Sighthounds are a group of dog breeds whose physical training makes them in good condition for racing (greyhound racing), they can reach a great speed. They are mostly taller than they are long, they have long and narrow heads, their ears are turned forward or semierect, and they have a great sense of sight.
Characteristics of a Sighthound
This breed of dog focuses on chasing the prey, keeping an eye on it, and exceeding it due to its great speed and agility. These dogs take advantage of their great speed to capture the prey they are chasing. Their speed is so great that some breeds of greyhounds are among the fastest land animals in the world. Greyhounds come in a variety of sizes and appearances, but the general structure of these dogs depends on the original profession that hunted fast animals such as rabbits, hares, and deer. Its body is long, thin, and light. The legs are long, slender, and strong, and are said to help these dogs extend their tails and steer at high speeds. The head is relatively small. They have big eyes and the muzzle is slightly extended. The neck is long and delicate, with a long tail. A true sighthound should be dolichocephaly. That is, it should be an elongated skull with an oval contour. This shape can create the illusion that the head is longer than usual. The skull of dolichocephaly is derived from the characteristics of wolves and other wild carnivores.
Quality that does not define greyhounds
The Greyhound features a double floating canter. However, that gait is not exclusive to the sighthound (see Curtis Brown), sighthounds can simply do it faster and more efficiently. Consequently, not all breeds that can run with the double suspension gallop should be defined as sighthounds. Although sighthounds might appear to be so, they are not aerodynamic in any real sense of the word the sustainable speed at which sighthounds run is well below that requiring any significant advantage from aerodynamic “bioengineering”.
Sighthounds are not multipurpose hounds. They were developed for speed, no more no less. The closest that a sighthound can get to a multipurpose hound is a lurcher, the result of crossing a working breed with a sighthound to slow it down and give it more brains. Greyhound is not the most intelligent dog in the way we see the intelligence of the breeds we work in. They were bred to be fierce, independent hunters who run fast and have little time to think. They are not particularly obedient to any form of training other than getting in shape.
Spanish Greyhound
The short-haired Spanish Greyhound is fast, athletic, and weighs 25 kg. Born in Spanish, English Greyhound specializes in speed racing on the circuit.
Afghanistan’s long-haired greyhound
Afghan hound with long, silky hair and weighs 22-30 kg. A Saluki native to the Middle East, or a Persian greyhound, with long tufts of hair on the ears.
Whippet
A greyhound of British Shorthair, but smaller than the previous one. Italy’s greyhound is the smallest sighthound in the world and is ideal for urban life.
Azawakh
A shorthaired and native to Africa, specialized in hunting gazelles. Dog federations may come to recognize some of these varieties as their breed. Others are; the English Greyhound, the Saluki, the Little Italian Greyhound, and the Borzoi Greyhound. Currently, this type of breed is used especially as pets and show dogs. However, in some parts they are also used for hunting hares and rabbits, and in dog racing. Both greyhound hunting and greyhound racing have been the subject of much debate and criticism from animal rights activists because of the surprising atrocities in dogs in both activities.