Breed library

Italian Greyhound

Italian Greyhound photograph.
Italian Greyhound standing gray (cropped).jpg - christina. CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italian_Greyhound_standing_gray_(cropped).jpg. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0. License: CC BY 2.0.

Breed overview

The Italian Greyhound or Piccolo Levriero Italiano is an Italian breed of small sighthound. It was bred to hunt hare and rabbit, but is kept mostly as a companion dog. The English-language name used for it by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale is Italian Sighthound.

  • Breed type: dog breedBreed reference breed kind.
  • Country of origin: ItalyBreed reference country of origin.

Breed facts

  • Small dogs of sighthound type have long been popular with European nobility and royalty.
  • Dogs of this type have often been represented in sculpture - including a second-century Roman statue now in the Vatican Museums - and paintings, notably by Giotto, Sassetta and Tiepolo.
  • Dogs of this kind were taken in the first half of the nineteenth century to the United Kingdom, where they were known as Italian Greyhounds; the first volume of The Kennel Club Calendar and Stud Book, published in 1874, lists forty of them.
  • A breed association, the Italian Greyhound Club, was established in Britain in 1900.
  • The history of the modern Piccolo Levriero goes back to the last years of the nineteenth century.

Size and appearance

The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the sighthounds. It weighs no more than 5 kg and stands 32 to 38 cm at the withers. It is deep in the chest, with a tucked-up abdomen, long slender legs and a long neck. The head is small, elongated and narrow. The gait should be high-stepping and well-sprung, with good forward extension in the trot, and a fast gallop. The coat may be solid black, or grey or isabelline in any shade; white markings are accepted on the chest and feet only. Median longevity is about 14 years, compared to an average of 12.5 for all dogs.

  • Body mass reference: 5 kgAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 5 kg. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Body mass reference: Up to 5 kgBreed reference body mass. maximum.
  • Height reference: 32 - 38 cmAdult breed reference quantity from the article infobox. Original value 32 - 38 cm. Unit conversion where applicable: 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 pound = 0.45359237 kg. Original field and references are retained in the revision-pinned article evidence.
  • Height reference: 32 cm or moreBreed reference height. minimum.
  • Height reference: Up to 38 cmBreed reference height. maximum.
  • Height category: short
  • Height category: medium
  • Weight category: small

Personality and behavior

Care planning: record what your dog enjoys, how they greet visitors, and how they respond to new places. Add notes after walks and training so you can see their habits over time. Where this profile includes behavior research, use the same named measures when comparing your shortlist.

  • Attachment and attention seeking (C-BARQ mean): 2.36 / 4Owner-reported attachment and attention seeking factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Chasing (C-BARQ mean): 2.01 / 4Owner-reported chasing factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Dog-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.78 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Dog-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 1.08 / 4Owner-reported dog-directed fear factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Energy (C-BARQ mean): 1.85 / 4Owner-reported energy factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Excitability (C-BARQ mean): 1.88 / 4Owner-reported excitability factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Familiar-dog aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.24 / 4Owner-reported familiar-dog aggression factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Non-social fear (C-BARQ mean): 0.91 / 4Owner-reported non-social fear factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Owner-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.05 / 4Owner-reported owner-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Separation-related problems (C-BARQ mean): 0.89 / 4Owner-reported separation-related problems factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Stranger-directed aggression (C-BARQ mean): 0.33 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed aggression factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Stranger-directed fear (C-BARQ mean): 1.01 / 4Owner-reported stranger-directed fear factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Touch sensitivity (C-BARQ mean): 0.93 / 4Owner-reported touch sensitivity factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.
  • Trainability (C-BARQ mean): 2.34 / 4Owner-reported trainability factor mean for US reference population Italian Greyhound.

Exercise and activities

The original function of the Piccolo Levriero was to hunt hare and rabbit; it is capable of bursts of speed up to 60 kph mph. Although assigned to the sighthound or hare-coursing groups by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale and the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana, the Italian Sighthound is - as it was in the past - kept mostly as a companion dog. It is classified as a toy breed by the American Kennel Club and the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom.

Training and enrichment

Care planning: choose one everyday skill to practice and keep a record of each session. Note the cue, the reward your dog enjoys and what went well. Rotate familiar games and new activities, and use your notes to choose the next small step.

Coat and grooming

Care planning: use the coat details above to discuss a grooming routine with your groomer. Record brushing sessions, baths and appointments in the app. Add the tools you use and your preferred schedule so the whole household can follow the same routine.

Health and lifespan

Care planning: keep your dog's veterinary records, health-check dates and agreed care plan together. Add reminders for appointments and record changes you want to discuss at the next visit. Use the linked breed organizations and original references to explore their current health resources.

Living with this breed

Care planning: compare this profile's adult dimensions, coat care and available activity information with your household's routine. Make a shortlist, plan who will handle daily care and save the questions you want to ask a breed club, rescue or breeder.

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Compare supported adult height and weight ranges, matching research measures and sourced coat and care categories.

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Breed history

Small dogs of sighthound type have long been popular with European nobility and royalty. Among those believed to have kept them are Frederick II, Duke of Swabia; members of the D'Este, Medici and Visconti families; the French kings Louis XI, Charles VIII, Charles IX, Louis XIII and Louis XIV; Frederick the Great of Prussia; Anne of Denmark; Catherine the Great; and Queen Victoria. Dogs of this type have often been represented in sculpture - including a second-century Roman statue now in the Vatican Museums - and paintings, notably by Giotto, Sassetta and Tiepolo. Dogs of this kind were taken in the first half of the nineteenth century to the United Kingdom, where they were known as Italian Greyhounds; the first volume of The Kennel Club Calendar and Stud Book, published in 1874, lists forty of them. A breed association, the Italian Greyhound Club, was established in Britain in 1900. Registrations by the American Kennel Club began in 1886.

Clubs and further reading

Sources

  1. Italian Greyhound - WikipediaWikipedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted excerpts from Wikipedia contributors, Italian Greyhound, revision 1368997476. CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting, citations and selection changed. Source history: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_Greyhound&action=history
  2. Wikidata structured breed dataWikimedia contributors Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC0 1.0. Wikidata contributors (CC0).
  3. National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.PLOS ONE / Figshare Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 4.0. Bohland, Kyle R.; Lilly, Meghan Leanne; Herron, Meghan E.; Arruda, Andréia G.; O’Quin, Jeanette M. (2023). National C-BARQ breed and all-breed means from USA.. PLOS ONE. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289356.s003 CC BY 4.0. Selected rows and field names adapted; values unchanged.
  4. File:Italian Greyhound standing gray (cropped).jpgWikimedia Commons Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: CC BY 2.0. Italian Greyhound standing gray (cropped).jpg - christina. CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Italian_Greyhound_standing_gray_(cropped).jpg. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0.
  5. Palipaws everyday care planningPalipaws Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Palipaws original factual summaries. Palipaws. Original care-planning text, separate from breed measurements and licensed article summaries.
  6. AKC national parent club directoryAmerican Kennel Club Retrieved 2026-10-14.License: Factual reference only. Names and verified external links only. No source descriptions, logos or endorsement reused.