W hen I was asked to write another article about judging my beloved breed, I thought about the questions trainee judges—and even some experi- enced ones—have asked. I decided to go through the standard and make a comment or two about each point, especially the sections that seem a little unclear to some. Here is the result: DESCRIPTION The Italian Greyhound is very similar to the Grey- hound, but much smaller and more slender in all pro- portions, and of ideal elegance and grace. Elegance and grace are hallmarks. Without these, proper type is missing. When one sees an IG with the strong, lithe look of a large Greyhound, but scaled down and ap- propriately elegant, the breed description becomes very clear. HEAD Narrow and long, tapering to nose, with a slight sug- gestion of stop. Self-explanatory, but especially look for underjaw and no snipeyness, nor should the dog be down-faced. “A slight suggestion of stop” does not mean no stop at all. SKULL Rather long, almost flat. This fits inwell with the “head” description. Keep in mind, too, when there is an exhibit that has what IG breeders call a “toy head.” Years ago, rounded skulls and short, snipey muzzles were com- mon, especially among smaller specimens. This is still seen occasionally and should be faulted according to the degree to which it is apparent. THE BASICS OF JUDGING THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND by Lilian S. Barber
T op N otch T oys , N ovember /D ecember 2020 • 49
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