Petzlover
Italian Greyhound is originated from Italy but Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla is originated from Hungary. Italian Greyhound may grow 26 cm / 10 inches shorter than Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Italian Greyhound may weigh 43 kg / 94 pounds lesser than Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Both Italian Greyhound and Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla has same life span. Italian Greyhound may have less litter size than Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. Both Italian Greyhound and Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla requires Low Maintenance.
The Italian Greyhound is an ancient breed, a purebred originating in Italy but with evidence to suggest it was also to be found in Turkey and Greece.
It's a small breed dog that became popular with Italian royalty in the 16th century. Over the centuries, the dog's appearance has remain unchanged, although breeders tried to make it even smaller, leading to problems with the health of the dog.
Towards the end of the 1800s, it was fortunate that breed fanciers implemented breeding programs to restore the dog's look's and strength. The American Kennel Club registered the Italian Greyhound in 1886. Today the dog is a wonderful companion dog.
In the 1930’s some breeders noticed that the Hungarian Vizsla produced some dogs with more water, cold weather and ground cover protection because they had a much thicker coat than most of the breed. One breeder decided to cross one of these females with a German Wirehaired Pointer, thus producing the first Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla. There were now three types of Vizsla – the smooth coated, the longhaired, and the wirehaired. The longhaired is very rare and can be either smooth or wirehaired. It is also believed based on anecdotal evidence that the original Wirehaired Vizsla was also mixed with the Bloodhound, Pudelpointer, and Irish Setter during World War II. Many kennels started breeding the Wirehaired Vizsla at this time.
This rare longhaired is not recognized by any official club or organization while the smooth and the wired are recognized as two separate breeds. There are only a few longhaired Vizsla and they are only found in Europe. The Wirehaired Vizsla was recognized in 1986 by the FCI in Europe and in 2014 by the AKC (American Kennel Club).
Like their cousins the smooth Hungarian Vizsla, the wirehaired version is a natural hunter and easily trained. They are great retrievers as well as pointers in the water or on the land. Their wirehair coats offer them more protection than their smooth coated cousins. They love to swim and are very good at it and will even use your back yard pool if it is available to them.
The wirehaired Vizsla came to North America in the 1970’s and was recognized by the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) in 1977, The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) by 1986 and in 2006 by the United Kennel Club (UKC). The Australian Nation Kennel Council offered recognition in 2007 prior to their entrance into the AKC Foundation Stock Service. They began showing the breed at AKC events in Performance and Companionship, prior to their full AKC recognition in 2014.
These gentle hunting dogs became great family dogs as they love children and just want to be with their people. Falconers have recently taken up the breed because their temperament is suited to this work as well. There are only about 400 to 450 Wirehaired Vizslas left in the United States and few thousand across the globe.
The sweet Italian Greyhound is much like the regular Greyhound, just smaller but every bit as sleek, elegant and fine-boned. He stands at between 33 and 38cm at the withers and weighs just 3 to 7kg. He is slender and elegant.
He has long, fine-boned legs and his short, smooth coat makes him easy to groom too. The coat comes in a number of colors such as fawn, tan, grey, reddish, chocolate and black.
Described as sweet, intelligent and playful, the Italian Greyhound adapts easily to life in the city or to country life.
He is easy to train too, and even though he is small and amicable, it is still a good idea to have him trained and socialized as he is just a simple pleasure to have around then. He just loves the company of his human family and becomes a gentle friend to other dogs, to children in the home and to the elderly.
He is a frail toy dog, and he needs to be constantly watched over that he isn’t handled roughly by disrespectful children or from bigger pets. He is an active breed and will love to be played with and join you on your walks. Even though he is such a frail, fragile looking dog, he has a feisty, stubborn, defiant side to him and that is why training and socialization becomes important. He will be reserved around strangers.
Very much like his cousins, the Wirehaired Vizsla is a noble looking breed. He is lean and muscular with a noble head and moderate skull line. Their muzzle is just a little shorter than the skull and the end is squared. They have powerful jaws and a broad, wide nostrils. The nose is brown, and the eyes are slightly darker than the dog’s coat color.
Low set ears are long and hang near the cheeks. With a strong, long neck and muscular shoulders, the Wirehaired Vizsla certainly looks the part of a hunting dog. Her chest is a little deep and the breastbone is prominent. She has round paws with short nails. Of course, her coat is wiry and dense. The undercoat is water repellent. He has an intelligent and lively facial expression.
Their ears are long but proportionate to the head and body. Their upper teeth overlap the lower teeth. Finally, the tail is thick and usually 1/3 docked. The tail is mostly carried in a horizontal position while walking or running.
If you’re looking for a sweet, gentle canine friend, the Italian Greyhound promises to be just that. They just crave human companionship and are eager to please.
He isn’t the ideal playmate for children, simply because he is frail and can get hurt easily in rough play.
Small he may be, but he is intelligent and alert, and he will bark to warn you of strangers. They are essentially indoor dogs, and when you bring one of them into your home, you’ll be rewarded with a devoted, loving and loyal canine friend.
Very good with children as long as he gets enough exercise.
Very athletic
A puppy could live in an apartment in the city, but the adult dog needs a yard and is better off on a farm.
Very smart, very responsive, high learning ability.
Your small Italian Greyhound isn’t a sickly dog breed, and in fact, with the right care, he can live to be between 10 to 14 years of age.
As with any dog breed however, there will be some more common conditions to watch for in the Italian Greyhound. Some of these are epilepsy, hyperthyroidism and periodontal disease.
There are different types and causes of seizures, and there are actually no definitive tests for epilepsy. One seizure isn’t enough to make a diagnosis and more than one seizure is usually recorded before a diagnosis can be made and treatment prescribed.
These treatments don’t cure Epilepsy but rather control the symptoms and keep the dog seizure-free so that they can have a normal life.
Seizures are not all the same – some are life-threatening and advice from the internet can’t be looked upon as adequate. With a dangerous disease such as epilepsy, excellent and qualified veterinary help will be required.
Gum disease can be terrible for your pet. Apart from bone loss and loss of teeth, your pet will experience pain. Periodontal disease may well be common in dogs, but it can be prevented.
Once an animal has eaten food, particles of food, saliva and bacteria form plaque over the teeth and this doesn’t only cause damage to the teeth but to the entire immune system.
This disease can cause inflamed gums and loss of teeth. It is important to brush your pet’s teeth with special canine toothbrush and toothpaste.
The truth is, periodontal disease can cause more problems than just tooth pain which is bad enough. Dogs with gum inflammation may be at higher risk for heart- and kidney disease too. If you’re worried about your dog, take him in to your vet for an oral examination and teeth cleaning.
Mostly healthy but the Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla does have some inherited dispositions to:
The Italian Greyhound has a short, smooth, satin-type coat which is easy to maintain. Gently brush him once or twice a week, being careful not to press down hard as he has frail, bambi-like legs.
He also sheds little, making him a low maintenance breed. Because of the short coat, take particular care of him in the Winter and don’t allow him to become overly cold.
Your Italian Greyhound will require a diet rich in nutritional value, and if your particular dog is quite active you will need to feed him about 450 calories a day and sometimes more.
Each dog is an individual and will have different dietary needs. If you feed your pet a top quality commercially manufactured food, read the packaging for guidance on food portion sizes.
Speak to your vet if you are unsure how to feed your dog so that his food and the amounts you feed him contribute to his good health. He must always have access to fresh, cool water.
Feed high quality food for medium to large breed puppies. Feed 3-4 time a day 1-2 cups.
Feed high quality food for adult medium to large dogs. Feed 2x a day 2-3 cups.
Great stamina and very athletic breed.
The Wirehaired Vizsla is a working dog and needs serious daily exercise. He will be full of energy and excitement if he doesn’t get enough mental and physical stimulation. He needs a family that can walk a mole or two every day or jog with him. He easily becomes neurotic and high-strung if his energy is not dissipated. Excels at Field Trials, Competitive Obedience, tracking and Barn Hunt.