Italian Greyhounds are great…for certain types of people. They’re smart, friendly, and are generally even-tempered. Read on for more information about Italian Greyhound intelligence and behaviour…
Italian Greyhounds are cuddlebugs. They love to sit in your lap or beside you on the couch. They lay in the sunlight or burrow down into a cushion or blanket. They love to be around people and generally follow you wherever you go. In fact, it’s hard to make them leave you alone.
They’re also very energetic and playful. In between naps, they enjoy running and jumping around the house and racing through the yard. They’re not typically ornery, but you do need to keep an eye on what they might knock over in the mad dashes and energy spurts. This includes children. Because Italian Greyhounds often crash into things, they are usually better for adults or families with older children. These dogs also have a tendency to injure themselves and even break legs. They are so small, so reckless, and so often underfoot that it’s easy to see how such things could occur.
Italian Greyhound Intelligence
These dogs are also very curious animals, which is one of the factors leading to the Italian Greyhound intelligence notoriety. They’re not necessarily people-pleasers. They don’t do things just because you ask them to. They don’t train well. They like to see how things work. They test you. If you want them to do something, they have to be able to see what’s in it for them. For instance, you might think that a dog who won’t go out in the rain to go to the bathroom and who would rather use your carpet instead isn’t very smart. But think again. Who wants to use the bathroom outside in the rain when they can do it right where they are? The Italian Greyhound intelligence is shown, however, with the presence of treats. If you give an Italian Greyhound a treat every time they do their business in the rain, they will know that they stand to gain in the proposition.
You’ll need to treat all of your training in this way. Show the greyhound the benefits of doing what you want. Don’t rely on punishment or scare tactics. Italian Greyhounds don’t respond well to that like other dogs do. In fact, they’ll just run from you and not learn anything at all about what you’re trying to teach them. Again, you may not think this shows much intelligence on their part, but it is generally a smart move to get out of dodge when someone’s yelling at your or hitting you.
All in all, Italian Greyhounds are great animals, in their own way, but if you’re not ready to put up with their quirks, a more manageable dog breed might be a better way to go.
