Screamin’ Cutie

Italian Greyhounds are the smallest of the Greyhound Group. This is one of the things that confuse people so often. They ask “Is that a baby Greyhound?”. No, the Italian Greyhound is a separate breed. They are small, breed standard says “preferably 13 to 15″ in height”. Pippin though, is 16 ¼” tall. I’ve seen Iggies that weigh only 6 pounds (Pippin weighs 11)!

      Iggies are an extremely affectionate, long-lived, intelligent and loyal breed. They have the most endearing personalities of any dog I have yet come across! They’re smart, funny, loving, curious (!), and they love to entertain. Pippin has me in stitches quite often. And it’s nice to know that he’s going to be with me a long time yet. Our vet had an Iggy patient who died at the ripe old age of 20! “Wow! So that means,” - I’m thinking, - ”Pip’ll see my children! He’ll probably be around long enough for them to remember him too!” He’s only 4.

     Iggies are also very mischievous. They love to get into things and test things out to see what happens. That includes testing how long you can keep your temper! I heard that you should never speak harshly to an Iggy, that it was not necessary for their training, and would hurt their feelings or something. That may be the case with some Iggies, but Pippin is not even close to that sensitive. I find that clicker training is Pippin’s favorite training method, and quite frankly is mine too. It’s positive approach is perfect for those sensitive Iggies too.

     I think that the major drawback to the Italian Greyhound is how long it takes to potty train them. According to the books, you shouldn’t consider an Iggy potty trained until 2 years of age! And even now, I don’t trust Pippin completely, but not because he “doesn’t know” or “can’t hold it”, but because he’s so small and revengeful. I’ve never known a dog so vindictive! Something makes him mad, or he decides to show defiance, and guess what?! There’s a mess to clean up. Don’t worry, he doesn’t get away with it, but… it’s still annoying…

    Speaking of annoying, read About Us to find another annoying habit of Italian Greyhounds.

     Some people have said that Italian Greyhounds don’t shed. That is not true. But because Iggy’s hair is so fine, it’s no more problem to clean up then your own hair. If you have long hair, I would say less problem. Unless, that is, if you pick a white one up with a black shirt on, or vice versa…

     For most part, Iggies are very easy to care for. They really aren’t tedious to care for like those dogs with long hair. Only an occasional bath, nail clippings and weekly teeth brushing. Some people say it is important to brush them too, with a soft bristle brush, and one account I read said it was vital to brush them! But I have found that at least with Pippin, I never have to brush him. I mean I could, and he would probably like it, but it’s not necessary.

     The only special needs these wonderful dogs have, is your time. They need the attention, the interaction, the love, the snuggling and the playtime that any other child would need. You probably already know that most other dogs grow out of that as they leave puppy-hood, but not Iggies. I am home-schooled, and my Mom is a stay-at-home-Mom, so we’re home most of the time, so for us, an Iggie is no big deal. As a matter of fact, I like to have Pip so needy! Because then, he doesn’t get annoyed when I play with him all day and he hardly gets a moment by himself! He loves it! But, for someone who works all day, with the kids in school and gone too and who hardly has time to even fix a meal, an Iggy would not be a good choice. On the other hand, if you stay home, or work somewhere where you can take your dog, an Italian Greyhound might fit into your life-style like a pea in a pod. When you get a dog, you just have to decide how much time you can spare. An Iggy can be (and should be) crate-trained, yes, but some people say you shouldn’t leave them in for more then 7 hours. I would agree with that. It seems to traumatize Pippin somewhat to left in his crate all day any more then 2 days in a row (which almost never happens). But, then again, some people just leave their Iggies roam free in the house with a doggy door. But I don’t think I would trust Pippin. He’s so mischievous. Anyway, I heard a story about a couple who had Iggies, and one time when they left home for a little while, they locked the dogs in a room. But when they got home, one of the Iggies was hanging by his hind leg from the chain of the ceiling fan! How he got there they never found out, but the story was enough to scare me into being slow to trust Pippin to roam the house without supervision.

        Iggies are beautiful, wonderful, sweet natured mischievous little cuties, and I can’t imagine life without my Pippin! If you are thinking about getting an Iggy, and have the time and resources to care for one, I can’t say you’ll regret it! For your time and care, you will be rewarded with unconditional love and never-ending fun! Long live the Screamin’ Cuties!!!