The Italian Sighthound is an Italian breed of small sighthound. It may also be called the Italian Greyhound.

Other names

FCI:	Italian Sighthound
Italian:	Piccolo levriero italiano
Dutch:	Italiaans Windhondje
French:	Levrette d’Italie
German:	Italienisches Windspiel
Spanish:	Galgo Italiano

History

This dog has long been popular with nobility and royalty. Among those believed to have kept it 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.

The dog has often been represented in painting, notably by Giotto, Sassetta and Tiepolo.

Characteristics

The Italian Sighthound is the smallest of the sighthounds. It weighs no more than 5 kg (11 lb) and stands 32 to 38 cm (13 to 15 in) at the withers. It is in the sighthound group of the FCI but in the toy group of the AKC and The Kennel Club.

It is deep in the chest, with a tucked-up abdomen, long slender legs and a long neck that tapers down to a small head. The head is long and pointed. The gait should be high-stepping and well-sprung, with good forward extension in the trot, and a fast gallop.

Recognised coat colours are black, blue and Isabelle (beige-yellow) in any shade; there may be white markings, but on the chest and feet only.