Your Are Greyhounds calmer than whippets? Get Your Pet Thinking

Italian Greyhound vs Whippet Maintenance – Grooming and Shedding

Both breeds are very low maintenance as they have short and smooth coats.

You won’t have to do much.

Nail Trimming – To trim their nails, you can either use a nail clipper or a dremel. Doing this about once per week should be enough for most dogs.

Ear Cleaning – Depending on the age, you may need to clean their ears up to about once a week with a wet towel.

Brushing their Coat – Both breeds don’t shed a lot. Italian Greyhounds are even considered hypoallergenic, which means many people who are allergic to dogs don’t react to them. In spring and fall they may shed a bit more than usual. You can brush their coat to assist the seasonal change of fur.

Bathing – They may need an occasional bath every now and then. Usually it’s enough to clean their paws after a walk with a wet towel.

Teeth Brushing – Especially Iggies tend to have very bad teeth so brushing them regularly is recommended to avoid dental problems.

An Introduction to the Whippet, Greyhound, and Italian Greyhound Dog Breeds

Since they share runway looks, blazing speed, and lap-seeking abilities, its easy to think these three beauties are simply different sizes of the same breed, but theyre not! However, they do share one particular quality.

As sighthounds/gazehounds, these dogs have an innate ability to hunt by sight rather than by smell. So youll often hear the characteristic high prey drive associated with them. Is this worrisome? Not really, especially if you research breeders and adoption agencies carefully to understand your pup of choice.

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If youre more outdoorsy and trying to decide on a whippet vs. greyhound, you might appreciate a whippets more sporty nature. While these handsome pups from Northern England certainly know how to be best in show, they also are a bit more sparky and ruff and tumble—theyve won dock diving competitions, for example. These active, bright puppers dont like being left alone, so consider a quality doggie daycare or regular dog walker so your BFF (best furry friend!) stays on his best behavior and is ready for a cuddlefest when all members of his human family return home.

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Egyptian hieroglyphics depict queens and pharaohs with their trusty greyhounds. Prized companions, these notable African dogs are considered one of the oldest breeds in the world. Yes, theyre famous for being fast, but some people also refer to these sweethearts as “40 mph couch potatoes.” They really dont mind avoiding any agenda and just hanging with you. (We can relate!) Greyhounds can be a little nervous, though, so calm their anxiety with relaxing routines and counterconditioning. While they dont need to be active all the time, they do relish opportunities each day for quick bursts of activity followed by mellow walks. Keep outdoor games handy, and plan to teach them how to drop it!

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Italian greyhounds are the tiniest gazehounds. With a lineage that dates back to the Romans, this pint-sized combination of lively curiosity, adoring cheekiness, and sweet charm made them canine favorites throughout royal courts and artists salons for centuries in Greece, Turkey, Europe, and Asia. According to the Italian Greyhound Club, an IG, as shes often called, is no shrinking violet: she has a lot of energy to burn and responds well to positive reinforcement training. IGs are terrific nestling companions for seniors, new pet parents, or apartment dwellers.

Italian Greyhound vs Whippet Appearance – What Are the Differences and Similarities?

Italian Greyhounds and Whippets look very similar. They are both smaller versions of the Greyhound – with Iggies being the smallest breed of the sighthound group.

Height – The Italian Greyhound measures 32 to 38 cm (13 to 15 inches) at the highest point of the withers. The Whippet measures 44 to 51 cm (17.5 to 20 inches). In the United States and Canada, both breeds generally tend to be a bit bigger than in Europe.

Weight – Iggies normally weigh 5 kg max. (11 pounds), Whippets between 6.8 to 19 kg (15 to 42 pounds).

Coat – They both have a short and smooth coat. While Whippets can often be found in a big variety of colors including brindle markings, the color range is a bit smaller for Italian Greyhounds. In Europe, you will mostly find Iggies in all kinds of shades of grey, black and isabella, as the FCI standard only allows solid colors with white markings on the paws and chest. Other variations with more white are common outside of Europe.

Italian Greyhounds have almost the same characteristics as Whippets, but are just a lot smaller. Besides, Whippets are generally more muscular while Iggies can be very delicate.

The size is pretty much the only obvious difference. Other than that, they both have

the typical sighthound body shape

a long arching back

long skinny legs

a swan-like neck

rose shaped ears

GREYHOUND VS WHIPPET