Pharaoh Hound
| Pharaoh Hound | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| FCI Standard No. 248 | ||
|
||
| Origin : | ||
| Patronage : | ||
| Alternative names: |
Pharaoh Hound, Kelb tal-Fenek |
|
| Withers height: |
Male: 56–63.5 cm, ideally 56 cm. |
|
| Weight: |
Not fixed |
|
| List of domestic dogs | ||
The Pharaonenhund or Pharaoh hound is one of the FCI ( no. 248, Gr. 5, Sec. 6, recognized) breed of dog from Malta . The Maltese name is Kelb tal-Fenek . The default country is Great Britain.
Origin and history
The name Pharaoh Dog was originally used as a collective name for all greyhound-like , standing-eared hunting dogs of the Podencos type. Since 1977 the FCI has assigned this name exclusively to the Kelb tal-Fenek , a breed that was "discovered" by the English in Malta in 1960 . The Maltese name Kelb tal-Fenek (roughly: dog of the rabbit) alludes to its use for rabbit hunting.
There are different theories about the history of the breed, which also resembles the Cirneco dell 'Etna from the neighboring island of Sicily :
One opinion held by many lovers and breeders outside of Malta is that the Pharaoh Hound had a long history before it landed on the island of Malta. Images of greyhound-like dogs of the Tesem type and the god of death Anubis depicted with a dog or jackal head in Egyptian burial chambers, but also 5000 year old bone finds show that dogs of this type already existed in Egypt and the Middle East during antiquity . Phoenician traders and the Romans are said to have been responsible for the spread of these dogs throughout the Mediterranean and eventually brought them to the islands of Malta and Gozo .
One objection to this theory is that the first evidence of the existence of a hunting dog used for rabbit hunting in Malta dates back to the time of the Order of Malta . It is also pointed out that the breed could not have survived on the relatively small islands of Malta and Gozo had it not been for the regular crossbreeding of other dog breeds and thus the introduction of new genetic material. A scientific proof for the direct descent of the Kelb tal-Fenek from Tesem, which died out around 2500 years earlier, is hardly possible.
These doubts are supported by the results of a study of the domestic dog genome published in May 2004 by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle . According to this study, the Pharaoh Dog and the Podenco Ibicenco are said to have emerged from different breeds only in recent times.
In recent years, especially in Malta, demands have been made that dogs should also be used in international cynological organizations such as B. to refer to the FCI as Kelb tal-Fenek . In fact, up until the time of its "discovery" by English dog breeders, the breed was known exclusively by this name in Malta, and the legend of its Egyptian origin only emerged in the course of its international spread.
To avoid confusion with the to 1977 also as a Pharaoh Hound designated hounds to avoid the English breed name is often in countries where German Pharaoh Hound needed.
description
Characteristic in appearance are the conspicuously large erect ears, which are also found in the other Mediterranean hunting dogs of the Podencos type. The height at the withers is between 56 and 63.5 cm in males and between 53 and 61 cm in bitches. The rust brown to dark rust brown fur is short and shiny, from fine and dense to somewhat harsh. The dog does not have a black pigment; H. The nose, eyelids and insides of the ears are flesh-colored. Only a few white markings are allowed: a white tip of the rod is very desirable. Often there is also a white patch on the chest (referred to as a "star" in the breed standard, but in practice only rarely really evenly distributed) and white on the toes. A narrow white blaze on the midline of the face is tolerated. The snout is slightly longer than the skull. The upper line of the skull runs parallel to that of the muzzle. The head looks like a blunt wedge both from above and from the side. The ears are set medium high. They are carried erect when alert, and they are very mobile. Wide at the base, they are large and fine. The tail is set medium high, thick at the base, tapering towards the tip (like a whip), in a resting position reaching straight to below the hock.
Essence
In essence he is very similar to the greyhound : He is very lively and sensitive and needs a lot of exercise. Since he is also used as a watchdog in Malta, he tends to bark at unknown noises. Participating in greyhound races , especially coursings , is a good way of satisfying your need for exercise .
use
In Malta and Gozo it is mostly used in pairs or in small groups to hunt rabbits at night. The dogs find the rabbits hidden in stone walls or crevices with their sense of smell and their fine hearing and indicate this to the hunter by barking and pawing. The hunters then cover the rabbit's hiding place with a net and use a ferret , which drives the rabbit to the surface and thus into the net. When a Kelb tal-Fenek locates a rabbit in the open air, he chases it with a characteristic, high-pitched bark that the Maltese call a kurriera . In this way he signals the other dogs to take part in the hunt. This behavior can also be seen in greyhound races and coursings, where the breed is one of the few dogs that bark during the race. The Pharaoh Hound is one of those dogs that hunt "with a soft mouth", which means that they can bring their prey to their master while they are alive.
