The Oldest Breed

We have all heard more then once about the fact that this dog breed or that dog breed is one of the oldest dog breeds known to man, but I present to you, "the dog breed" in other words, the Pharaoh hound.

Did you know?
There are paintings of the Pharaoh hound dating all the way back to 3000-4000 B.C. that is really something!

These were the dogs that were revered in ancient Egypt, they were considered the loyal companions of the Pharaohs, they were preferred by the hunters and they were generally loved by everybody. West of the Great Pyramid Cheops, near Giza, a grave was discovered with one of these dogs. In the inscription it was stated that this dog was the guardian of his master, a true Pharaoh dog!

As mentioned, these dogs go back a long time, but did you know that it is not Egypt that is accredited for the preservation of the Pharaoh hound breed? It is the people of Malta and Gozo. It was the Phoenicians that took the Pharaoh hound with them when they moved and settled on Malta and Gozo; they raised the Pharaoh hounds for hunting rabbits and guarding their herds and homes. For the next couple thousand years the Pharaoh hound lived there changing little, if any, right up until the 1930’s when the very first Pharaoh hound was imported to England. It was over 30 years later that that the United States got introduced to the Pharaoh hound (in 1967) and that was through a certain Mrs. Harper. Soon the AKC was founded (1970) and the Pharaoh hound got official recognition in 1984.

When you think about it, it is kind of surprising that the Pharaoh hound got recognized or "discovered" so late considering the fact that he has been around for about 5000 years. Don’t you think so?

When you look at a picture of the Pharaoh hound you might think that this is a tall dog, but this simply is not true, the Pharaoh hound is a medium sized dog with the average height being around 26 inches for the males and 24 inches for the females. This is a dog that should be pure grace, the Pharaoh hound should have a nice easy, flowing gait, and he should have a well balanced, intelligent looking head that is carried high. The Pharaoh hound should have a keen look and his eyes need to be the same color as his coat. The ears should be held erect. There should be no fearfulness about this dog.

One thing to remember about the Pharaoh hound is that this is a sight hound, in other words, the Pharaoh hound chases what he sees and no amount of training and calling him back is going to work when he suddenly decides to run after something or another. So keep him on a leash at all times when outside the home because he will run away. The best thing for a Pharaoh hound is to turn him loose in a nice sized enclosure, fenced all the way around (5 feet high or more) to let this energetic dog vent some of his energy, or you can go jogging with your Pharaoh hound or take him on a bicycle ride, be inventive!

The Pharaoh hound is a relatively easy dog to train, if you use a good positive reinforcement method. Why? Because this dog can be stubborn, the Pharaoh hound does not respond well to poor training techniques because this a one breed of dog that can use its head, just think for a minute, this dog was bred and developed to be able to take care of himself, so its only natural that he is going to want to know what he is getting out of the deal.

You are going to have to expect this dog to try to get the better of you in every situation. That is why, starting out when they are young, you need to show them that you are the leader of the pack, you are the Alfa dog, if you don’t, the dog will try to show you who is in charge. With firm and gentle training just show him that you mean business.

The Pharaoh hound is a generally reserved dog but when you make him smile, you will be rewarded with a blush.

What a truly unique animal!