Italian Hound

The Italian Hound is an ancient breed and their ancestry is somewhat of a mystery. They have appeared throughout history in famous art and literature including a painting commissioned in 1600 found at the Castle of Borso d’Este. A sculpture of Diana the Huntress in the Naples Museum includes a dog that closely resembles the Italian Hound. Another sculpture of Diana displayed at the Vatican Museum, titled Diana with Bow and Arrow, depicts Diana with another dog that is very similar to the Italian Hound. Archaeologists unearthed two perfectly intact skeletons of dogs that are identical to the Italian Hound in Lombard, a province of Verona. Some researchers believe that the Italian Hound descended from primitive hounds of Egypt. They are similar in structure to dogs found during the Egyptian Pharaonic eras. It is thought that Phoenician traders brought these Egyptian dogs into the Mediterranean coasts. The Egyptian hounds were then bred to Celtic sight hounds possibly from southern Gaul. These dogs were then bred to Roman Mastiff-type dogs to improve the scenting ability of the sight hound. The resulting dogs were named Segugio Italiano or Italian Hound. They were able to scent and sight their prey, making them an ideal hunting dog during the renaissance period when grand hunts were a common form of entertainment for nobility. The Italian Hound hunted in large packs with the nobles riding horses through the forests while the dogs did most of the work, flushing out prey for the hunters. The popularity of the Italian Hound began to wane when grand hunting parties also lost popularity. The breed was revived in the mid- 20^th century and he has gained more popularity within Italy as a companion rather than a hunter.