Italian Greyhound: Care

Italian Greyhounds (also known as IGs) have short coats and get the shivers easily, so they're not an outdoor breed. They need to be inside the house with their family, especially in bad weather. To keep your IG comfortable on chilly outdoor walks, give him a sweater or jacket. During warm weather, protect his thin skin with sunscreen made for dogs. Many Italian Greyhounds develop skin cancer, possibly because they love lying in the sun, so don't let your dog bake for hours.

These little dogs have lots of energy, especially as puppies and young adults, but in their golden years they'll often adapt to the activity level of their owners. A daily walk will help your Italian Greyhound get his ya-yas out, but make sure to keep him on a leash. Even though he's small, he has the same instinct to chase as a larger sighthound and will take off after a squirrel, rabbit, or anything else that runs by. A leash is your only hope of hanging onto him.

His hunting drive also means you'll need a secure fence in your yard. Italian Greyhounds are fabulous jumpers, so don't assume that a little four-foot wall is enough to keep him in. And don't use an underground electronic fence; the momentary shock won't deter your Italian Greyhound if he sees something he wants to chase.

IGs are intelligent and easy to train if you have the right attitude. Like other hounds they usually approach training with a "What's in it for me?" philosophy. Motivational training methods--those that use food, praise, and play to reward the dog for getting it right, rather than punishing him for getting it wrong--is the best way to persuade them that they want to do what you ask. And since they have the short attention spans common to sighthounds, it's best to keep training sessions short and sweet.

Like many small dogs, there's one aspect of training they don't pick up as easily: housetraining. Even with patience and consistency, you may never be completely successful. The number one reason people give up their Italian Greyhound to rescue groups or animal shelters is because they couldn't housetrain them.

Harsh punishment will backfire, often making the dog fearful or even snappy. Your best bet is to get a dog door, so he can go in and out at will. Italian Greyhounds can also learn to use a litter box, although this doesn't always work well if you have more than one IG as you might end up cleaning it quite often.

Prevent accidents by taking your IG outside the moment he gives you any signs that he needs to go--no waiting "just a minute." You can teach an Italian Greyhound that outdoors is the place to go potty, but if means going out in rain or snow, or if he doesn't have immediate access to the yard, he'd just as soon go indoors.

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