WHAT IS MEANT BY ‘HIGH STEPPING AND FREE?’ ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS ON THE MOVE By Kim Brinker
O n a recent trip in my small travel trailer, while parked at an RV campground, I was walking my Iggy for some exercise. One of the neighboring campers asked me what type of dog she was. “An Italian Grey- hound,” I gladly replied, prepared to answer the normal questions: No, she is not a Greyhound puppy and, yes, she is full-grown. However, instead of being asked these common questions, the fellow camper said, “She sure prances.” “Thank you,” I replied, con- tinuing my walk while contemplat- ing that stated observation. No, the IG does not “prance,” but to a person unfamiliar with the breed, I found the camper’s comment to be an accept- able way to describe the uniquemove- ment of an IG. So, why did this person say that my IG pranced? One key feature to identify an Italian Greyhound is its distinct and unique high stepping movement that sets it apart from other Sighthounds. The AKC Italian Greyhound Standard uses very few words to describe the IG movement: “Action: High stepping and free, front and hind legs to move forward in a straight line.” IG move- ment has been discussed and debated for longer than I have been involved in the breed, and I have copies of pub- lished articles and books that discuss various interpretations of correct IG movement dating back to the 1960s. Interestingly, almost all of the au- thors describe movement with simi- lar explanations that leave the reader with the same visual picture of a cor- rectly moving IG. Before I get into specifics discussing IG front movement, I feel it is very
important to remind you of some his- tory and the original purpose of the breed. The IG is a Sighthound in min- iature, originating over 2,000 years ago. The IG is not a bred-down ver- sion of the Greyhound, but rather the two breeds share common ancestors. There is no documented evidence as to whether the IG was bred to be a small game hunter or a companion. Most likely, it was a combination of both. By the Middle Ages, the IG was distributed throughout Southern Eu- rope and was owned by the nobility. IGs were companions as well as hunt- ers of small prey. In 1626, Francesco Birago, an Italian nobleman, wrote of the “Greyhound of Italy” being a companion and hunting dog, stand- ing 17” to 19” tall. Since the Whippet breed did not exist in the 1600s, it is presumed that this book is describing an ancestor of the Italian Greyhound. In the 1800s, the Victorian Era, small Toy dogs were fashionable. So, the IG size started getting smaller and the breed was no longer used for hunt- ing. In the early 1900s, IG breeders around the world started breeding back to basics for a more physically sound and healthy dog, moving away from the fragile Toy version that had been popular in the 1800s. My rea- son for bringing up the history of the breed is to remind you that the breed originally had to be structurally sound to be an efficient running dog capable of bringing down small prey. Since the written Standard does not provide a detailed explanation of IG movement, it is the role of breed- ers, exhibitors, mentors, and Judge’s Education to provide the guidelines,
examples, and explanations that will provide the descriptive details need- ed to identify correct IG movement. I have had many conversations with judges who are learning about our breed who, even after lengthy study and educational programs, still do not understand or have a good visual picture of correct IG front movement. So, the Judge’s Education Committee has strengthened the IG educational materials to provide more detail on interpreting “high stepping and free” IG movement. One tool that has been used over the years is a clock face with an IG silhouette to demonstrate the preferred high stepping range. Although some will disagree, most IG breeders/exhibitors identify high stepping to be “lift” that falls in be- tween 3:00 and 4:00 or, if you prefer, 8:00 and 9:00 on the clock face. (You may also see some clock illustrations using the minutes rather than hours, i.e., 12:15, 12:16, 12:17, etc.) This does not mean that movement above or below that range is not correct, but it is not in the “preferred” range. So, at what point do we say, “How high is too high?” That question does not seem to have an easy answer. Correct front movement is a combi- nation of many factors that include
52 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember 2021
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