9 Things to Know Before Owning a Cirneco dell’Etna

Cirneco dell’Etna dogs, also called Cirnechi dell’Etna, just Cirneco, or Sicilian Greyhounds, are quite an awesome and very overlooked pet breed. Coming from Sicily in Italy, this dog’s name is pronounced “cheer-neck-oh” rather than “cir-nec-oh”. The name literally means “dog of Etna”, after the famous Etna volcano in Sicily.

All this is fine and all but is the Cirneco the right pet for you? Let’s find out by examining what are the 9 most important things to know about the Cirneco dell’Etna.

1. The Cirneco is a sighthound breed

As is quite clear from its monicker “Sicilian Greyhound”, the Cirneco is a sighthound breed. This means that these dogs have been bred to chase prey by sight, in open fields, and at great speeds. In the case of the Cirneco dell’Etna, the average speed you can expect to see is 26.3 mph or a bit over 42 km/h. The fasted recorded speed for this breed, however, is 34.63 mph or 55.7 km/h.

This is notably slower than the record-holding Greyhound with its 47 mph or 72 km/h. That’s normal, however, given how much smaller the Cirneco is. For its size, these dogs is as fast as a similarly small Greyhound would be. In Sicily and throughout Europe, the Cirneco was mostly used as a rat hunter as well as a race dog. And the breed has been doing that for over 3,000 years!

All these numbers are fun to look at and compare, but let’s look into the Cirneco’s qualities as a pet.

2. Cirneco dell’Etna dogs are very adaptable and can live in either apartments or houses

People often think that sighthounds are not suitable for apartments because they need to run a lot. Nothing can be further from the truth. Sighthound breeds like the Cirneco are actually excellent for apartment dwellers. Yes, these dogs need extensive exercise and a good run in the dog park daily, however, they happily spend the rest of their days chilling on the couch.

So, as long as you spend enough time with your dog outside every day, you can easily have this breed in an apartment in the middle of the city. At the same time, of course, if you want to get a Cirneco for your suburban house, you absolutely can – they’ll live just as well there as they would in an apartment.

Just make sure that your yard is excellently fenced if you want to leave them alone there – the Cirneco is a hound breed after all. In fact, the Cirneco is an enthusiastic climber and digger so it’s wise to just not let them alone and unsupervised in the yard.

3. As a sighthound, the Cirneco will need regular and plentiful exercise every day

As a sighthound, the Cirneco does need regular exercise. However, as a relatively small breed, it doesn’t actually need all that much of an exercise. Your pet should feel perfectly fine with one long 40 to 60-minute walk a day to the dog park with some runtime in it. Add a second shorter walk later in the day for toilet purposes, and your Cirneco dell’Etna will likely feel perfectly fine.

4. These dogs have a medium height and are very lightweight thanks to their athletic physique

The Sicilian Greyhound has a nice moderate height at the shoulder of around 17 to 20 inches or 43 to 51 cm. However, because of how thin and athletic these dogs are, they should weigh only about 17 to 26 pounds (8 to 12 kg) when fit. So, this is a pretty easy breed to handle, to carry in a pet carrier, or to just have at home without taking too much space.

5. Cirnerco dogs are very affectionate and lovable, including with kids and other dogs

When people hear the word “hound” they rarely imagine a social, lovable, and affectionate dog. However, sighthounds like the Cirneco are usually exactly that. Yes, these dogs love to chase rabbits when they’re outside, however, their main state of being at home is chilling on the couch or on your legs, getting pets and back rubs.

This calm personality, together with the lightweight size, make the Cirnechi an excellent choice for families with kids of all ages. What’s more, such sighthound breeds don’t really have any inherent dog aggression or competitiveness so they can get along with other pet dogs pretty well too.

And, if you’re wondering about training – while sighthounds don’t benefit from obedience training as much as most shepherd or retriever breeds, some basic obedience training early in the Cirneco’s life is both important and effective in making it a good and manageable pet.

6. The Cirnerco dell’Etna is quite a calm and independent dog

Because of how chill sighthounds like the Cirneco are, these dogs are excellent for people who have to work away from home. Separation anxiety is much less of an issue with such a breed than it is with most terrier, scent hound, shepherd, or retriever/gun dog breeds. So, as long as you’ve given your Cirneco enough exercise and playtime early in the day, leaving it home alone for several hours shouldn’t be a problem.

In effect, many sighthound owners compare these dogs to well-mannered, obedient, and gentle cats that just need to be walked twice a day. That’s because the Cirneco dell’Etna won’t mind just chilling alone for quite some time before it needs attention.

In essence, this breed is the near-perfect combination of independence and affection – as long as you get their exercise and playtime routines right, Cirneco dogs will be chill when you need them to and loving when you want them to.

7. As a sighthound, the Cirnerco will need a bit extra socialization to get along with strangers as well as non-canine pets

Affection and sociability are different traits. So, even though Cirneco dell’Etna dogs are naturally affectionate, they do need a bit of work in the sociability department. This is easy to take care of, however. All you need to do is give your dog adequate socialization early in its life and your Cirneco should have little problems getting along with guests, strangers, and dogs at the park.

This socialization typically includes getting your pup to interact with people and dogs at an early age both at home and outside. If you make such interactions frequent and pleasant enough, your dog should quickly learn that other folks are to be greeted with a smile and not with fear.

And that’s the other thing – unlike many other breeds, when a sighthound is asocial, it usually doesn’t lash out with barking and aggression. Instead, fear and shyness are the more common reactions. This still isn’t fun, of course, which is why socialization is important.

As for cats and non-canine pets – socialization, training, and a proper introduction are doubly important here as the Cirneco is a hound breed and has a pretty strong prey drive.

8. These dogs have short coats that don’t shed much and are very easy to maintain

Coat-wise, the Cirneco has a short and solid-color coat that doesn’t shed much and is a joy to groom. All you’ll need with this breed is a couple of good brushing sessions a week and everything should be in order. Toss in a monthly bath, eye and ear maintenance, and a weekly toothbrushing, and that’s about all you’ll need.

9. Thanks to proper breeding, the Cirneco is very healthy and has a pretty good expected lifespan

The average lifespan of a Cirneco dell’Etna is between 12 and 14 years. That’s just an average, however. With proper care, a healthy pup can surpass that and be a great long-term pet for your family.

To accomplish that you’ll really need to ensure two things: 1) that you get a healthy pup with hereditary and health certificates and 2) that you care for said pup well with plenty of exercise, great food, and routine vet check-ups. Do that and you should avoid the few relatively regular health issues the breed has such as von Willebrand's disease and other blood-clotting issues, epilepsy, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, hypothyroidism, and a few others.

In essence, the Cirneco dell’Etna is a truly exceptional pet that needs to get much more love from the public as a whole – currently, it sits at #183 in AKC’s breed popularity ranking! Yet, these dogs make for phenomenal pets and can work in all families, households, and homes. They do need quite a bit of exercise, sure, but even that is a benefit as it’s a great reason to finally start living that healthy and extra active lifestyle we often postpone.

All in all, we really wish people would stop sleeping on awesome breeds like the Cirneco. Many of the much more popular dog breeds out there are neither as fun, as healthy, nor as easy to look after as a Cirneco dell’Etna.