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Greyhound

Greyhound

FCI standard Nº 158
Origin
 Great Britain
Group
 Group 10 Sighthounds
Section
 Section 3 Short-haired sighthounds
Working
 Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
 Saturday 23 April 1955
Publication of the official valid standard
 Wednesday 13 October 2010
Last update
 Thursday 27 January 2011
En français, cette race se dit
 Greyhound
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
 Greyhound
En español, esta raza se dice
 Greyhound
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
 Greyhound

Usage
Sighthound.

Brief historical summary
The experts, although not unanimous, consider that the Greyhound could have had its origins in the Middle East. Drawings of Greyhound-type dogs have been found on walls in Ancient Egyptian tombs, dating as far back as 4000 BC. Though dogs of the type spread through Europe over the years, it was in Britain that they were developed to a standard. The prototype of the so-called sighthounds, or gazehounds, the Greyhound is well known to many people. The coursing hound, which hunts the live hare, is what the racing Greyhound were developed from, only the cheetah tops the Greyhound for speed. One racing Greyhound was clocked at over 45 mph.

General appearance
Strongly built, upstanding, of generous proportions, muscular power and symmetrical formation, with long head and neck, clean well laid shoulders, deep chest, capacious body, slightly arched loin, powerful quarters, sound legs and feet, and a suppleness of limb, which emphasise in a marked degree its distinctive type and quality.

Behaviour / temperament
Possessing remarkable stamina and endurance. Intelligent, gentle, affectionate and even tempered.

Head

Cranial region
Head
 Long, moderate width.
Skull
 Flat. 
Stop
 Slight.

Facial region
Jaws and teeth
 Jaws powerful and well chiselled. Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Eyes
 Bright, intelligent, oval and obliquely set. Preferably dark.
Ears
 Small, rose-shape, of fine texture.

Neck
Long and muscular, elegantly arched, well let into shoulders.

Body
Back
 Rather long, broad and square.
Loin
 Powerful, slightly arched.
Chest
 Deep and capacious, providing adequate heart room. Ribs deep, well sprung and carried well back.
Side
 Flanks well cut up.

Tail
Long, set on rather low, strong at root, tapering to point, carried low, slightly curved.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality
 Elbows, pasterns and toes inclining neither in nor out.
Shoulders
 Oblique, well set back, muscular without being loaded, narrow and cleanly defined at top.
Elbows
 Free and well set under shoulders.
Forearm
 Forelegs long and straight, bone of good substance and quality.
Pastern
 Moderate length, slightly sprung.
Forefeet
 Moderate length, with compact, well knuckled toes and strong pads.

Hindquarters
Generality
 Body and hindquarters, features of ample proportions and well coupled, enabling adequate ground to be covered when standing.
Upper thigh
 Wide and muscular, showing great propelling power.
Stifle
 Well bent.
Metatarsus
 Hocks well let down, inclining neither in nor out.
Hind feet
 Moderate length, with compact, well knuckled toes and strong pads.

Gait and movement
Straight, low reaching, free stride enabling the ground to be covered at great speed. Hindlegs coming well under body giving great propulsion.

Coat
Hair
 Fine and close.
Colour
 Black, white, red, blue, fawn, fallow, brindle or any of these colours broken with white.

Size and weight
Height at withers
 Males: 71 – 76 cms. Females: 68 – 71 cms.

Faults
• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults
 Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography
http://www.fci.be/

 

Additional information from visitors
The English Greyhound is one of the most famous breeds in the world, prized for its immense agility and great speed. There are various theories about the meaning of the breed's name, from simply denoting its original colouring to it being derived from "Greek Hound", "Grehund" or "Gazehound" and other terms. It should be noted that this breed is not 7000 years old, as some sources claim, even if it is considered to be the oldest pure breed of dog. Although sighthounds have existed since ancient times in Egypt, Greece, Asia and numerous other places worldwide, the English breed was developed in the 18th century. Greyhound-type dogs were originally introduced to Britain by the Celtic tribes from the Balkans over 2000 years ago and were valued and protected by the nobility since the 11th century, but the modern breed bearing the Greyhound name was actually created in the 1700's by Lord Orford, who crossed common working greyhounds with Irish and English Lurchers, imported Italian Greyhounds and old British bulldogges. By combining the speed and agility of Italian dogs, the intelligence and trainability of Lurchers and the courage and drive of bulldogges, Lord Orford succeeded in establishing a superb working breed, faster than all other hunting dogs and much more powerful than most other sighthounds.
Capable of reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour, posessing great intelligence and an athlete's physique, the English Greyhound has traditionally been bred for hunting duties and expected to be able to outrun its prey and get along with other dogs in the pack. Very popular with both the aristocracy and common hunters for centuries, there have been a few types within the breed over the years, reflecting certain requirements and preferences of different fanciers. To this day, there are three main Greyhound varieties, separated by size, temperament and appearance. The Show strain is tall, gentle and lightly-built, prized for its elegance and beauty. Greyhounds belonging to the working Coursing type are shorter, heavier and much more driven and resilient. The popular Racing variety is the lightest and fastest one, bred for speed and agility. As a pet, this breed is loyal, loving and playful, but it requires a fair ammount of excercise and training. Early socialization is important to help control the Greyhound's natural tendency to chase small animals. This is a healthy and long-lived dog, a good choice for a family companion, although the Racing and Coursing varieties can be too much work for inexperienced owners. The Show variety is much calmer and easier to handle than the working types, but any Greyhound can be an agreable pet if bred well, trained properly and excercised on a regular basis.
Regardless of type, the English Greyhound is a large, long-necked and deep-chested breed, with a muscular body and long sturdy legs. The back is arched, the head is elongated and the tail is thin, long and slightly curled. A few ear-types are accepted, from bulldogge-like "rosebud" ears to those that are carried high, fully pricked, folded back or semi-erect. The coat is short, smooth and flat, coming in a variety of colourings. Contrary to its name, the most common colour for the Greyhound is actually brindled fawn, courtesy of its bulldogge ancestry. Grey-coloured dogs do exist, but aren't as commonly encountered as the red, tan, fawn, blue, white, black, brindle and bicoloured examples. The average height is around 28 inches at the withers, but taller, as well as smaller specimens can be found, depending on the type.
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