Italian Greyhounds

[crocsrule]

This is one breed that I am considering. From the research I've done, the pros and cons to them seem to be:

Pros:
- little to no shedding
- no odor problems
- can be litter box trained
- very affectionate
- do not require a lot of exercise

Cons:
- can take a while to housebreak
- somewhat mischevious / not very obedient
- injury prone
- some health issues

This breed seems to fit me well because I live in an apartment in a city, so a big and/or active dog is out of the question. I also am not a big fan of shedding, so that is a huge plus.

Anyone have any personal experience with Italian Greyhounds or have anything to add?

 

[chinchow]

My sister owns four Iggies, and they are great. She had to have her house carpeted, though. She had two breaks within the first two years of owning an Iggy, due to slipping while playing on the hardwood floors throughout her home. So just make sure you watch out for that.
They are hurt by harsh words. They really do not like yelling. Very fragile and sensitive little dogs.

Her Iggies were not very hard to train, but that seems to be a sighthound trait more than a breed trait. You may get the lucky individual willing to learn fast and error-free.

She has also had no health issues (other than the breaks) with her Iggies so far.

Good luck. These little dogs are so adorable, and just a joy to have around.

 

[darkchild16]

plus after they become adults they arent as fragile as they look. one of the volunteers in the greyhound org. i used to work with had a whippet, a manchester, a iggy, 2-3 full size greys, and they all played together and the biggest one is 90 lb male grey and they would play with walker and patches without getting hurt.

 

[krisykris]

My mom has two IG's and they shed a TON.

 

[yankeedownsouth]

DH and I had a IG for quite a long time. That dog was scared of everything, and every time it got scared, it peed. Plus, it would usually run FAST when it peed, so it ran all over our apartment and peed while it ran. Plus, it peed when it slept in bed with us. It was a gorgeous, sweet dog, but very, very timid. I don't know if this was a breed thing or just our particular little guy. But I do think it's something to look out for when looking at a potential pup.

 

[Gempress]

Our neighbor has two Iggys. Absolutely beautiful little dogs, extremely gentle, not overly barky, and they love to cuddle. In my opinion, they're perfect little lapdogs.

But there is just *one* thing. Do NOT let these dogs off leash. They move like lightning incarnate. It is absolutely unbelieveable how fast these little guys are. If an Iggy decides to take off running, there's no way you're going to catch him/her.

 

[krisykris]

DH and I had a IG for quite a long time. That dog was scared of everything, and every time it got scared, it peed. Plus, it would usually run FAST when it peed, so it ran all over our apartment and peed while it ran. Plus, it peed when it slept in bed with us. It was a gorgeous, sweet dog, but very, very timid. I don't know if this was a breed thing or just our particular little guy. But I do think it's something to look out for when looking at a potential pup.

I'd look into that too, my mom's two IG's are always scared, tails between their legs and shivering. They've been this way forever. AND they are big barkers. I'd be careful to get an IG from a really good breeder

They do like to cuddle on laps though!