Is an Italian Greyhound right for you? And are you right for an Italian Greyhound? The only way to know for sure is to do your research all about Italian Greyhounds and meet some IGs in person.

Just for fun, we asked some IG owners on their thoughts on what makes a person right for an IG. The responses weren’t necessarily a direct answer to the questions posed but they are definitely informative! Here’s just a selection of the responses in no particular order …

• They think they are invincible. They’re not.
• Are you prepared for your entire life to revolve around the dog?
• You need to be one step ahead of them at all times because otherwise they get into trouble.
• Don’t get an IG if you want a “dog”!
• They’re not small Whippets – they are much harder work than Whippets.
• They’re small and cute but they’re really hooligans in disguise.
• Owning an Iggy is like caring for an advanced toddler.
• Are you prepared for a temperament so unique and quirky it’s impossible to describe?
• IGs are only as well-trained as their owners train them to be, that is, if they’re fortunate enough to have them from puppyhood.
• Can you cope with accidents in the house if there’s a single drop of rain…even though they are 9 and in theory fully trained?!?
• You need insurance. I need to repeat this..
• You need insurance. One last time…..
• You need insurance. Ok? Are we there?
• You need carpets. Hard floors are slippy and cost £ks in leg breaks.
• You need hard floors. Carpets are a nightmare for pee and poop.
• You need low sofas. Jumping off high sofas can cost £ks in leg breaks.
• They are quite “needy” / love company depending on your perspective.
• You need to be prepared for your IG to stick with you at all times, including when you go to the loo.
• You need to think for them & be one step ahead – they can’t actually jump down a 4 foot drop and expect to escape unscathed – they have no idea about that sort of thing.
• Some are hard to house train – you have to be prepared to clean up pee and poop in your house.
• My girl chases rabbits and won’t come back if she’s after one. I’ve had to put a GPS tracker on her.
• Coats – I spend 9 months of the year putting coats on my dogs because they refuse to go out in cold or wet weather.
• If you think dogs should stay off furniture an IG is not for you.
• Teeth – you need to clean teeth every day or else they get stinky and sore and they end up being removed.
• You need to be happy to spend a significant amount of your life sitting with a small dog under a blanket on your knee.
• You need to IG-proof your home. Once they arrive you will be gobsmacked at how unsafe your house is for an IG.
• I had dreams of wandering through parks watching my IG play with lots of dog friends. He hates all dogs and I have to keep him on a lead. It wasn’t meant to be this way.
• Do you have money to burn? They’re cheap to feed but cost a fortune in every other respect … coats and jumpers, beds and blankets, toys and more toys, and then insurance – when they get old, the insurance is eye-watering.
• You need patience. “Is it a baby Whippet?” can get annoying quickly.
• You are happy for your dog to invade your personal space at all times – including sharing your bed.
• I love my boy to bits but he has epilepsy and it has been horrific to manage but manage we do.
• Do you have hard floors? Helpful as even the most perfectly mannered Iggy may pop out for a wee then come in to poo, or vice versa. But unhelpful when it comes to skidding and leg breaks.
• You need a sense of humour. At all times.
• They are selectively deaf.
• They steal things from everywhere.
• I spend very little time grooming my dog but I spend most of my time looking after him.

If you are thinking of bringing an Italian Greyhound into your home please make sure that you research this beautiful breed carefully to make sure that you are making the right decision. Many of the dogs that are signed into our care to be re-homed come to us because an unsuspecting owner didn’t understand what they were taking on when they bought their Italian Greyhound – they do not suit everyone.

More information about the breed is available on this site in the About Italian Greyhounds section and with more resources in Researching an Italian Greyhound.

Reading up is essential but so is meeting some Italian Greyhounds and their owners in person whether through a meetup or at a Championship Show near you.