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ORIGIN: Italy.
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DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL VALID
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STANDARD: 13.10.2010.
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UTILIZATION: Racing dog.
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FCI-CLASSIFICATION: Group 10 Sighthounds.
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Section 3 Short-haired
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sighthounds.
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Without working trial.
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BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY: The little Italian Greyhound
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descends from small-sized sighthounds which already existed in
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ancient Egypt at the court of the Pharaohs. Passing through Laconie
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(Greece), where numerous representations on vases and bowls
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confirm this, the breed arrived in Italy at the outset of the 5th century
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BC. Its greatest development occurred during the era of the
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Renaissance at the court of the nobles. It is not rare to find the Italian
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Greyhound represented in the paintings of the greatest Italian and
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foreign masters
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GENERAL APPEARANCE: Of slender appearance, its body fits
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into a square. Although of a small size, it fully characterises a
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miniature sighthound; the prototype of refinement and elegance.
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May be considered as a model of grace and distinction.
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IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS: Its length is equal to or only just
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inferior to the height at the withers. Length of skull is equal to half
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the length of the head. Length of head can reach 40% of the height at
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the withers.
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FCI-St. N°200/05.01.2011
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3
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BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT: Lively, affectionate,
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docile.
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HEAD Of elongated shape and narrow.
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CRANIAL REGION:
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Skull: Flat with the superior axes of the skull and muzzle parallel.
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Length of the skull is equal to half the length of the head, which has
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slightly rounded sides. Lower orbital region well chiselled. Muscles
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of the head must not show any heavy appearance. Marked
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eyebrow bones. Not prominent occiput. Only slightly marked
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median depression.
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Stop: Frontal nasal depression only very slightly marked.
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FACIAL REGION:
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Nose: Of a dark colour, preferably black with well opened nostrils.
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Muzzle: Tapered.
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Lips: Thin and tight, with edges of lips very darkly pigmented.
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Jaws / Teeth: Jaws elongated with well aligned incisors crown shape,
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strong in relation to size of dog. Teeth sound and complete, set
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square to the jaws; scissor bite.
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Cheeks: Lean.
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Eyes: Large, roundish, and expressive, sub-frontally positioned,
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neither deep-set nor protruding. Iris of dark colour, eyerims
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pigmented.
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Ears: Set very high, small, with fine cartilage, folded in itself and
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carried well back on the nape and upper part of the neck. When the
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dog is attentive, the base of the ear is erected and the lobe tends to
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stand out laterally on the horizontal, position commonly known as
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“flying ears” or “propeller ears”.
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NECK: The nape is slightly arched and broken at its base towards
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the withers. The throat line is slightly convex. Neck length equal to
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that of the head. Shaped like a truncated cone, well muscled. Skin
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lean without dewlap.
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FCI-St. N°200/05.01.2011
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4
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BODY: Its length is equal to, or barely inferior to the height at the
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withers.
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Topline: Straight profile with slightly arched dorsal-lumbar region.
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The lumbar curve merging harmoniously into the line of the rump.
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Withers: Quite well defined with closely placed top of shoulders.
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Back: Straight, well muscled.
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Croup: Very sloping, wide and muscled.
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Chest: Narrow, solid but elegantly modelled with slight spring of
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ribs. Deep, let down to the elbows.
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Underline and belly: The rather short sternal arch is accentuated
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and rises without abruptness to the belly.
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TAIL: Low set, fine even at base, tapering progressively to its tip. It
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is carried low and straight in its first half, the 2nd half curved.
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Stretched it should reach the top of the hock. Covered with short
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hair.
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LIMBS
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FOREQUARTERS:
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General appearance: On the whole straight and vertical with lean
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muscles.
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Shoulder: Very slightly sloping with well developed, long lean and
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salient muscles.
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Upper arm: With a very open scapular-humeral angle parallel to the
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median plane of the body. The upper arm is slightly longer than
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the shoulderblade.
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Elbow: Neither out nor tied-in at elbows.
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Forearm: Straight. Refined bone structure, flat and lean; in
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perfect vertical position as much from the front as in profile. Well
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evident furrow from the carpus to the elbow. Length from ground
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to elbow, just slightly more than the length from elbow to the
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withers.
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Metacarpus (Pastern): Dry. Seen in profile it is slightly bent.
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FCI-St. N°200/05.01.2011
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5
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Forefeet: Of almost oval shape, small, with arched and closely knit
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toes. Not voluminous pads, pigmented. Nails black or dark
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according to coat colour or that of the feet, where white is tolerated.
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HINDQUARTERS:
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General appearance: Well angulated. Seen from behind on the
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whole straight and parallel.
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Thigh: Long, lean, not voluminous, with very distinct muscles.
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Lower thigh: Very sloping, with refined bone structure and well
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apparent groove in leg muscle. They are a little longer than upper
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thighs.
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Metatarsus (Rear pastern): Seen from behind, must be parallel.
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Hindfeet: Less oval than the forefeet, with arched and closely knit
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toes; not voluminous pads and nails pigmented like forefeet.
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GAIT / MOVEMENT: Springy, harmonious, slightly raised trot,
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covering the ground. This means that the front legs must be
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moved forward with good reach and with slightly lifted and bent
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pasterns. Gallop fast with sharp spring.
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SKIN: Fine and tight on all parts of the body except for the elbows
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where it is slightly less tight.
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COAT
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Hair: The hair is short, silky and fine all over the body without the
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slightest trace of fringes.
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Colour: Self-coloured in black, grey, and isabella (pale
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yellowish/beige) in all possible shades. White is tolerated only on
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the chest and feet.
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SIZE AND WEIGHT:
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Height at the withers: Males and females from 32 to 38 cms.
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Weight: Males and females: maximum 5 kgs.
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FCI-St. N°200/05.01.2011
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6
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FAULTS:
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Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault
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and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should
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be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and
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welfare of the dog.
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· Continuous ambling.
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· Hackney movement.
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· Movement close to the ground with short steps.
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DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
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· Aggressive or overly shy.
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· Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities
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shall be disqualified.
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· Accentuated convergence or divergence of the facial-cranial axes.
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· Nose totally or half de-pigmented.
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· Nasal bridge concave or convex.
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· Overshot or undershot bite.
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· Wall eye; total de-pigmentation of eyerims.
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· Tail carried over the back; anury or short tail, whether congenital
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or artificial.
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· Dewclaws.
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· Multicoloured coat; white except in chest and feet as mentioned
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above.
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· Size below 32 cms or over 38 cms, as well in males as in females.
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ELIMINATING FAULTS: (Excluded from breeding)
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· Overshot bite.
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· Chryptorchidism; unilateral
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N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles
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fully descended into the scrotum.
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The latest amendments are in bold characters.
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