Italian greyhounds — the smallest sighthound with the biggest following

I’ve recently returned from a few days in Rome, so it felt like as good a time as any to turn my attention to the Italian greyhound — the much smaller, more delicate cousin of the English greyhound, widely known in recent years as ‘iggies’. The Italian greyhound is one of the smallest dog breeds in the world — a miniature sighthound known for its elegance, speed and surprisingly big personality.

Despite the name, the breed’s origins stretch back to the Mediterranean — most likely Italy and Greece — with tiny sighthounds appearing in ancient art and artefacts thousands of years ago. They were later adored by European nobility and formally recognised as a breed by The Kennel Club in 1901. As Jane Moseley observed when speaking to Katy Birchall for Country Life (September 5, 2018), the breed has long held a certain fascination — ‘the enduring curiosity surrounding the smallest of the sighthounds’.

They’re often thought of as the perfect city dog — and for anyone wondering, yes, Italian greyhounds can make excellent city companions — but when it comes to Italian greyhound temperament, there’s a bit more to them than that. A friend of mine has one, named Baby Ragu (her government name) and she was the first Italian greyhound I properly befriended. Every time I see her, she flashes her ‘happy teeth’, a quirk any fan of the breed will know and love, before launching into a series of frantic zoomies. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

That’s the thing — they may be tiny, but they are still very much sighthounds. Quick, nimble and surprisingly athletic, they can jump far higher than you’d expect. ‘They’re real sighthounds. You can walk them as far as you want and they’re still bouncing,’ said Jo Amsel, who owns 12, also speaking to Birchall for Country Life. One minute they’re airborne, the next they’re folded neatly into your lap, burrowing under a blanket as if they’ve always lived there.

Italian greyhounds have long been favourites of the rich, royal and well-dressed. They were beloved by figures such as Catherine the Great — who kept several small Italian greyhound–type dogs — and Queen Victoria, often appearing in portraits perched elegantly beside their owners. As Christine Chau, co-founder of luxury dog-bed company Charley Chau, recalled to Country Life, ‘the first time I set eyes on one was in a painting… elegant and slightly mischievous-looking’, a description that feels entirely accurate. Today, that legacy continues with TV royalty in the form of Kylie Jenner and Uma Thurman. They’ve become something of a fashion icon in their own right, frequently spotted in campaigns, on runways and across Instagram wrapped in knitwear that is, frankly, better than most people’s. Take Tika the Iggy, perhaps the most famous of them all, who amassed more than a million followers on Instagram and millions more on TikTok, setting the tone for that particular corner of the internet.

They’re affectionate, sensitive and deeply attached to their humans — so much so that they can be prone to separation anxiety. ‘They need plenty of attention and don’t really understand the concept of personal space, preferring to sit on you than next to you,’ said photographer Ben Bailey-Davies, describing their affectionate — and slightly demanding — nature. They dislike the cold (hence the jumpers, practical as well as aesthetic), and they’re still hunters at heart, so recall can be… optimistic. Prospective owners should know that Italian greyhound care requires a bit of attention, particularly when it comes to warmth, dental health and handling their delicate limbs.

They are very small. Most Italian greyhounds weigh between 3–5kg — about the same as a small bag of potatoes, but with significantly more opinions — with dogs typically slightly larger than bitches, though the difference is minimal. They stand at around 32–38cm at the shoulder — all legs, really — which only adds to their slightly otherworldly look. They typically live between 12 and 15 years, which is a long time to be sharing your sofa (and your blankets).

They might look like delicate little creatures — and, at times, behave like them — but spend five minutes with one and you’ll realise their personality is a lot bigger: fast, funny, faintly ridiculous and completely irresistible.