a puppy mill or a backyard breeder. None of these people do the research to produce dogs that improve the breed, which is the goal of a responsible breeder, and they seldom do the necessary legwork and testing to prevent passing on physical and temperament problems that may not be noticed for several years. Some of these problems may include: seizure disorders, thyroid disorders, luxated patellas, poor bone density (resulting in leg breaks), PRA, deafness, heart murmurs and other health issues.

We are seeing more and more IGs in our rescue who are surrendered due to inherited medical conditions. Repairing one luxated patella (a crippling, genetic knee disorder) costs around $1200 in our area, and the recovery is long and extensive, requiring physical therapy, massage and scheduled walking. These dogs are 100% purchased from pet stores, backyard breeders and commercial breeders who sell puppies over the internet. Please do not purchase a puppy from this type of seller!

There are many Internet websites that can help educate you on backyard breeders, pet stores, and puppy mills. There are far more people participating in random breeding, breeding for profit and irresponsible breeding than there are responsible breeders. If you have any question about whether an internet advertiser is a responsible breeder or a puppy mill or backyard breeder, look for these things:

Will they ship a dog to you without meeting you?
Do they ask you for references?
Do they breed more than one or two litters a year?
Do they show their dogs and breed only to try and improve the breed, not for monetary gain?
Are they members in good standing of the IGCA or a local purebred breeders/show association?
Do they tell you that they will take the dog back - at any time during his lifetime -if you cannot keep him?
Do they guarantee the health of the dog?
Do they have available records indicating health clearances - eyes, heart, knees - on both parents of the puppy?

A responsible breeder will ask you for references, interview you, assess your appropriateness for this breed, have records showing health clearances on breeding dogs, give you a guarantee and take the dog back at any time during his life. S/he will probably be a member in good standing with a local purebred breeders/show club.

S/he will be a small hobby breeder who successfully competes in dog shows with healthy, well-adjusted dogs, and does extensive research before breeding, to match bitches and dogs with excellent health, conformation, temperament, movement and performance ability.

S/he will NOT have a USDA license, since s/he doesn't sell to pet stores, and will not have a website with page after page of 'happy puppies' in their new homes, due to limited, educated breeding. S/he probably won't take charge cards, and will certainly not ship a dog to you sight unseen after only an email and online payment.

Remember, if rescue has had to re-home his or her dogs, that person is not a responsible breeder. There are 'show mills' out there - people who actively compete with their dogs and pay big money for advertising - but they are still over-breeding and selling puppies as a business, rather than doing limited, educated, hobby breeding to improve the breed. They make up a large percentage of the dogs we see in rescues, and these dogs often have genetic health or temperament problems.

Jenny Hatten
Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescue