Italian Greyhound
The Italian Greyhound is a true miniature sighthound, kept as a companion in the Mediterranean for over two thousand years and a favourite at the Renaissance courts of Italy, from…
About the Italian Greyhound
The Italian Greyhound is a true miniature sighthound, kept as a companion in the Mediterranean for over two thousand years and a favourite at the Renaissance courts of Italy, from which it takes its name. It is the smallest of the sighthounds and moves with the same high-stepping, floating gait as its larger relatives.
Dogs stand about 32 to 38 cm and weigh about 3.5 to 5 kg, with a fine, glossy coat in a range of solid colours. The breed is gentle, devoted to its owner and easily chilled, and it is fragile in a way that matters for breeding: young Italian Greyhounds break legs with alarming ease, and a stud from a line with good bone and no history of fractures is worth asking for specifically.
Ask an Italian Greyhound stud owner for patella examination and a current eye certificate, since progressive retinal atrophy and cataract occur in the breed. Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease and epilepsy appear in the breed and are worth a question. Dental disease is common in this narrow mouth, and a stud with clean, sound teeth is a good sign for the line.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Italian Greyhound
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
At stud now
Italian Greyhound stud dogs
No Italian Greyhound studs are listed right now
When an Italian Greyhound on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Italian Greyhound litters
No Italian Greyhound litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
