Sight hounds, dogs that traditionally hunt mainly by sight, are believed to share a common ancestor, the Phoenician hound. All bear a similar silhouette: long jaw, refined head, lean muscular body, deep chest, fairly long neck, thin powerful legs, and hare feet, which have elongated middle toes that make the foot appear longer overall. Many of the sight hound breeds can be traced back to antiquity and originated in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Breeds that were refined in Africa and the Mediterranean region, such as the saluki, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Italian greyhound, and greyhound, have short smooth coats, whereas those developed in harsher climates such as Afghanistan (Afghan hound), Russia (borzoi), and the northern United Kingdom (Scottish deerhound, Irish wolfhound) bear longer, rougher, weather-resistant coats. The short-haired whippet is the Johnny-come-lately of the sight hounds, developed in nineteenth-century England by crossing the greyhound, the Italian greyhound, and a now-extinct English terrier.
Almost all of the dogs in this group hunt primarily by sight, taking off in hot pursuit of game at the detection of the slightest movement.
The fastest dogs in the canine kingdom, they are used today in dog racing and lure coursing and are nearly impossible to catch if they get away. Their desire to capture and kill prey is paramount, thus many of them need to be carefully supervised around cats and other small mammals, especially when outdoors.
With people, the larger sight hound breeds (Afghan, saluki, Ibizan hound, and pharaoh hound) and the basenji are gentle but not particularly demonstrative. The smaller Italian greyhounds were bred to be companions and thin-skinned bed warmers, so they are naturally more outwardly affectionate.
Sight Hounds:
Afghan Hound ,
Basenji ,
Borzoi ,
Greyhound ,
Ibizan Hound ,
Irish Wolfhound ,
Italian Greyhound ,
Pharaoh Hound ,
Rhodesian Ridgeback ,
Saluki ,
Scottish Deerhound ,
Whippet .
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