Italian Greyhound (Lebrel Italiano): everything you need to know

Veterinary and insurance guide · Petplan Spain Team · Updated 2026

The Italian Greyhound (in Spain, Lebrel Italiano) is the smallest of the sighthounds: a miniature, elegant greyhound in miniature, weighing just a few kilos yet built with the same graceful, aerodynamic lines as its larger cousins. Affectionate to the point of being a true “velcro dog”, it adores warmth, soft beds and the close company of its people, and combines surprising bursts of speed with a gentle, sensitive nature. Its fine bones, though, make it more delicate than most toy breeds. In this guide we cover the breed’s origin, temperament, the conditions we most often see in the clinic, the real veterinary costs to plan for in Spain, and why Petplan pet insurance is the best choice for your Italian Greyhound.

Origin and history of the Italian Greyhound

The Italian Greyhound is an ancient companion sighthound whose miniature type has existed around the Mediterranean for over two thousand years; small greyhound-like dogs appear in Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. It became especially fashionable in the courts of Renaissance Italy — hence the name — and was a favourite lapdog of European nobility for centuries, appearing in countless royal portraits. Bred purely for companionship while keeping its sighthound speed and form, it is classified by the FCI in Group 10 (sighthounds), standard nº 200.

Physical characteristics

The Italian Greyhound is a tiny, fine-boned sighthound with a short, glossy coat and an elegant, high-stepping gait. Its key features are summarised below.

Temperament and character

The Italian Greyhound is devoted, gentle and intensely people-oriented — it wants to be with its owner at all times and is happiest curled up against them. It is playful and surprisingly athletic, capable of sudden bursts of speed and impressive jumps, yet calm and undemanding indoors. It tends to be sensitive and can be shy or timid without good socialisation, and it retains a sighthound’s prey drive. Because it is so emotionally attached, it dislikes being left alone for long. House-training can take patience, partly because the breed genuinely hates cold and wet weather. Gentle, positive, consistent training suits this delicate, intelligent dog best.

Common health problems in the Italian Greyhound

For all its elegance, the Italian Greyhound’s fine build creates some very specific health priorities every owner must understand.

The most important is the risk of leg fractures: the breed’s slender leg bones, especially in young dogs, break relatively easily in falls or awkward landings from furniture, so jumping should be discouraged and ramps or steps provided. Patellar luxation is also common. The breed is notorious for severe dental disease — its small mouth crowds the teeth and periodontal disease is almost universal without diligent care, making regular tooth brushing and professional cleanings genuinely important. On the eyes, progressive retinal atrophy and vitreous degeneration are recognised. As a sighthound it has the family’s sensitivity to anaesthesia and certain drugs, and its very thin coat and low body fat make it highly sensitive to cold.

Financially, this matters: surgical repair of a fractured leg, a luxating patella, advanced dental treatment or eye surgery can each run from several hundred to several thousand euros.

Coat care and feeding

Grooming could not be simpler — the short, fine coat needs only an occasional wipe to keep it gleaming. The real care priorities are different: diligent dental care (daily tooth brushing where possible, plus professional cleanings) to combat the breed’s strong tendency to periodontal disease, and protection from cold, since the Italian Greyhound feels the chill keenly and benefits from a warm coat outdoors and cosy bedding indoors. Nails should be kept short, and the home set up to reduce jumping. On feeding, a good-quality small-breed diet in measured portions maintains the right lean but not bony condition.

Exercise and stimulation

Despite being a lapdog at heart, the Italian Greyhound is a true sighthound and enjoys a good run and active play. Daily walks plus the chance to sprint safely in a secure, enclosed area keep it fit and happy, after which it is content to rest. Because of its fragile legs, avoid encouraging high jumps and rough play with larger dogs, and because of its prey drive, free running should only happen in fully fenced spaces. A harness suits its slender neck and deep little chest better than a collar.

Why Petplan is the best choice for your Italian Greyhound

For a delicate toy sighthound prone to fractures, dental disease and anaesthetic sensitivity, good insurance is genuinely valuable. Petplan is the best choice in Spain because its cover is designed for these needs: it includes the conditions the Italian Greyhound is prone to, lets you choose any vet in Spain with no closed network, and renews for life without excluding conditions that develop with age. For an Italian Greyhound, the average premium is around 310 EUR per year on intermediate cover.