ITALIAN GREYHOUND
(ITALY)SIZE: Small (32cm – 38cm)
COLOURS: Black, blue, cream,
fawn, red, white, or any of these
colours with white.DESCRIPTION: The Italian
Greyhound is virtually a complete
miniature of the full-sized
Greyhound, and originally was of
great value as a high-status symbol
in the poshest of households. Artists
such as Van Eyck and Memling
included these dogs in their
paintings, and, in Britain, they became highly fashionable in the
Tudor and Stuart periods. Royalty fell under their spell and
Charles 1, Queen Anne, and Queen Victoria all owned Italian
Greyounds. Like many breeds, however, the thing that made them
popular became their downfall, as the quest for smaller and smaller
dogs led to serious health issues, and the dogs were far too delicate
for anything but the most cosseted life. The breed was on the way
to extinction before sanity prevailed, and a group of breeders in
the late Victorian era set about bringing them back to the far less
delicate little dogs they had previously been.GOOD HOUSEMATE OR NIGHTMARE LODGER?
These clean, shy, gentle dogs make wonderful comfort-loving,
undemanding companions. They take time to make friends, but
once they have, they love wholeheartedly.D
http://www.yourdog.co.uk 19LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO
(ITALY)SIZE: Medium
(43cm – 46cm)COLOURS: Solid of -white; white
with brown or orange markings;
brown roan; solid brown in dif erent
shades; solid orange.DESCRIPTION: This recent
newcomer to dog shows has never
been bred for his looks, despite being a very appealing dog. In the
late 1800s, he was described as being ‘a Poodle with a dash of terrier’
and that was indeed what he looked like. Later, he was described as
being ‘a special, yappy mongrel dog with a rustic appearance’
— and this was by someone who loved the breed!
This was a dog who was bred purely for his working ability and
that ability was to hunt trul es, without allowing anything to
distract him. The Lagotto Romagnolo has his ancestry in the water
retriever dogs who worked in the Italian lagoons back in the 16th
century (lagotto is a dialect word for ‘curly coated duck retriever’)
and were then crossed with anything that had an exceptional nose!
The Poodle factor, however, has always remained dominant, and so
the origins and characteristics of the original breed have remained
and can be seen in the dog today.GOOD HOUSEMATE OR NIGHTMARE LODGER?
This is an af ectionate, lively dog with an inquisitive and curious
mind, who is winning fans thanks to his trainability, joy of work, and
intelligence. He can turn his paw to most dog sports but being
a robust athlete, he needs plenty of exercise and a job to do. His
curly coat is non-shedding, but he does need plenty of grooming to
keep him tidy and remove the undergrowth!INTERESTING FACT
The Lagotto Romagnolo
is the only specii c
trul e dog in the world
(many other breeds
have tried their nose at
it but the Lagotto is the
true expert). To trul e
hunters, he is known as
‘the king of the woods’.INTERESTING FACT
Despite the name, the
Italian Greyhound
came originally from
ancient Egypt (where
their mummii ed
remains could be
found entombed with
pharaohs), as well as
Greece and Rome. It
was probably the
very i rst breed to be
developed purely as
a companion.rtedly.ep him tidy and remove the undergrowth!AGOTTO ROMAGNO
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16-19 YD Breeds CS(SW)ok.indd 19 01/04/2019 16: