Last Updated: March 31, 2023
To continue feeding your addiction for hounds, we have the miniature Italian Greyhound to grace your lap, couch, and the entire home.
They are toy group Italian sighthounds oozing elegance, delicacy, and very affectionate nature to be your perfect four-legged companion.
These small delicate dogs are widely available in various shades and gaining massive popularity worldwide for their gentle nature and adaptability.
They are apartment-friendly and make a great watchdog for their instinct as born hounds.
So, if you are willing to know every titbit before obtaining or adopting this miniature pet, keep scrolling down this tailor-made informative piece.
- How much does an Italian Greyhound cost?
- How to select Italian Greyhound breeders?
- When does a Italian Greyhound get full size?
- How to care for your Italian Greyhound puppy?
- How to groom an Italian Greyhound?
- How much exercise does an Italian Greyhound need?
- Does Italian Greyhound shed a lot?
- Are Italian Greyhound hypoallergenic?
- Understanding Italian Greyhound Temperament
- How intelligent are Italian Greyhounds?
- How easy is it to train Italian Greyhound?
- What type of hunting is best for Italian Greyhound?
- Italian Greyhound Lifespan
- Common Health Issues Associated With Italian Greyhounds
- Final Thoughts
How much does an Italian Greyhound cost?
These cute hounds might be smaller in stature, but can cost you a good $2,000 or even more, because of their soaring popularity starting from $500 (depending on your location and the breeder).
Italian Greyhounds are now widely available in most places because of their increasing demand.
But when it’s about obtaining or adopting a purebred, act smartly as we always insist to buy from a reputed breeder recognized by the AKC or respective Italian Greyhound Clubs of your country.
Don’t compromise the health of your dog by sealing an affordable deal with just any breeder.
Choose wisely, to avoid regretting your decision as a compassionate parent.
How to select Italian Greyhound breeders?
The popular Italian Greyhounds are easier to find, but we would suggest not to compromise your effort and money by buying from an unfamiliar adoption center or breeder.
Don’t rush.
Do some online research about this delicate breed and the breeders.
Like we always insist on buying your precious pup from breeders recognized by the AKC, Italian Greyhound Club of America, or respective reputed kennels of your country.
Here’s a couple of points that you can refer to while selecting the breeder:
- Ask the breeder for the health certificate of the pup as well as its parents to understand how healthy they are.
- Spend time with the pup and the breeder to understand the feeding pattern and the condition in which the puppy is being kept.
- Watch the behavior and temperament of the pup’s parent. This will give you an idea of how your pup will grow up to be.
- Ask questions to the breeder to clear your confusion.
In short, before confirming your much-awaited buy, confidently ask the breeder about its ancestry, health, and vaccination report to start your parenting journey on a happy note.
When does a Italian Greyhound get full size?
With daily vet-recommended nutrition and consistent care, an Italian Greyhound attain full-size in 11 months or 35th week.
They are miniature hounds, so don’t expect them to grow like big-size sport dogs.
The height of both male and female Italian Greyhound will be anywhere between 13 – 15 inches and both weigh around 7 – 14 pounds.
The best experience being an owner is to see your Italian Greyhound grow faster in its early weeks, which is a relief from those straining parenting days.
To help your delicate pup gain healthy weight and enter adulthood in recommended duration, weigh them quite often or visit a vet in case of any unusual growth pattern.
Most pet parents often spoil their dogs with table supplies that lead to obesity and unfortunate premature losses.
Don’t do this with the Italian Greyhounds, as they have slender and delicate leg bones that are unable to withstand that extra weight and can cause deformity.
So, mind these unmissable points to ensure healthy growth and blissful longevity for your Italian Greyhound.
How to care for your Italian Greyhound puppy?
Caring for Italian Greyhound when they are puppies
Though Italian Greyhounds are known for their gentle disposition and adaptability, caring for a pup can be trickier for beginners.
This delicate breed is difficult to potty train and can test your patience to an extent.
That is indeed not so blissful experience as a first-time dog parent, but consistent daily training right after adoption can ease your stress.
So start house training your pup from the very first day by providing a litter box to protect your home and save yourself from the cleaning stress.
Take special care of their delicate legs and make sure your pup doesn’t jump from a height to avoid a fracture.
Feed your 8 – 12 week pup high-quality dry dog food 4 times a day to ensure its healthy growth.
Caring for Italian Greyhound when they grow up
As your Italian Greyhound grows and turns a year old, you will be relieved from parenting stress a bit but need to maintain a consistent care routine to ensure a complaint-free lifespan.
Besides house training and pet grooming at home, involve your dog in a moderate amount of daily walks, sprints to strengthen their leg health.
Don’t let this delicate dog play around with big dogs and grown-up kids to prevent from getting injured.
Introduce your intelligent friend to some brainstorming games or activities to stimulate their brain health, as this would also help in keeping your dog happy.
Lastly, spend some quality time with your affectionate dog and consult a vet especially in the warmer months to diagnose and prevent possibilities of heartworm contamination.
How to groom an Italian Greyhound?
Italian Greyhound grooming is comparatively easier to do at home with some experience and basic pet care tools.
Though Italian Greyhounds are gentle and easy to handle but can show desperate tantrums during nail trimming and brushing.
Just like most toy breeds, Italian Greyhounds to are prone to dental diseases and gum problems from a very young age.
So make sure your dog gets used to a regular dental hygiene routine since its puppy weeks to ease your parenting stress every morning.
Though they are minimal shedders and don’t create a furry mess indoors, you must make it a routine to brush your dog’s coat regularly to shrug off dirt and dander.
Bath your dog as needed and do it cautiously during the winters as they are not suitable for colder regions.
Besides regularly brushing your dog’s teeth, don’t ignore its ear health by cleaning off dirt and excess wax quite often.
How much exercise does an Italian Greyhound need?
As your Italian Greyhound grows, you need to alter its daily exercise routine or introduce newer ones to avoid boredom and retain its interest.
However, a daily 1 hour long walk for an adult dog and 5 minutes of strolling twice for a puppy is enough for this gentle and fragile dog.
These short-coated dogs tend to avoid stepping out in cold or damp weather, so it’s your responsibility to keep them cozy and warm with blankets and clothes and find out unique dog training tips and tricks to convince your dog for a walk.
To bring some interesting change to your dog’s exercise routine, add brainstorming games like hiding treats and letting it find out, cardboard box games to keep your dog busy in an entertaining way.
No matter how much they love the comfort of your lap or couch, a moderate amount of daily outdoor routine is a must to ensure a happy and healthy life.
Does Italian Greyhound shed a lot?
Tired of cleaning pet hair latched over everything including the car seats?
Solve your stress by welcoming home an Italian Greyhound that sheds less and is low-maintenance.
These smallest sighthounds have short hair that is easy to maintain and doesn’t shed much seasonally like other double-coated dogs.
However, due to lack of routine grooming and any internal health reasons, they can show unusual shedding that must be diagnosed and treated early.
Remember, accumulated dirt and dander between the strands can also cause shedding.
So brush your dog’s coat regularly and bathe with good dog shampoo to maintain its coat health.
Are Italian Greyhound hypoallergenic?
Besides its gentle nature and adaptability, another reason boosting the popularity of the Italian Greyhound is its minimal shedding single-layered coat.
They are low-maintenance, drools less, and shed low to none, which makes them a dream dog for owners with pet hair sensitivity.
All you need is to brush their fuss-free coat daily to keep away dirt, dander, and sweat from accumulating, which primarily tickle your allergy flare.
Apart from regular brushing, make sure to bathe it with dog shampoo to control your pet allergy.
This cute hound will surely keep your home clean because of its low shedding and drooling.
So yes, this breed is safe for all allergy-fearing dog lovers.
Understanding Italian Greyhound Temperament
We have already revealed so much, that by now you would have confidently guessed that the Italian Greyhound temperament is highly affectionate and gentle.
These cute lapdogs can be exceptionally athletic and equally comfort-loving, depending on how you are raising yours.
Their temperament is like ON/OFF mode but it will never annoy you or your neighbors and visitors.
While one moment your adorable pet is chilling on the couch, the next moment you will find it running or leaping around in the house or chasing smaller animals in the garden.
Be ready to witness all this sudden burst of energy which can also, unfortunately, injure its slender leg bones for jumping from a certain height.
Because of their gentle and easy-going nature, Italian Greyhounds are becoming every dog lover’s first choice, especially families with kids or other pets.
This affectionate dog is an ideal playmate for kids but, being a sighthound, it might show less tolerance to other pets which, you can easily manage with early socializing training.
These easy-going hounds also have an independent temperament that needs to be tamed with a consistent routine under an overpowering owner.
How intelligent are Italian Greyhounds?
Wondering, if this energetic hound is easy to train and teach basic obedience commands at home?
Italian Greyhounds take 40 – 80 repetitions to learn any new commands, which can be a bit hard for you to train if you have no prior experience with dogs.
It’s best to start early training your dog, teaching basic obedience commands, and early socialization to nurture their easy-going nature.
Introduce your curious hound to its surroundings from its 2nd week, to let it grow confidently and not shy away from strangers.
The Italian greyhound also has a stubborn disposition that can ruin the training session if you make it repetitive and mundane.
Here is what you can do to spark up your dog’s daily exercise routine?
Besides, taking your dog out on regular walks, include some brainstorming games to stimulate their intelligence and support brain health.
While training this dog, make sure to keep it engaging, or soon your equation can get challenging.
How easy is it to train Italian Greyhound?
The Italian Greyhound responds to any new command slowly so it’s best to teach basic obedience commands starting from its second week, as this will make things easier for you.
To raise these hounds into well-behaving and obedient adults, start early socializing by taking your dog out on daily walks in the park.
They also have a stained reputation when it comes to potty training.
Even, if you think your hound is well trained in this matter, your satisfaction can soon turn into disappointment if it is raining or cold outside.
So, if you are from a colder region or rain is frequent in your place, dress your cold-fearing hound in warm clothes to keep things comfortable and less stressful.
While walking or during the training, put a leash on your curious sighthound as it can attempt to chase birds and squirrels out of its instinct.
But handle the leash strategically as extreme pressure can damage this mini hound’s collar and leg bones.
These family-loving hounds must not be left alone and away from their human pack as, aloofness can turn them destructive.
What type of hunting is best for Italian Greyhound?
The Italian Greyhound belongs to the toy breed and is more of a comfort-loving lapdog than a hunting hound.
However, these sighthounds soon get activated once they spot anything moving inside the home or in the yard and start chasing to feed its ancient instinct.
You will often see your Italian Greyhound bumping off the walls and furniture, digging beneath the fence to chase something or the other.
Italian Greyhounds are quick and fast to jump because of their slender stature which is also very fragile to cause your pampered pet a fracture in its long leg bones.
So teach your furry friend some basic dog training tips and tricks to keep their energy and chasing spirit in control.
They don’t specifically hunt but are often seen chasing squirrels, mice, and birds.
Even history pages have depicted these mini hounds as a savior to the farmers by protecting their crops from vermins.
Italian Greyhound Lifespan
These exotic greyhounds have a perfect combination of an attention-seeking lapdog and the agility of chasing smaller animals like rabbits and mice.
An ideal choice for apartment life, these dogs are blessed with an average lifespan of 14 – 15 years.
Being an attention seeker, these dogs need your dedicated time to survive a stress-free and active life.
These miniature hounds are alert, smart, affectionate, and high in energy.
To meet their daily energy requirement and long life, they need high-quality commercial or vet recommended dog food and clean water to stay adequately hydrated.
Common Health Issues Associated With Italian Greyhounds
Besides some common dog diseases, the Italian Greyhounds are mostly diagnosed with periodontal disease and gingivitis.
This happens due to their large yellow teeth in a miniature jaw that worsens with age.
It is a kind of inherited disorder known as enamel hypoplasia that can turn serious causing abscesses and infections.
Other conditions that can affect this breed as they age is cataract, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), hypothyroidism, and Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, an arthritis-like condition in smaller dog breeds.
However, you can easily confirm a healthy life for your pup by buying from a reputed breeder and with your relentless effort.
Final Thoughts
Italian Greyhounds are ranked as the most popular breeds for their gentle nature and adaptability.
No wonder, why you are so much into these beautiful elegant hounds before making one a part of your mundane life.
They are low-maintenance and easy to care and that’s why their demand is increasing.
Though they can adapt anywhere but isn’t suitable for the colder climate.
So mind this factor while obtaining an Italian Greyhound for the first time and adopt necessary measures to ensure a comforting life for this cold-fearing breed.
Hope you got extras than what you were seeking related to the Italian Greyhounds dog breed.
