Italian Greyhound Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Italian Greyhound Breed Overview

The Italian Greyhound is a small-sized dog.

The adult Italian Greyhound stands 13 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Italian Greyhound belongs to the Companion Dogs group.

Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Italian Greyhound, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.

The fact that Italian Greyhounds belong to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Italian Greyhounds have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Italian Greyhound is generally described as:

  • Affectionate
  • Agile
  • Athletic
  • Companionable
  • Intelligent
  • Mischievous

History of the Italian Greyhound Breed. Where Italian Greyhounds came from

Greyhound is thought to be derived from the Old English grighund.

The word Greyhound appears in the Bible.

According to some, the English word does not refer to the actual grey color but rather to a “fair dog.

” The exact origin of the Italian Greyhound is unknown; however, we do have artwork depicting the breed dating back 2,000 years.

The Italian Greyhound is thought to have been brought to Europe by the Phoenicians, where it was developed solely as a companion animal.

The Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans all adored dogs; in fact, the Romans were instrumental in developing the Italian Greyhound.

Many royals were devoted to their dogs of this breed, and Frederick the Great of Prussia is said to have been buried with one.

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What the Italian Greyhound Looks Like

The Italian Greyhound is a small-boned, short-statured dog.

It has a long, narrow head with a muzzle that tapers to a point.

In a scissors bite, the teeth come together.

It has medium-sized eyes and ears that fold back along its head.

The dog has dewclaws that can be removed at the owner`s discretion.

The Italian Greyhound comes in various colors: gray, slate gray, red, fawn, blue, black, white, and cream.

Italian Greyhounds can be white with markings or another color with white on the chest and feet.

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How Much is the Italian Greyhound Puppy?

How Much Italian Greyhounds Cost

The average price of a Italian Greyhound puppy is $1930. The price of a Italian Greyhound puppy ranges from $1500 to $2250.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Italian Greyhound. These factors include what health records the Italian Greyhound puppy has, the lineage of the Italian Greyhound puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Italian Greyhound based on the many factors that determine the price of the Italian Greyhound puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Italian Greyhound puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Italian Greyhound breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Italian Greyhound Breeders

Italian Greyhound Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Italian Greyhound breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Italian Greyhound breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Jenson Broadbent

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  2. Marlord Italian Greyhounds

    Puppy Price: $3000

  3. Jason and Christine Poynter

    Puppy Price: $3000

  4. Miller`s Iggies

    Puppy Price: $1200

  5. Celtic Sighthounds

    Puppy Price: $2000 gorgeous male

Adopting or Rescuing the Italian Greyhound

You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Italian Greyhounds included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.

These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.

In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.

Below is an adorable Male Italian Greyhound named Bean that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Italian Greyhounds like Bean on pefinder.com.

Italian Greyhounds like Bean are available for Adoption! It is cheaper to adopt. Image from petfinder.com

Tito is the name of another Italian Greyhound (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.

Tito the Italian Greyhound is available for adoption on petfinder.com. Information from petfinder.com

You can find more Italian Greyhounds that are available for adoption on petfinder.

Italian Greyhound Growth

Italian Greyhound Growth

New Italian Greyhound owners need to know about the growth of their Italian Greyhounds. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.

Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Italian Greyhound will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Italian Greyhound early.

See our calculator for predicting how big your Italian Greyhound puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Italian Greyhound at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Italian Greyhound

Italian Greyhound

What Colors do Italian Greyhounds Have?

Italian Greyhounds come in the following beautiful primary colors:

  • Sable
  • Black
  • Red / Chestnut / Orange
  • Brown / Chocolate
  • Gray / Blue / Silver
  • Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
  • Bicolor
  • White / Cream
  • Brindle
Italian Greyhound
Italian Greyhound
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Italian Greyhound Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 34 different Italian Greyhound birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Italian Greyhounds can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Italian Greyhound can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 6 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Italian Greyhound will have depends on factors such as the age of the Italian Greyhound, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Italian Greyhound will have and how the litter size of the Italian Greyhound compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Italian Greyhounds Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 93 different Italian Greyhounds, the average speed of the Italian Greyhound is 24.4 mph (39.2 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Italian Greyhound ran in a race is 35.78 mph (57.6 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Italian Greyhound is 2.54 mph (4.1 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Italian Greyhound compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Italian Greyhound can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Italian Greyhounds

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Italian Greyhound ranked by popularity:

  • Pippen
  • Charlie
  • Molly
  • Boomer
  • Brazos
  • Jack
  • Smokey
  • Hugh
  • Oakley
  • Leo
Italian Greyhound

How Intelligent are Italian Greyhounds?

Italian Greyhound
Intelligence Rank 60 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions!

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the Italian Greyhound has an obedience intelligence rank of 60 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Italian Greyhounds in the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.

This means that Italian Greyhounds tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
English Springer Spaniel 13
Belgian Tervuren 14
Irish Water Spaniel 24
Cardigan Welsh Corgi 26
Airedale Terrier 29
American Staffordshire Terrier 34
Dalmatian 39
Finnish Spitz 43
Boxer 48
Alaskan Malamute 50
Ibizan Hound 53
Italian Greyhound 60
Old English Sheepdog 63
Lhasa Apso 68
Bullmastiff 69
Shih Tzu 70
Beagle 72
Borzoi 75
American Bulldog 77
Afghan Hound 79
Italian Greyhound

How Popular are Italian Greyhounds with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Italian Greyhound.

The popularity of the Italian Greyhound averaged over the years is Number 71 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Popularity of Italian Greyhound

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

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Health Problems in Italian Greyhounds and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Italian Greyhound is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Italian Greyhound puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Italian Greyhound breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Italian Greyhounds for:

  1. Autoimmune thyroiditis
  2. Eye Examination at 36 months, recommend annual testing to age 10
  3. Hip Dysplasia/Legg-Calve-Perthes
  4. Patellar Luxation

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Italian Greyhounds here.

Italian Greyhound

How to Take Care of Italian Greyhound

How to feed your Italian Greyhound.

To take good care of your Italian Greyhound, you need to make sure that you groom your Italian Greyhound regularly.

Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Italian Greyhound regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Italian Greyhound`s preventative care.

Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Italian Greyhound daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Italian Greyhound.

Also, you need to feed your Italian Greyhound high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Italian Greyhound from getting overweight or underweight.

See our recommendations on what to feed the Italian Greyhound and how much food to feed the Italian Greyhound at different life stages.

Finally, you need to make sure that your Italian Greyhound has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Italian Greyhound needs to drink at different ages.

How much water your Italian Greyhound needs.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Italian Greyhounds

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Italian Greyhound.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Italian Greyhound:

  • Tibetan Spaniel (77 percent match with Italian Greyhound). Learn more about the Tibetan Spaniel here.
  • Whippet (78 percent match with Italian Greyhound). Learn more about the Whippet here.
Italian Greyhound

Other Things to Know About Italian Greyhounds

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Italian Greyhound that you need to know about the Italian Greyhound breed:

  • Italian Greyhounds do not like to be left alone.
  • Italian Greyhounds cannot tolerate cold weather. They are vulnerable to the cold.
  • Italian Greyhounds do not have the tendency to drool.
  • Italian Greyhounds do not shed a lot. They are good for people with dog allergies.
  • Italian Greyhounds are not prone to gaining weight easily.
  • Italian Greyhounds do the things they do with very low vigor. They are not forceful.
  • Italian Greyhounds get along well with other dogs.
  • Italian Greyhounds are very friendly towards strangers.
  • Italian Greyhounds are prone to nip and chew at things.
  • Italian Greyhounds have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Italian Greyhounds require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Italian Greyhounds are very playful.
  • Italian Greyhounds adapt well to apartment living.
  • Italian Greyhounds are good for new dog owners.
  • Italian Greyhounds are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Italian Greyhounds are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Italian Greyhounds get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Italian Greyhounds are very easy to groom.
  • Italian Greyhounds have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  • Italian Greyhounds weigh 6 to 15 pounds when fully grown.
  • Italian Greyhounds are 13 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Italian Greyhounds have a lifespan of 14 to 15 years.