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Striving for Health, Beauty & Versatility in a small package. |
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D’Folly Italian Greyhounds |
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A Bit about Performance and Italian Greyhounds…. |
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Send us an e-mail |
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Although the IG has been bred for centuries as a companion dog, most IGs have retained their desire to chase and catch prey. As the smallest ‘sight hound’, this group of dogs is known to hunt by sight where other hounds hunt by scent. From the Borzoi on down to the IG you will find the same body type with depth of chest for expanded lung capacity, sleek narrow bodies, and hare feet, enabling sight hounds to go long distances at great speeds in search of their prey.
With a background like this it’s no wonder most IGs are toy obsessed, many hunt game in the yard or house, and the chase is on….. Add to that the years of companionship in the breeding and a love of their human, and IGs surprise many with the ability and desire to excel in many Performance Sports.
First and most obvious are the Running sports, which are divided into straight track (Large Gazehound Racing Association or LGRA), Oval track (National Oval Track Racing Association or NOTRA), and the two types of Lure Coursing available (AKC Lure Coursing and ASFA or American Sighthound Field Association). All of which are independent and have their own rules of scoring and point systems and are open to Sighthound breeds only. There is no betting on any of these, they are point earning only, and dogs do win titles in each venue. Oh and BTW, in Lure coursing the dogs chase plastic bags, not real live prey. In Racing the dogs chase a fake squawking bunny with plastic bags tied on as well. To watch a Sighthound run while grinning is a joy to behold, but that is where they are most happy.
Then surprisingly, IGs also can and do excel in other Performance sports such as Agility, Obedience and Rally. While all of these take a special relationship and special training with your dogs, there are just some IGs who enjoy sharing sports of varying kinds with their humans.
For 2010 once again, the top LGRA dog in the country of ANY breed is an IG names Snoopy. Snoopy is not new to being number ONE, he has accomplished a higher rank/title/point achievement of any breed participating in LGRA. Snoopy is an SGRC 18. Such an amazing accomplishment from such a little guy! And by the way, Zuli beat Snoopy in the 2011 Nationals. See her in the pic below passing him.
I don’t know if my girls will ever catch up, but we sure have fun trying…..there is just nothing they love more than the Bunny.
For more information on Agility, Obedience, Rally, Racing and Coursing, visit their respective websites: LGRA : http://www.lgra.org NOTRA : http://www.notra.org or http://www.notraracing.org AKC : http://www.akc.org ASFA : http://www.asfa.org Agility : http://www.akc.org or http://www.usdaa.com Obedience : http://www.akc.org Rally: http://www.akc.org
Ig’s are very versatile little guys. There is also Tracking available to IGs as well as Weight Pulling.
Please do stop by our Race Pics pages, just find the link below and enjoy the happy IGs |
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2011 Stats! OCTOBER News Flash!! Zuli won the 2011 LGRA Nationals and came in 2nd. At the NOTRA National! She is the number 2 Italian Greyhound for the year 2011 in BOTH LGRA and NOTRA!! Zuli also made the #10 LGRA ALL Breeds dog of the year 2011! Even with her year off for puppies, Zuli remains # 4 in LGRA to date.
Zuli then took a year off to have puppies, and lo and behold, her son Tate (D’Folly Tatem Blue, GRC, ORC) has followed proudly in her running steps! He is a fabulous running boy, easily passing most every IG by and garnering points very quickly. He was 3rd in his first IGCA National, his first entry against the top winning dogs of 2013. He has almost earned his SGRC2 as his mother and grandmother have. Tate with very limited racing is already #9 and climbing fast.
Quin held on to the 11th position IG for 2011 LGRA, and Tally held on at 9 yrs. Old to the 15th spot!
Zuli is an AMAZING racer on top of a lovely showdog, earning her JOR & SGRC2 in record time and passing her fast mother’s records with ease!
Little Devi earned her JOR and GRC in no time! Not bad for my ‘show dogs’! |
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While I never planned on it, nor expected it, my own IG’s have taught me about what the IG is capable of. They are natural running dogs and very versatile. They have earned titles in Racing and Coursing as well as the Show ring. And so we also have been honored to earn Versatility Awards from the Italian Greyhound Club of America. And if I had more time I know they would love Agility and Obedience as well as other venues. But alas, my time is limited. We do try to stay in shape with weekly chuckit fetch games and long power walks, and of course all that is to my benefit as well. |
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An online iggy forum |
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A local playdate group |
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A wonderful article by Jan Elliott |
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Our National Breed Club |
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Healing & Rehab info |
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Zuli Wins The 2011 LGRA National |
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Northern CA IG Club |
