Italian Greyhounds are amazing and we are pretty positive we will never not have one ever again. However, they are quite different from “normal dogs” and not for everyone.
To help you understand what life with an Iggy is like we made a list of some of the things that were or still are quite challenging for us. So these things are just from our personal experience – everybody is different and every Iggy is a bit different, therefore everybody might be struggling with different things!
1. You Will Be Constantly Worried About Them
To be honest, this is something we are still struggling with, even after all these years: We are constantly worried about Nello – because we love him so much!
He’s a full member of our family and we want him to always be happy.
The things we worry about:
- His Health – When he is not acting like his normal self we get worried right away, even if it’s just something small like a little bruise or an upset stomach. Seeing your little Iggy sick will be pretty hard on yourself, too. But of course it’s normal and every dog will experience some kind of illness throughout its life – but just be prepared that it can be quite overwhelming how worried you might be about your little furfriend. Find out more about common health issues of Italian Greyhounds here!
- Other dogs playing too rough – Of course it’s quite obvious that Italian Greyhounds are small and quite fragile. While we think it’s important to make sure they are properly socialized and get to play with all kinds of dogs, we are aware that meeting other dogs is always a potential risk. Just one wrong move or meeting an aggressive dog can hurt them pretty badly as they don’t have fur or fat to protect them. So you will always have to be alert.
- Leaving without him – Whether you are just going grocery shopping or going on a two week long vacation and not taking your Iggy with you, you might also be worried then. Finding someone to take care of Nello while we are on vacation is not an easy task, as we only trust very few people with him – just because he’s just not a normal dog. He’s quite sensitive and people who take care of him need to be aware of his specific needs.
2. Get Used to Strangers Insulting Your Italian Greyhound
And here’s an absolute classic of owning an Italian Greyhound: You better get used to strangers feeling like they have the privilege to comment on your dog’s appearance out in public.
Every now and then, someone will tell us to feed Nello more because he’s too skinny or they will say he looks like a rat or other mean things. But it’s okay, we get it, not everybody can deal with this much perfection 😉
No but seriously, we understand that sighthounds look odd if you are not used to their body shape. And rude comments say so much more about the person saying them than about Nello, so we really don’t mind. For us, some non-sighthounds look fat – but we prefer to keep that to ourselves…
3. Privacy? Not With an Italian Greyhound!
Italian Greyhounds don’t respect your privacy. They are the most needy and clingy dogs ever! They love being close to you, following you around the house and literally sleeping on top of you (if you let them).
While this is super cute, it’s not for everybody. And if you are like us and love that about the breed, it’s still important to set boundaries because otherwise your Italian Greyhound will determine your life to a point that it might be stressful – even for you. For example you may be struggling to get things done without them or leave them home alone (check out our guide on preventing separation anxiety here!).
4. You Will Be Spending Lots of Money on Your IG
Be prepared to spend way too much money on your IG! In terms of buying clothes, the first year was pretty good for us. We didn’t buy too many items because we felt like it’s pointless to spend too much money when your dog will grow out of the stuff anyway. Since Nello is fully grown, the collection of clothes and collars has grown quite a bit – and is still growing. Buying dog stuff is almost like buying new gym clothes – you enjoy going on walkies so much more! So be careful, it can become an addiction pretty fast.
But not only that, also vet bills can get quite expensive. Especially in the first year we rushed to the vet so many times – not because Nello was particularly ill, but just because we were new to this “owning an Iggy” thing and we were so worried about him. So be prepared the price you spend on buying an Italian Greyhound from a reputable breeder is nothing compared to what you will be spending over your dog’s lifetime!
5. No More “You” Without Your Iggy
And last but not least, be prepared that you will never want to go anywhere without your dog anymore. They become kind of like a shadow that not only wants to be with you all the time, but you will always want to have them around, too. Restaurants that don’t allow dogs? No thanks. Non-dog-friendly vacations? Nahhh.
This can get quite hard on your friendships too because people who don’t own a dog themselves might not understand this. So your circle of friends might change a bit after you get an Italian Greyhound. But don’t worry, you will make lots of new friends. We met so many lovely people through Instagram and when going for walks with Nello that all share the same love for dogs as we do.
Conclusion on Italian Greyhound Problems – So Worth It!
Italian Greyhounds can turn your life around – to the better. But it is definitely important to be prepared and do your research before getting an Iggy. Make sure you have the time and money and that you are willing to spend the next 15 years of your life with a dog!
If you want to find out more about the pros and cons of owning an Italian Greyhound, check out this post!
