Overview
The Segugio Italiano is an ancient scenthound found in two coat types, smooth and coarse. It has a long, fine head, high-set ears and the deep chest of a dog designed to run all day across hill and scrub. In Italy it still hunts in numbers; in Britain it is a rarity, usually owned by someone who fell for the breed abroad.
Temperament is calm and affectionate indoors, with a quietness that fools people. Outdoors the dog is driven, independent and capable of ignoring you completely once a scent has its attention. It needs a walker who plans for that rather than hopes against it.
Exercise and walking needs
An adult wants around an hour and a half of real exercise daily, with periods of fast trotting or running. A short lead walk leaves this breed under-worked and twitchy, and that is when the roaming and howling start.
Use the nose. Lay a short scent trail with treats, hide a toy in long grass or let the dog work a hedgerow on a long line. Thirty minutes of that is worth an hour of straight walking.
On the walk
- Recall: Weak against scent. The breed has been selected for centuries to follow a line without checking back, and that does not switch off in a park. Off-lead only in fenced ground.
- Pulling: Steady and strong once the dog is working. A harness with a front and back clip gives you options on a busy route.
- Other dogs: Bred to run in packs and usually very easy with other dogs. A good candidate for calm, mixed group walks.
- Wildlife: Deer, hare and pheasant all count as targets. Keep the lead short near cover and expect sudden interest in ditches and bramble.
Tips for professional walkers
- Walk with a long line in open fields and a short lead near roads; the switch between the two should be automatic.
- Reward every check-in with something worth having. You are competing with a very old instinct.
- After muddy walks, check the ears and the fine skin on the chest and belly for scratches from bramble.
What to ask the owner
- How much exercise is the dog really getting, and is it ever allowed to run free anywhere?
- Does the dog howl when left or frustrated, and is that an issue for neighbours at pick-up time?
- Is there any history of the dog bolting after wildlife, and how did the owner get it back?