|
ORIGIN
:
|
Italy. |
|
UTILIZATION
:
|
Racing
dog. Companion dog. |
|
CLASSIFICATION
F.C.I. :
|
Group
10 Sighthounds.
Section 3 Short-haired Sighthounds. |
|
BRIEF
HISTORICAL SUMMARY :
|
The
little Italian Greyhound descends from small-sized greyhounds which
already existed in ancient Egypt at the court of the Pharaohs. Passing
through Laconie(Greece), where numerous representations on vases and
bowls confirm this, the breed arrived in Italy at the outset of the
5th century BC. Its greatest development occured during the era of
the Reaissance at the court of the nobles. It is not rare to find
the Italian foreign masters. |
|
GENERAL
APPEARANCE :
|
Of
an elongated shape, its body fits into a square and its forms recall,
in miniature, those of the Greyhound and the Sloughi. May be considered
as a model of grace and distinction. |
|
IMPORTANT
PROPOTIONS :
|
Its
length is cqual or only just inferior to the height at the withers.
Length of skull is equal to half the length of the head. Length of
head can reach the 40% of the height at the withers. |
|
BEHAVIOUR
/ TEMPERAMENT :
|
Reserved,
affectionate, docile. |
|
HEAD
:
|
Of
elongated shape and narrow; its Iength can attain 40% of the height
at the withers. |
| CRANIAL
REGION : |
|
Skull
:
|
Flat
with the superior axes of skull and muzzle parallel. Length
of the skull is equal to half the length of the head. Lower
orbital region well chiselled. |
|
Stop
:
|
Frontal
nasal depression only very slightly marked. |
|
| FACIAL
REGION : |
|
Nose
:
|
Of
a dark colour, preferably black, with well opencd nostrils.
Muzzle : Pointed. |
|
Lips
:
|
Thin
and tight, with edges of lips very darkly pigmentcd.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws elongaied with well aligned incisors crown
shape, strong in relation to size of dog. Teeth sound and complete,
set square to the jaws; scissor bite. |
|
Cheeks
:
|
Lean. |
|
Eyes
:
|
Large
and expressive, neither deep-set nor protruding. Iris of dark
colour, eyelid rims pigmented. |
|
Ears
:
|
Set
vcry high, small, with fine cartilage, folded in itseif and
carried well back on the nape and upper part of the neck. When
the dog is attcntive, the base of the ear is srected and the
lobe tends to stand out Iaterally on the horizontal, position
commonly known as < <flying cars>> or <<propeller
ears >>. |
|
| NECK
: |
|
Profile
:
|
Upper
line alighly arched towards the withers. |
|
Length
:
|
Equal
to that of the head. |
|
Shape
:
|
Truncated
cone, well muscled. |
|
Skin
:
|
Lean
and without dewlap. |
|
| BODY
: |
| Its
length is equal or barcly inferior to the height at the withers.
|
|
Topline
:
|
Straight
profile with arched dorsal-lumbar region. The lumbar curve merging
harmoniously in the line of the rump. |
|
Withers
:
|
Quite
well defined. |
|
Back
:
|
Straight,
well muscled. |
|
Croup
:
|
Very
sloping, wide and muscled. |
|
Chest
:
|
Narrow,
deep, lct down to the elbows. |
|
| TAIL
: |
| Low
sct, fine even at base, tapering progressively to its tip. It is carried
low and straight in its first half, the 2nd half curved. Puiled up
between the thifhs towards the topline, it shouldsurpass the level
of the hip-bone slightly. Covered with short hair. |
| LIMBS |
|
FOREQUARTERS
:
|
On
the whole straight and vertical with lean muscles. |
|
Shoulder
:
|
Not
slope steeply with well developed, lean and salient muscies.
Upper arm : With a very open scaqular-humeral angle, and of
a parallel direction to the median plane of the body seen from
the front. |
|
Elbows
:
|
Neither
out nor tied-in at elbows. |
|
Forearm
:
|
Length
of the limb measured from fraund to elbow just slightly longth
than the distance from elbow to the withers; very lightly boned;
forearm in perfect vcrtical position as much from the front
as in profile. |
|
Pastern
:
|
In
the prolonged vertical line of the forcarm; seen in profile
it is a little slanting. |
|
Forefoot
:
|
Of
almost oval shape, smail, with arched and closely-knit toes.
Pads pigmented. Nails black or dark according to coat colour
or that of the foot, where white is tolerated. |
|
HINDQUARTERS
:
|
Seen
from behind on the whole straight and parallel. |
|
Upper
thigh :
|
Long,
lean, not boluminous, with very distinct muscles.
Second thigh : Very sloping, with fine bone structure and well
apparent froove in leg muscle. |
|
Hock
and metatarsal :
|
In
prolongation of a bertical line drawn from the ischial luber. |
|
Hindfoot
:
|
Less
obal than the forefoot, with arched and closely-knit toes; pads
and nails pigmented like the forefoot. |
|
GAIT
/ MOVEMENT :
|
High-stepping and free. Moving with light and
speedy impression. |
|
| SKIN
: |
| fine
and tight on all parts of the body except for the clbows where it
is slightly less tight. |
| COAT: |
|
Coat
and color
|
The
hair is short, smooth to the touch, thinly distributed and glossy
like satin. Acceptable colors are fawn, red, gray, blue or such,
and those herein mixed with white. Black-tans, blue-tans and
brindles are not tolerated. |
| The
new standard will be primarily the same as the current one,
except for the "Coat & Color" section that will
be repealed and replaced with the following new language, effective
from Sep 1 , 2008. |
|
HAIR
:
|
The
hair is short and fine all over the wothout the slightest trace
of fringes.(New standard) |
|
COLOUR
:
|
Black,
grey, slate grey and yellow (in Italian - Isabeila) in all possible
shades. Self-colour is the ideal. White is tolerated only on
the chest and feet.(New standard) |
|
| SIZE
AND WEIGHT : |
|
Height
at the withers :
|
males
and females from 32 to 38 cm. |
|
Weight:
|
Males
and females : maximum 5 kg. |
|
| FAULTS
: |
Any
departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and
the seriousncss with which the fault should be regarded should be
in exact proporion to its degree.
Continous ambling. |
| ELIMINATING
FAULTS : |
- Nose
totally or halfdepigmented.
- Nasal
bridge concave or convex.
- Overshot
or undershot mouth.
- Wall
eye; total depigmentation of eyelid rims.
- Tail
carried over the back; anury or short tail, whether congenital
or artificial.
- Dewclaws.
- Size
below 32 cm orover 38 cm, as well in males as in females.
|
| N.B.:
|
| Male
animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended
into the scrotum. |
