All the Sighthounds! Your guide to sighthound dog breeds

Sighthounds are dogs developed to find and pursue prey primarily through sight and speed. Greyhounds, Whippets, Salukis, Borzoi and Scottish Deerhounds are some of the best-known examples, but there are sighthounds from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

And if you’re thinking about living with one, the thing I most want you to understand isn’t that they’re elegant or incredibly fast. It’s prey drive.

These dogs can go from apparently doing absolutely nothing to pursuing something in a frighteningly small amount of time. Training matters enormously, but I would never recommend gambling on recall around wildlife simply because you’ve worked hard on it.

What Is a Sighthound?

Most dogs use some combination of sight, scent and hearing when hunting or tracking something. Sighthounds have been particularly selected for visual detection and pursuit: see movement, orient to it, chase it.

That’s also why so many have the build we associate with the group: long legs, a deep chest, relatively light frame and a body capable of covering ground incredibly quickly. There’s variation, obviously—an Irish Wolfhound and an Italian Greyhound are hardly interchangeable—but these are specialist dogs rather than generic all-rounders.

I tend to think of them as the F1 cars of the dog world rather than ATVs. They’re highly specialised and finely tuned. They can be a little dramatic about seemingly small changes because small changes in footing, equipment, temperature or handling can matter more to a dog built this way.

A Very Quick Sighthound History

Sighthound-type dogs have a very long history alongside humans, particularly in places where hunting over open ground rewarded a dog that could spot movement at distance and pursue it at speed. Different regions developed their own dogs for local terrain, climate and quarry, which is why today’s sighthounds vary so much in size, coat and build.

That’s the bit of their history that matters to me as a trainer. We deliberately selected generations of dogs to notice movement and chase. Bringing that dog into a modern home doesn’t magically delete the behaviour because we’d now rather they ignored the neighbourhood rabbit.

Sighthound Dog Breeds

Exactly which breeds get grouped under “sighthound” varies a little between kennel clubs and countries, particularly when you get into primitive hunting breeds that use more than one sense. So rather than pretending there’s one universally agreed master list, these are the sighthounds and closely related visual hunting breeds you’re most likely to encounter:

• Afghan Hound – a large, long-coated sighthound developed in Afghanistan and surrounding regions.
• Azawakh – an exceptionally lean West African sighthound built for speed and hot conditions.
• Borzoi – the large, long-coated Russian sighthound historically known as the Russian Wolfhound.
• Chippiparai – a sighthound from Tamil Nadu in southern India.
• Galgo Español – the Spanish Galgo, traditionally used for coursing hare.
• Greyhound – probably the most immediately recognisable sighthound and famously capable of tremendous speed.
• Hortaya Borzaya – an Eastern European sighthound developed for hunting across open country.
• Irish Wolfhound – a giant sighthound with a very different physical presence from the Greyhound-shaped dogs people often picture.
• Italian Greyhound – the tiny end of the sighthound scale: fine-boned, quick and very much still a sighthound despite the size.
• Kanni – a southern Indian sighthound associated particularly with Tamil Nadu.
• Magyar Agár – the Hungarian sighthound, generally more robust in build than a racing Greyhound.
• Mudhol Hound – also known as the Caravan Hound, an Indian sighthound developed for hunting.
• Polish Greyhound (Chart Polski) – a powerful Polish sighthound with an ancient hunting history.
• Rajapalayam – a large Indian hound, traditionally associated with hunting.
• Rampur Hound – a northern Indian sighthound developed for hunting larger game.
• Saluki – a Middle Eastern sighthound with both smooth and feathered coat varieties.
• Scottish Deerhound – a large, rough-coated sighthound historically developed to pursue deer.
• Sloughi – a North African sighthound with a short coat and very lean outline.
• Taigan – a sighthound from Kyrgyzstan adapted to mountainous terrain.
• Whippet – a medium-sized sighthound: extremely fast when moving and often extremely committed to the sofa when not.

You’ll also see breeds such as the Ibizan Hound, Pharaoh Hound and other podenco-type dogs discussed alongside sighthounds. Their hunting style can involve sight, scent and hearing, so classification depends on who is doing the classifying. For an owner, the more useful question is what that particular breed was selected to do and what that means for behaviour.

Prey Drive: The Bit I Wouldn’t Underestimate

Prey drive is the thing I think prospective sighthound owners are most likely to underestimate—not because nobody warns them about it, but because it’s hard to appreciate just how quickly a visually triggered chase can happen until you’ve seen it.

I’ve had this with my own German Shepherd in our fenced yard. He caught sight of a cat and was gone before my partner and I had a chance to react. We were right there. The yard was fenced, so obviously he wasn’t on a leash, and there was no leisurely moment where we saw him thinking about chasing and could intervene. See cat. Go.

That’s with a shepherd who’s very visually responsive—not a purpose-bred sighthound capable of taking that response to another level of speed. So with a sighthound, I don’t like finding out whether recall is good enough by testing it when the consequence of being wrong is a dog disappearing after wildlife.

My default would be a secure field or properly fenced space for free running, and a long line where appropriate unless that individual dog has demonstrated genuinely exceptional reliability. I’m not saying no sighthound can ever be off lead. I’m saying don’t gamble while you’re finding out.

What About Sighthounds and Cats, Rabbits or Other Small Pets?

This is another area where I wouldn’t advise people to gamble. Yes, it can go right. Individual sighthounds can live successfully with cats and other animals. But it can go wrong too, and when we’re talking about predatory behaviour the consequences can be catastrophic for the smaller animal.

Socialisation is useful, but it does not erase genetics or make predatory behaviour impossible. If you have small animals, take the individual dog’s history and behaviour seriously, use careful management and don’t use the smaller animal as a test to see what happens. My guide to the predatory motor pattern explains why chase behaviour isn’t the same thing as aggression.

Training a Sighthound

Train the dog in front of you. Sighthounds get described as independent, stubborn or sensitive as though that’s one personality shared by an enormous group of breeds, and it isn’t.

I do think the F1-car comparison is useful here too. These are specialist dogs, and small changes can have a disproportionately noticeable effect. That doesn’t mean they’re fragile or incapable of learning. It means I want to pay attention to what the individual dog is telling me instead of trying to bulldoze through because a training plan says they “should” cope.

Use reward-based training, work out what your dog actually values, and put a lot of reinforcement into the behaviours that matter in real life. Recall is worth training—I just don’t confuse a trained recall with permission to remove sensible management around a powerful chase trigger.

Give Chase Somewhere Appropriate to Go

I absolutely like giving dogs appropriate outlets for behaviours we deliberately bred into them. Lure coursing, suitable chase games and flirt-pole work can all give a chase-motivated dog controlled opportunities to do the thing they’re incredibly good at. I’d much rather give that behaviour a safe outlet than act surprised that a sighthound wants to chase.

How Much Exercise Do Sighthounds Need?

The “sighthounds are couch potatoes” line is only half useful. They do need exercise. They just don’t necessarily express activity like a dog designed to work steadily for hours.

Again: F1 car, not ATV. When they go, they can GO. When they stop, they stop. There’s often very little middle ground.

That ability to settle beautifully at home is one of the things people love about many sighthounds, but it shouldn’t be translated into “doesn’t need exercise.” Give them appropriate daily activity, enrichment and safe opportunities to move properly, then don’t be shocked when your high-performance athlete turns back into furniture.

What Equipment Should I Use for a Sighthound?

Personally, I prefer a well-fitted harness. Their necks aren’t made of glass, and I don’t want to perpetuate the idea that sighthounds have some uniquely fragile neck that can’t tolerate normal life. I simply prefer distributing force across the torso—particularly with a dog that can spot something and accelerate very, very quickly.

Fit matters because sighthound proportions can make standard dog equipment awkward. Look for a harness that allows free shoulder movement, doesn’t rub the armpits and fits securely around that deep chest and comparatively narrow waist. For a new, fearful or known escape artist, I’d take escape prevention particularly seriously and use a properly fitted escape-proof harness rather than assuming any one piece of equipment is impossible to slip.

Wide sighthound collars and martingale-style collars are popular because many sighthounds have heads that aren’t dramatically wider than their necks, which can make a badly fitted flat collar easier to back out of. They’re a legitimate equipment option; they’re just not my first choice for attaching the lead when a harness works well for the dog.

Caring for a Sighthound

There isn’t one sighthound grooming routine. An Afghan Hound or Borzoi has very different coat maintenance from a Whippet, Greyhound or Sloughi. Nail care, dental care and coat-appropriate grooming all still matter.

Many lean, short-coated sighthounds also have relatively little insulation and may appreciate a well-fitting coat in cold or wet conditions. This is another place where I’d look at the actual dog rather than apply a rule to the whole group: coat, body condition, age, activity and weather all matter.

Finding a Sighthound

You can find sighthounds through responsible breeders and through rescue; neither route should be reduced to “adopt good, breeder bad” or vice versa. I’ve written more about adopting versus buying a puppy separately.

For an adult or rescue sighthound, I’d want as much useful behavioural history as possible. What do they do around cats and wildlife? Have they lived with small animals? What have foster carers actually observed? How secure are they on lead and around doors or gates? A vague “cat friendly” label is less useful than knowing how that assessment was made.

For a puppy, research the specific breed rather than “sighthounds” generally, then look for a breeder who prioritises health and temperament, can explain their dogs honestly, raises puppies thoughtfully and is willing to talk about whether their line is actually a sensible fit for your home.

Sighthound FAQ

Why Are Sighthounds So Skinny?

The characteristic lean outline is part of the athletic build of many sighthound breeds: deep chest, tucked abdomen, long limbs and relatively little unnecessary mass. That doesn’t mean “the skinnier the better,” and healthy body condition still matters. It means you shouldn’t judge a Greyhound’s ideal outline by what looks normal on a Labrador.

Can Sighthounds Be Trusted Off Leash?

Some individual sighthounds can develop excellent recall. I still wouldn’t make “sighthounds can never be off leash” an absolute rule, nor would I assume training automatically makes wildlife irrelevant. Use secure spaces and long lines while you’re building and assessing behaviour, and let demonstrated reliability—not optimism—guide your decisions.

Do Sighthounds Make Good Pets?

Absolutely, for the right home. Many are lovely companions and settle remarkably well indoors. But a Whippet, Afghan Hound, Irish Wolfhound and Azawakh are not the same dog in different packaging. Research the actual breed and individual, and be realistic about prey drive, secure exercise, equipment and any smaller animals in your household.

Are Sighthounds Right for You?

If you love the idea of a dog that can be an extraordinary athlete and then stop with almost comic commitment, there’s a lot to love about sighthounds. But don’t let the sofa-dwelling reputation make you forget what they’re built to do.

Give them exercise. Give chase behaviour appropriate outlets. Train the recall. Use management where the stakes are high. And above all, respect prey drive rather than assuming affection, socialisation or a bag of treats has switched it off.

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Author, Ali Smith

Ali Smith is a professional, qualified, and multi-award winning trainer is the founder of rebarkable. She has always believed animals deserve kindness and champions force free methods. Believing that dog guardians will all choose the kindest options if proper information is provided, she aims to help all dog guardians who need it and make dog training as accessible as possible

Ali lives win Maryland, US with her husband and her three dogs.