- Main page.
- About Italian Greyhounds.
- The Pictorial
Development of IG - Health and Welfare.
- Fractured Limbs.
- News
- Show results.
- Pedigrees
- Articles.
- A Guide to buying a Puppy
- Membership.
- Merchandise.
- Gallery.
- Links.
- Contact.
Articles:
Article 1: Understanding Coat Colour Inheritance
Article 2: A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Article 3: The Italian Greyhound in Art
Article 4: LEG FRACTURES Nature or nurture?
Article 5: A GUIDE TO BUYING A PUPPY
Article 6: CH TAMORETTA TAILORMADE
Article 7: Dog tails:
page 1 (442 KB) and page 2 (422 KB)
Understanding Coat Colour Inheritance
Do you want to know why some Italian Greyhounds are blue, some fawn, and some black or red, but you freak out as soon as genetics, alleles, A ay d D recessives etc. are mentioned!
Well here it is made easy - well, made easier I hope.
For these purposes I am not going to be strictly scientific as I should be using the term allele to denote an alternative form of the gene and using the correct letters for the genetic code. These can be found at the end of the article if you make it that far!
You know that you are half your mother and half your father. This is because you inherit one gene from each parent. All genes come in pairs just like Levis!
What you see on the outside is called your phenotype.
What you inherit but may not be visible is called your genotype.
There are basically two genes for coat colour in IGs.
And there is one gene which modifies the coat colour called the dilute gene.
The gene which gives the black coat colour we shall signify by the letters BL
The gene which gives the red coat colour we shall signify by the letters rd
The gene which dilutes BLACK to BLUE and red to fawn we shall signify by the letters dil
The gene which does not affect coat colour is the NON DILUTE gene which we shall signify by the letters ND
You will notice that BL and ND are in capital letters
And rd and dil are in lower case letters.
The reason that BL is in capitals is to show that it is it is a dominant gene. ND is also a dominant gene.
rd and dil are both recessive genes.
What does Dominant and Recessive mean?
Well it doesn't mean that one is more likely to be inherited than the other - a common mistaken belief.
It simply means that if your IG inherits one dominant gene from
one parent and one recessive gene from the other it is the dominant
gene that will give the visible coat colour.
Important point!
One gene from each parent will be for coat colour the other will
determine whether the coat will be diluted
or NOT DILUTED
Example
Dog BL BL dil dil is a Clear Blue
Bitch BL rd ND dil is a seal/black Possible gene combinations their puppies may inherit:
1. BL (from dad) BL (from mum) dil
(from dad) ND (from
mum) -Black
2. BL (from dad) rd (from
mum) dil (from dad) dil
(from mum) - Blue
3. BL (from dad) BL (from mum) dil
(from dad) dil
(from mum) - Blue
4. BL (from dad) rd (from
mum) dil (from dad ) ND
(from mum) - Seal
You will see how we got to the colour when you read on.
Examples of colour genetics
1. Jack is a BL BL ND ND . He has inherited dominant genes from both his parents.
He will be BLACK. Because he has all dominant genes all
his offspring will be black too as he can only give them BL
for colour and ND for non dilute
irrespective of the colour of the mother. This is called a Clear
Black. What you see in his coat colour is what he will pass to his
offspring.
2. James is a BL rd ND dil . He has inherited a mixture of both dominant and recessive genes
He will also be BLACK or possibly Seal - but he could pass
on his recessive genes to his offspring and depending on the genotype
of his mate could produce BLACKS, BLUES
reds or fawns!
Unlike Jack his phenotype and genotype are different. That is, what
you see is not necessarily what you will get!!
3. Jeremy is a BL BL dil dil . He has inherited the dominant BLACK gene but no dominant ND gene so the dil genes have a chance to work their magic.
He will be BLUE. He can only pass on his dominant colour gene and his dil gene so all his offspring will be either BLUE or possibly BLACK if his mate passes on a ND gene to prevent colour dilution or seal if his mate passes on an rd as well as an ND . He is known as a Clear Blue. He cannot produce reds or fawns as his dominant BL genes will always overcome the rd gene that gives the red or fawn coat.
N.B. Clear Blacks and Blues are relatively uncommon.
4. Justin is BL rd dil dil . He will have the diluted coat colour and although he has the rd gene his BL gene will be dominant.
He will also be BLUE but unlike
Jack and Jeremy but just like James his phenotype and his genotype
are different.
5. Jazz is a rd rd ND ND . He has inherited only the recessive red gene and only the dominant non dilute gene.
He will be red. His offspring will
either be rd or BLACK as
his non dilute gene will prevent dilution of coat colour whatever
the genotype of his mate.
6. Jonathon is a rd rd dil dil . He has inherited only recessive genes.
He will be fawn. His offspring
can only inherit recessive genes from him and depending on the genotype
of his mate he can produce any colour as a mate with dominant genes
will always overcome his.
fawns mated to fawns will always produce fawns.
fawns mated to BLUE can only produce dilutes i.e. fawns or BLUE
There are two other variations:
BL BL ND dil - is a BLACK dog who could pass on his dilute gene.
rd rd
ND dil - is a red
dog who also has a dilute gene which could be passed on to his offspring.
O.K. so far but how can you tell a red fawn, if you don't know it's parentage from a red? If you know it's parentage you will know that the parents are either fawn or BLUE i.e .dilutes.
Genetically true reds will have black noses and eye rims. You may think your red fawn has a black nose but closer inspection will reveal it isn't truly black.
Although it might be a little tricky to see, the nose on the red fawn in photograph is not black - and that's not due to the result of the camera flash.
Paler fawns often have lilac/ light brown noses to match their coat colour.
These are colour true pictures.
red
red/fawn
palefawn
Where do Blue/ Fawns and Seals fit in?
deep blue /fawn almost chocolate
blue with bronze tones
Good question!
It would appear that BL can be affected by rd in some dogs. Many of us have had litters that contain deep blues and mucky blues, some verging on the pale chocolate. Hence dogs which have the dominant BL gene and the recessive rd gene can be either a deep blue or a blue fawn in the presence of two dil genes or a black or a seal in the presence of an ND gene.
Possible seals;
BL rd ND dil ( which is the same genetic code as James ) or BL rd ND ND
Possible blue /fawns
BL rd dil
dil ( which is
the same genetic code as Justin )
Quiz time
1. Let's mate James ( lucky dog ) who is BL rd ND dil
to a beautiful fawn lady who must be rd rd dil dil
What possible basic colours might the puppies be?
2. Now Justin who is BL rd dil dil meets the same lady next year.
What possible colours will this mating produce? 3. The following year it's Jazz's turn. He is rd rd ND ND
What possible colours will their puppies be?
Now we have a mating that has produced these puppies. All we know is that the dog is blue and the bitch is pied red/white
From the colour of these puppies can you work out the genetic codes for sire and dam? There is one BLUE, two fawns, one red and one seal.
All answers please to our e- mail address.
If you would like to know the correct letters for the genetic codes here they are;
BL = A - this stands for the Agouti black gene
rd = ay - this stands for the sable gene*
ND = D - this is letter for the non dilute gene
dil = d - is the letter for the dilution gene
Strictly speaking we REALLY should be using the term allele instead of gene as it is an alternative form of a gene but....we don't want to confuse you any more!
- Italian Greyhounds do not have the true red coat of say the red setter which is the e gene. Instead they have black tips to the red hair hence it is called the sable gene.
Jo Amsel
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
The Italian greyhound is a loyal and devoted pet first and foremost. He will let out a warning that there is someone or something strange around, however he will then be content to go back to what ever he considers his bed and let you deal with it.
This is not a numerically large breed nor is it a commercial breed, they generally have very few pups in a litter and it is not unknown for the bitch to need a caesarian to get the pups out. Because of the fact that they are such a precious breed people frequently find it hard to get an Italian, breeders tend to only breed when they want something for themselves and then they will often have a waiting list for other puppies in a litter.
When you do find a breeder willing to sell you a puppy expect to be asked a lot of questions, these will be to do with why you have chosen the breed, what you know about it and your home life. These questions are asked not for the good of the breeders health, but because as custodians of this special breed they take their role very seriously. No breeder wants one of his or her puppies to fall upon hard times, to end up in breed rescue or even worse an animal sanctuary.
These are not dogs for a kennel life, they love to be able to exercise and to be as close to their owners as possible. Sometimes you will feel that you have Velcro attached to you and your dog at others your dog will not be seen for hours because he has made a nest somewhere and is warm and happy there.
A good breeder will invite you come and look at Italians and puppies in the home, get a feel for the breed, those that you see at shows are not in there natural environment and are on there best behavior. At home they are full of fun just like any other dog though often twice as fast!
Do not expect them to respect rules, the sofa, you and any food is there for them, they wrap their way around your heart and quite often you will find that one is not enough. They are endearing and it is easy to see why they are possibly one of the oldest lapdogs and as such have graced most of the royal houses of Europe, as well as countless family homes, this is a lover not a fighter and should be treated as such.
Read up as much as you can on the breed, if you still feel that this is dog for you be prepared to wait, it will be worth it in the long run. You will have a devoted friend and family member for many years who will bring so much happiness and joy you will never look back.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Jimmi Johnston-White
The Italian Greyhound in Art
Infant Louis XV by Pierre Gobert, Museo del Prado.
IIn pride of place is this sumptuous picture of Louis XV as a child, with an Italian Greyhound and a monkey painted by Pierre Gobert in 1714 who painted the infant on several occasions. For distribution to other countries when the continuation of the French Bourbons were in doubt. Not yet breeched, the infant wears a dress in heavily embroidered and woven damask, overlaid with gold and silk thread. The composition is soft and balanced the flamboyant embroidery on the dress; the headdress in gold and red with soft blue feathers to the back are mirrored in the blue sash with an order. The angelic features of the infant and interpretation of the animals are exquisite. The Italian Greyhound wears a blue collar with a red lead, which the king holds. The little dog is a rich chestnut/fawn and white. The characteristics are typical and well defined. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
As a breed the Italian Greyhound is indeed blessed with the richest legacy of reference in all the art forms from bronze sculpture, oil paintings, watercolours, frescoes and pastel drawings, china and glass figurines.
The history of the smallest of the sight hound is extensively and symphathetically depicted from the 11th century onwards especially in Italy, France, Spain and Great Britainn.
There are more references
to The "Small or miniature greyhound" than almost any other breed
of that size. Dogs during the earliest recorded ages can be divided
into the following groups:
Companion dogs
Guardian dogs
Hunting dogs
Herding dogs
The miniature greyhound falls into the category of Companion dogs, together with Papillon, Bolognese, Toy or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Pugs. Although the breed is referred to in the earliest references as the "Small or Miniature" greyhound , there appears to be no evidence that this breed is a diminutive of the greyhound or other sight hound. All these breeds existed in Europe at this time and were highly valued and cherished by Royalty and other important people. Pierre Gobert for example, was favoured by Louis XIV of France, from 1682 and was considered one of the most influential of portrait painters of his time.
The Italian Greyhound appears with remarkable frequency in religious, symbolic, patriotic and renaissance art, which originated in the Italian city-states of the 14th century. In the two following examples the small hound has been chosen to represent "virtue" in the religious context and is there fore possibly painted in white or pale colours, to emphasise this.
The adoration of the Magi
 The adoration of the Magi by Bosch . |
By Hieronymus Bosch 1450-1516. A vivid biblical scene depicting the Virgin Mary with the newborn infant Jesus on her knee surrounded by the Three Wise Men baring the traditional gifts, a shepherd and Angels. In the stable a well detailed cow and in the bottom foreground, just out of the light which bathes the Virgin, an Italian Greyhound in a typical pose, all the breeds fineness and elegance can be seen in detail. The colour could be white or cream with a red and gold collar. This is one of the most distinctive and beautiful paintings of the breed at this time. |
The Shrine of St. Ursula-The Marturdom of S. Ursula
|
Jan Memling 1433-1494. St. Ursula stands defiant in the left foreground clothed in a white and purple tabard styled dress. In the centre, bottom of the picture a white Italian Greyhound, "couchant" with front legs crossed in a breed typical pose with all the breed detail finely executed including a superb long whiptail. Soldiers in metal armour and holy men complete an enchanting picture. |
The Italian Greyhound was also seen as a symbol of wealth and this can be seen in the many paintings were the artist included dogs in commissioned works. The wealthy and influential Italian families of northern and middle Italy, kept large quantities of all sorts of dogs, from Mastiffs to Greyhounds, Bolognese and of course to the Italian greyhound. The Medici family of Florence was devoted to small companion dogs, reference Tiberrio Titi: "The Medici Dogs with the Court Dwarf in the Boboli Gardens", Florence and this ended only with the line itself in the mid-eighteenth century. Most of the artist, of the time, included animals, often dogs in their paintings, sometimes to "balance" the picture, sometimes to draw the viewers eye to a particular area or to simply "fill" a space. Dogs owned by the artists them selfs served, as conversation pieces during the sittings and patrons liked to have their owned dogs included as well. It is interesting to observe the frequent inclusion of Dwarfs with children and their dogs. Jeffrey Hudson the court and favourite dwarf of Charles I and Henrietta Maria can be seen in the painting by Daniel Mytens 1630 showing the King and Queen leaving for the chase, he is in charge of the hounds who appear to be typical Italian greyhounds. In another work of imagination the dwarf is seen feeding a brace of I.G.s whilst the King and Queen dine in public in Whitehall, HM Queen's collection. It is easy to understand how the confusion arose as to the size of some dogs and the figures that are also in some paintings. When clearly the dwarfs who were part of every imporant household were mostly included in famous paintings.
The Great Picture of the Clifford Family
The Great Picture of
the Clifford Family, Unknown.
This magnificent picture measures about 18 1/2 ft by 9 ft overall, artist unknown. Here we see the right hand Panel painted in 1646 of Lady Anne Clifford then aged 56, she was married firstly to the Earl of Dorset and to the Earl of Pembroke (2nd husband), both of which are included in the painting in miniature pictures. Anne is in a black dress and veil with white collar and cuffs possibly in mourning, stretching to wards her knee is a small, typical white Italian Greyhound, crouching at the hem of her dress on the opposite side is a black and white cat. The picture is of superb quality with sharp colours and fine execution.
The fourth Duke of Marlbourgh, his wife Caroline and their six children
The Family of Fourth Duke of Marlbourgh by J.Reynolds, Blenheim Palace.
By Sir Joshua Reynolds, The Duschess stands tall in the middle of the picture, surrounded by her six children and her seated husband. The three dogs are clearly identified as two Cavalier King Charles spaniels of Blenheim colouration and a white, black and parti-coloured Italian greyhound. The execution of the picture has a mixture of seriousness and mischief ness, one of the younger children holding a mask, which appears to be disturbing the Italian greyhound and another of the younger children. The clothes are opulent and sumptuous. This magnificent painting hangs at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
Alphonse De Lamartine
|
By Decaisne, Lamartine a poet was born 1790 in Macon, France. The oil painting shows the poet in a landscape, leaning on some rocks, a notebook by his side. Two Italian greyhounds, one lying down at his side with a foreleg on the poets leg, coloured white and fawn parti-coloured with a fine red collar the other also white and fawn facing away from the owner. Both hounds are fine, delicate and very typical. The landscape and poet are sombre in coloration only broken by a sunset and the light, which fall on the two hounds. Very sharp execution and style. |
A Thoroughbred Italian Greyhound
A thoroughbred Italian Greyhound by Alfred de Dreux.
By Alfred De Dreux 1810-1860. This picture 34 x 46" shows a magnificently painted, white Italian Greyhound standing in a landscape, nothing is know about this dog or whom it was painted for. The red and gold collar with lettering and a small medallion is finely executed. The capion and date indicates that there is no doubt that this is an Italian greyhound.
Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva by Marshall Claxton, Coventry Art Museum. |
By
Marshall Claxton, 1850 the picture of Lady Godiva is a Victorian,
romantic interpretation of the ancient true accuranse in Coventry,
Warwickshire. |
The rose-bud, or The Judgment of Paris
The Rosebud by Richard Weston.
An enchanting watercolour by Richard Westall, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1792 as "the Rose-bud from Prior" or the Judgment of Paris. The colours in the picture are very delicate and airy; the lover is dressed in a scarlet and white tunic with elegant breeches, sitting on a stool, holding a pocket watch. The woman, dressed in flowing white and pale blue, with a delicate garland off flowers on her blond hair, has at her heels a white and pale fawn Italian Greyhound. The dog is well proportioned and elegant, with a pale blue ribbon tied in a bow and round its neck. Just behind the woman are two other women in brown possibly chaperones carrying a parasol. Richard Westall.
The Judgement of Cambyse. And the Virgin and Child with Saints and Donour
|
|
Both by Gerard David.
I have been intrigued
by the similarity of these two paintings. Although the subjects
are different, there are some interesting similarities "The judgment" was
painted between 1480 - 1484 it was David's first painting and
reflects the Dutch influence. The subject is taken from Herodotus,
the judge Sisamnes, who was arrested and punished by Cambyese,
the king of Persia. David's panels were intented as a stern warning
to judges against to temptations of corruption.
The Virgin and Child, painted probably 1510, are enthroned
in a walled garden, on the right St.Barbara reads a book. Mary Magdalene
seated next to her holds an ointment jar, on the left St Catherine
receives a ring from the infant Christ. The picture was almost certainly
commissioned by the kneeling figure on the left, Richard de Visch
van der Capelle, a cantor of the St Donation, Bruges. His identity
is recorded in the coat of arms on the Italian Greyhound's collar.
The picture was almost certainly intended for the alter of St Catherine
there. The marble floors in both paintings are detailed in their
patter, also in both paintings the small hound lie in a typical
pose, their backs to the principal figures and have red collars
with crests and both are cream and fawn.
There is in the "judgment picture" a second dog on the floor. This
appears to be dark red, fine limbed but with a "bushier" tail,
deeply involved in its own toilette. The interval between the two
paintings is 26 years. The two dogs depicted are Italian Greyhounds,
painted in typical pose, fine and elegant, with small neat ears
and fine coats.
Anna Marshall