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 FAQs 
If you are here it is to have a few questions answered about this lovely breed, I hope I can help to settle a few questions and myths for you. I have been asked the same questions over and again so here are the answers that I give. If you are expecting to add an Iggy to your home for the first time I urge you to read on.
INTRODUCTION
The Italian is a delight to live with being one of the few breeds with no odour, they also do not shed masses of hair around and are not generally a barking breed. They are generally accepted not to create any allergic reactions in susceptable people. They do however sometimes let off a mournfull howl when left alone or a high pitched squeal when frightened. They love to be around their people and curl up in the bed or on the lap as soon as you are there. They are happy to walk with you or just as settled as a homebody as they do not need heaps of exercise.
PERSONALITY
They are a quiet retiring bred well suited to a companion or home life. The Italian temperament is often insecure and unsure. They are totally non aggressive so will rather run and hide if frightened than stand and bark. They bond very closely with their owner or family and fret badly when left alone. For this reason if a would be purchaser is a working person I usually advise having the Italian as a second dog or that they get two Italians. Once aclimatised to the warm indoors they do feel the cold when outside so will need a warm coat or similar in Winter.
BEHAVIOUR
They do not accept strangers readily and hide when confronted by new people or situations until they feel secure. The Italian is a boisterous puppy and a sedate quiet adult and when they fret for company they are a sorry sight. I always even in my kennel situation keep two or three dogs together. They gather support and confidence from each other and play endlessly. My house Iggys number three and when we go out they curl up together on a chair or in my bed. They are inseparable but still very loving towards their owners prefering a warm lap when we are here. Having said this, if the owner is a retired person or somebody working from home the Iggy will substitute the owner for the other dog and bond just as closely. They are always at your side and follow near. I have also found the Italian a great family dog as well if brought up with the family but it is very hard for this breed to be introduced to a family as an adult if it has never known such. Italians come in various sizes as our breed standard allows for a height of between 13 and 15 inches at the shoulder and this is quite a lot when you see them. For a family I usually advise a larger bigger boned dog so that is not as fragile and has playability with the children.
An Iggy can be brought into the household as a close companion. It will bond with you and follow you everywhere, They love the car as well and are easily travelled once used to it. Remember that the Italian is a member of the sighthound family of dogs and as such will chase small creatures such as rabbits, birds and chickens. I have a tiny Iggy here as a housedog who happily races out into the horse paddocks and leaps into the air after a flock of Galahs and often comes back with a satisfied look on her face and a bird in her mouth.
This all sounds a bit dramatic and I make no apologies for it as you need to make an informed decision.
Summary
My advice is that an Italian Greyhound will fit into any home as long as it is not expected to spend hours alone and is given company human or canine. I have even known them to bond with cats as long as they grow up together. They also readily accept other breeds of dog as their mates.
TRAINING
I would have to say that the Italian is one of the hardest dog to train that I personally have come across. I sometimes wonder if they are the ADD kids of the canine world. Having said this there are some wonderful Italians out in the agility and obedience rings due to the patience of their owners and the persistance in setting the routine up as a game that the dogs love to play.
Toilet training is difficult. These guys have little idea of right and wrong and absolutely cringe if shouted at and punished. They are such loving creatures that they take sharp words to heart and would possibly start to crouch and wet the floor in panic if it became an issue. I bring my babies up on newspaper so that they learn from an early age to use it if it is available. Sad for the TV Guide left on the floor if we forget it. A puppy of any breed has little or no control over its functions muscle wise until it is around six months of age therefore sees nothing wrong with squatting wherever it is as mum has always cleaned up after it. They physically cannot control themselves until the muscles strengthen at an older age. Of course by the time this happens the Iggy is well on the way to routinely using just about anywhere as a toilet so the answer is to show it where to go rather than to chastise it for going. The idea is to put the pup onto its paper or outside as soon as it wakes up or after feeding and also when you see it searching for a spot as these are critical times with a baby. The quicker to learn breeds realise that they have to race for the door or find the paper in a hurry but these little guys needing to learn by rote need to have the habit ingrained so as I said I bring them up on paper in their pens with the box at one end for sleeping and the paper at the other for feeding and toileting. They rarely soil their beds when trained this way. Once used to this routine the newspaper becomes the link and they once freed from the pen soon learn to find it (in the same place). I guess you can relate it to a human baby who has no control until around two years of age and wears a nappy. We make excuses for the baby but not for our dogs. Puppies are not born knowing or with the ability to control any more than the human baby. It is a good idea for new owners to have pen or safe place in a bathroom or laundry for these guys to go and to have a bed and some paper there as this then becomes their safe place to run to and relax and they use the paper quite readily. When the pup is older the paper can be moved closer to the door and eventually outside and the pup will follow. You can use key words like OUT or NO or GOOD and they readily learn what you mean rather than scolding the dog or god forbid, rubbing his nose in it as has been the case in the past. Create a pattern that the dog is familiar with so that it know what you expect. Once learnt Iggys never forget so teach it right the first time.
FALACIES
One other falacy that is a commonly held belief is that female dogs are easier to train and make better pets than males. NOT TRUE. I have found the male more than equally affectionate and willing to cuddle up, also a little more independant in most cases. The female even when desexed still has hormonal changes every six months or so and goes through personality changes due to this. She can be skittish, agro or withdrawn or even just plain naughty as girls going through puberty can be, a desexed female is also predisposed to weight gain unless exercised regularly. The male when desexed has no such problems, he rarely puts on weight or changes in any way and a puppy male that is desexed at an early age (6 months or before) rarely has the urge to chase girlfriends so makes a more stable pet. The male I have found is also easier to toilet train and cheaper to desex so food for thought there.
Summary
I hope that this helps and clarifies some things for you and hasn't bored you to tears. I have given you the worst scenarios and having said all of this I have hopefully never yet placed an Iggy in a home where it has not been appreciated and loved. They are work as is anything worthwhile but the capacity for love and companionship these little guys give in return for so little is incredible. They are totally dependant on their humans and if you love them you definately get it back 100%. They are as you can see not quick to learn and do not have the intelligence of the German Shepherd or Poodle but they will spend their lives trying to please. They rely on routine and will stand by their plate at the exact same time each day expecting dinner or bounce around at the same time each night knowing it is your usual bedtime. They make terrific bed warmers as well. Once the pattern is established they follow it blindly be it right or wrong.
There really is no breed quite as affectionate, elegant and enchanting as the Italian Greyhound.
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