It is recognized among a thousand, for its physicality, its elegance and its bearing. A thin, tall, snappy dog, with an expressive muzzle and a look that is sometimes penetrating and sometimes languid. A primitive race is defined, where man has never intervened to modify its morphology or character.

• Origins of the greyhound
• Greyhound morphology
• Greyhound Psychology
• Greyhound care

Origins of the Greyhound

The Greyhound is one of the oldest breeds. Its presence is traced back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians, portrayed in rock engravings. Alexander the Great himself in 329 BC had given testimony of esteem. The greyhound was used as a hunting dog , due to its speed in pursuit. Over time the greyhound breed has evolved and differentiated.

There are various breeds of greyhound : the Irish greyhound, the Spanish greyhound, the Italian greyhound, the English greyhound, the Afghan hound. Some are short-haired and shiny, others coarse, others long-haired.

Morphology of the Greyhound

The greyhound looks like a dog with a slender and agile body, with a small head, in fact the skull is long and rather narrow. The neck is long and well structured, giving it great elegance and haughty bearing. 
There are various breeds of greyhound and substantially differ in hair length and character.

• Long-haired greyhounds: Russian greyhound, Afghan hound, Saluki
• Wirehaired Greyhounds: Scottish Greyhound and Irish Greyhound
• Shorthaired Greyhounds: African Greyhound, Spanish Greyhound, English Greyhound, Polish Greyhound, Hungarian Greyhound, Italian Greyhound, Arab Greyhound, Whippet .

The Greyhound is the fastest dog in the world , it can even reach 70 km / h, while running its tail acts as a rudder to give it stability and ease of change of direction.

The agility in jumping is impressive , these animals can jump from a standing position of 3 meters. The Greyhound has difficulty in assuming the sitting posture due to its developed muscular structure which forces it to remain raised a few centimeters from the ground.  

These dogs are gifted with exceptional eyesight with a field of view that contemplates a 270 degree radius, they can also see behind them in essence.

The greyhound’s coat can reach up to 18 shades of different colors, with various combinations.

Fun fact: some greyhounds sleep with their eyes open .

Greyhound Psychology

The character of the greyhounds differs from breed to breed . The Italian greyhound for example is very affectionate while the Persian greyhound remains very suspicious and studies its owner very carefully, evaluates whether to obey the command based on the tone of voice, the movements of the human and the predisposition of the moment.

Whatever the specific of the breed, the Greyhound is a snappy dog ​​and needs to be able to run in large spaces . It hardly gets used to living in small rooms, without venting to the outside. Training him is not easy, and he is certainly not a dog for beginners. 

He enjoys a generally balanced character , very respectful of his host family even if initially it is humans who have to earn his trust and esteem. Children are well tolerated, but it is good to educate them to behave with respect towards greyhounds.

The company with other pets must be well managed, gradually and with a lot of affection towards the greyhound.