Spanish Greyhound

Sighthound & Pariah Dog Group

The goals and purposes of this breed standard include: to furnish guidelines for breeders who wish to maintain the quality of their breed and to improve it; to advance this breed to a state of similarity throughout the world; and to act as a guide for judges.

Breeders and judges have the responsibility to avoid any conditions or exaggerations that are detrimental to the health, welfare, essence and soundness of this breed, and must take the responsibility to see that these are not perpetuated.

Any departure from the following 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 on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

History

The Spanish Greyhound is descended from the ancient Asian greyhounds, and is an ancestor of the English greyhound. Historically used to hunt hare, he was also sometimes used on fox and boar.

The Spanish Greyhound was recognized by the United Kennel Club in 2006.

General Appearance

The Spanish Greyhound is a good sized, short coated sighthound with compact bone structure and a long, narrow head. Correct proportion and harmony of structure are very important when both standing and moving.

Characteristics

Serious and reserved, yet energetic and lively when hunting.

Head

Long, lean and fleshless, with a smooth juncture between skull and muzzle when viewed from above. Seen from the side, the muzzle is slightly longer than the skull and the top lines of the skull and muzzle are divergent.

SKULL

Longer than it is wide, with a well marked median furrow but no prominence of eyebrow or occiput. The stop is a gentle slope.

MUZZLE

Long and narrow with a slight arch to the nasal bone close to the nose. The lips are very lean, fine and tight, and dark in color.

TEETH

The Spanish Greyhound has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.

Disqualifications: Distinctly overshot or undershot.

NOSE

Small, moist and black.

EYES

The eyes are small, almond shaped and obliquely set. They are preferably dark hazel in color, with very close eye rims that are dark in color. The expression is calm, soft and reserved.

Serious Faults: Light, round, protruding or prominent eyes. Entropion or ectropion.

EARS

The high set ears are broad at the base, fleshy close to the skull, and then finer and thinner towards their rounded tips. They are carried in rose fashion, semi-prick when alert, and folded back into the neck at rest. When pulled forward, the ears should reach close to the corner of the mouth.

Serious Faults: Cropped ears. Pricked ears.

Neck

Long, slim, strong and supple, narrow behind the skull and widening slightly towards the withers. The upper profile of the neck is slightly concave.

Forequarters

The shoulder blade is lean, short and oblique, noticeably shorter than the upper arm. The upper arm is very muscular, leaving the elbows free yet fairly close to the body. The angle of the scapula/humerus is about 110 degrees.

FORELEGS

Long, perfectly straight and parallel, with well defined bones and marked tendons. The pasterns are fine, short and slightly sloping.

Body

The body is rectangular, strong and supple, giving the dog a look of agility and endurance. The back is straight, long and well defined, with a slight concavity that leads into a slight convexity over the loin, but the lines should be clean, smooth and unbroken, giving the impression of great elasticity. The chest is powerful and fairly deep, but not broad. It does not reach to the elbow. The point of the sternum is marked. The ribs are flat and widely spaced. They must be very visible. The loin is strong, not very broad, and arched. The center of the loin may be higher than the withers. The croup is long and slanting, at an angle of greater than 45 degrees off the horizontal.

Serious Faults: A topline that is broad and flat, with no curves. Chest let down well below the elbow. A sloping topline, with the top of the loin lower than the withers.

Hindquarters

The hindquarters are very powerful, with well defined bone structure and long, well developed muscles. The angle of the pelvis and femur is approximately 110 degrees.

HIND LEGS

The upper thigh is strong and nearly vertical. The angle at the stifle is about 130 degrees. The lower thigh is very long, with fine bones and visible veins and tendons. The hock joint is well marked with a clearly visible Achilles tendon. The rear pastern is short, fine and vertical.

Feet

Hare feet, with long, tight toes and hard pads.

Tail

Long, low set, strong at the root, and tapering to a fine point at the tip. At rest, it falls in a sickle, with a hook at the end. The long tail, which falls between the legs with its hook nearly touching the ground in front of the rear legs, is a typical characteristic of the breed.

Serious Fault: Docked tail.

Coat

Dense, very fine, short and smooth, with some longer fringe on the rear of the buttocks. A second variety has semi-long, hard hair, the length of which can be variable, although it is always evenly spread on the body; it tends to form a beard and mustache on the face and eyebrows and a topknot on the head.

Color

All colors are permitted, though these are the most typical, in order of preference:

Fawn and well pigmented brindle
Black
Flecked with black, dark and light.
Burned chestnut
Cinnamon
Yellow
Red
White
With white markings and pied.

Height

The ideal height for males is from 24.5 to 27.5 inches. For females, it is from 23.5 to 26.5 inches. There is a tolerance of ¾ (three-quarters) of an inch in otherwise excellent specimens.

Gait

The trot is extended and low, elastic and powerful, with no tendency to crab or amble.

Disqualifications

(A dog with a Disqualification must not be considered for placement in a conformation event, and must be reported to UKC.)
Unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid.
Viciousness or extreme shyness.
Albinism.
Distinctly overshot or undershot.