BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : The
little Italian Greyhound descends from small-sized greyhounds
which already existed in ancient Egypt at the court of the
Pharaohs. Passing through Laconie (Greece), where numerous
representations on vases and bowls confirm this, the breed
arrived in Italy at the outset of the 5th century BC. Its
greatest development occured during the era of the Renaissance
at the court of the nobles. It is not rare to find the Italian
Greyhound represented in the paintings of the greatest Italian
and foreign masters.
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Of an elongated shape, its body fits
into a square and its forms recall, in miniature, those of
the Greyhound and the Sloughi. May be considered as a model
of grace and distinction.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Its length is equal or only just
inferior to the height at the withers. Length of skull is
equal to half the length of the head. Length of head can reach
the 40% of the height at the withers.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Reserved, affectionate, docile.
HEAD : Of elongated shape and narrow; its length can attain
40% of the height at the withers.
CRANIAL REGION : Skull : Flat with the superior axes of the
skull and muzzle parallel. Length of the skull is equal to
half the length of the head. Lower orbital region well chiselled.
Stop : Frontal nasal depression only very slightly marked.
FACIAL REGION : Nose : Of a dark colour, preferably black,
with well opened nostrils. Muzzle : Pointed. Lips : Thin and
tight, with edges of lips very darkly pigmented. Jaws/Teeth
: Jaws elongated with well aligned incisors crown shape, strong
in relation to size of dog. Teeth sound and complete, set
square to the jaws; scissor bite. Cheeks : Lean. Eyes : Large
and expressive, neither deep-set nor protruding. Iris of dark
colour, eyelid rims pigmented. Ears : Set very high, small,
with fine cartilage, folded in itself and carried well back
on the nape and upper part of the neck. When the dog is attentive,
the base of the ear is erected and the lobe tends to stand
out laterally on the horizontal, position commonly known as
« flying ears » or « propeller ears ».
NECK : Profile : Upper line slightly arched and broken at
its base towards the withers. Length : Equal to that of the
head. Shape : Truncated cone, well muscled. Skin : Lean and
without dewlap. BODY : Its length is equal or barely inferior
to the height at the withers. Topline : Straight profile with
arched dorsal-lumbar region. The lumbar curve merging harmoniously
in the line of the rump. Withers : Quite well defined. Back
: Straight, well muscled. Croup : Very sloping, wide and muscled.
Chest : Narrow, deep, let down to the elbows.
TAIL : Low set, fine even at base, tapering progressively
to its tip. It is carried low and straight in its first half,
the 2nd half curved. Pulled up between the thighs towards
the topline, it should surpass the level of the hip-bone slightly.
Covered with short hair.
LIMBS: FOREQUARTERS : On the whole straight and vertical
with lean muscles. Shoulder : Very slightly sloping with well
developed, lean and salient muscles. Upper arm : With a very
open scapular-humeral angle, and of a parallel direction to
the median plane of the body. Elbows : Neither out nor tied-in
at elbows. Forearm : Length of the limb measured from ground
to elbow just slightly longer than the distance from elbow
to the withers; very lightly boned; forearm in perfect vertical
position as much from the front as in profile. Pastern : In
the prolonged vertical line of the forearm; seen in profile
it is a little slanting. Forefoot : Of almost oval shape,
small, with arched and closely-knit toes. Pads pigmented.
Nails black or dark according to coat colour or that of the
foot, where white is tolerated. HINDQUARTERS : Seen from behind
on the whole straight and parallel. Upper thigh : Long, lean,
not voluminous, with very distinct muscles. Second thigh :
Very sloping, with fine bone structure and well apparent groove
in leg muscle. Hock and metatarsal : In prolongation of a
vertical line drawn from the ischial tuber. Hindfoot : Less
oval than the forefoot, with arched and closely-knit toes;
pads and nails pigmented like the forefoot.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Springy, harmonious, no hackney gaiting
(high-stepping). Gallop fast with sharp spring.
SKIN : Fine and tight on all parts of the body except for
the elbows where it is slightly less tight.
COAT : HAIR : The hair is short and fine all over the body
without the slightest trace of fringes.
COLOUR : Self-coloured in black, grey, slate grey and yellow
(in Italian = Isabella) in all possible shades. White is tolerated
only on the chest and feet.
SIZE AND WEIGHT : Height at the withers : males and females
from 32 to 38 cm. Weight : Males and females : maximum 5 kg.
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be
considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault
should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
· Continous ambling.
· Hackney or highstepping movement.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
· Accentuated convergence or divergence of the facial-cranial
axes.
· Nose totally or half depigmented.
· Nasal bridge concave or convex.
· Overshot or undershot mouth.
· Wall eye; total depigmentation of eyelid rims.
· Tail carried over the back; anury or short tail, whether
congenital or artificial.
· Dewclaws.
· Multicoloured coat; white except in chest and feet as mentioned
above.
· Size below 32 cm or over 38 cm, as well in males as in females.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles
fully descended into the scrotum. |