- All colours
- The following colours are considered as the most typical, in order of preference: • Fawn and more or less dark brindles, well pigmented. • Black. • Flecked with black, dark and light. • Burned chestnut. • Cinnamon. • Yellow. • Red. • White. • With white markings and pied
About the Spanish Greyhound
Origin: Spain
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 23-30 kg
- Female
- 20-27 kg
- Height
- Male
- 60-70 cm
- Female
- 58-68 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sighthounds
- Origin
- Spain
- Also called
- Galgo Espanol
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Spanish Greyhound?
An ancient sighthound breed from Spain known for its lean, athletic build, speed, and gentle, calm temperament. Also called Galgo Español, they come in both smooth and wire-coated varieties and are bred for grace and reserved demeanor.
Spanish Greyhound history and origins
Ancient breed with roots tracing back over 2000 years to Celtic hounds in the Iberian Peninsula. Used by Spanish nobility and rural hunters for coursing hare across open plains and fields. Recognized by FCI and national Spanish kennel club.
Spanish Greyhound appearance and size
Males typically weigh 23-30 kg and stand 60-70 cm at the shoulder; females 20-27 kg and 58-68 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- A dog hunting the hare in fast pursuit in open fields, being directed by his sight. Formerly he has also been used and can hunt other game animals like rabbits, foxes, also boars; however the primordial utilization of the breed has been and is the hunt of the hare in open fields
- Behaviour and temperament
“Serious temperament and reserved in occasion, however when out hunting, proves to be an energetic and lively hunter”
Quoted from FCI standard n°285. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “A dog hunting the hare in fast pursuit in open fields, being directed by his sight. Formerly he has also been used and can hunt other game animals like rabbits, foxes, also boars; however the primordial utilization of the breed has been and is the hunt of the hare in open fields” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Spanish Greyhound
What you get with the Spanish Greyhound
- Purpose stated in the standard: “A dog hunting the hare in fast pursuit in open fields, being directed by his sight”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Serious temperament and reserved in occasion, however when out hunting, proves to be an energetic and lively hunter”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The variety of semi-long hard-haired shows a greater hardness and length of hair which…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Spanish Greyhound
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
spread all over the body down to the interdigital spaces.
Slightly longer at the back of the thighs.
The variety of semi-long hard-haired shows a greater hardness and length of hair which can be variable
although always evenly spread onto the whole body, it tends to form a beard and moustaches at the muzzle, eyebrows and top knot on the head
- Dense
- Very fine
- Short
- Smooth
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°285 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Spanish Greyhound down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Lack of type.
- Split nose.
- Distinctly overshot mouth or undershot mouth.
- Topline very broad, flat and straight.
- Chest let down well below the elbow.
- Any other typical characteristic which would recall or indicate a cross-breed.
- Albinism
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Spanish Greyhound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Spanish Greyhound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Spanish Greyhound on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Spanish Greyhound owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Spanish Greyhound breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.