The breeds probably share a common ancestor back through the sands of time. Like his cousins the Cirneco dell Etna, Ibizan, and Pharaoh Hounds, the Podengo is known as a rabbit hunter in his homeland of Portugal. Podengos have appeared in several movies, including Three Wishes, Soccer Dog, and Zeus and Roxanne. The coat can be short and smooth or somewhat wiry and comes in any shade of red, with or without white markings. The Podengo has a slender, rectangular body, well muscled, with a wedge-shaped head and large, upright ears. The largest of the Podengos, the Grande, hunts larger prey than rabbit, including boar. It’s an unhappy Podengo that is relegated to the backyard with little or no human companionship. The Portuguese Podengo should live indoors, with his family. Give the smooth or wire coat a weekly brushing to remove dead hairs, and trim nails, brush teeth and clean the ears regularly. If he is brought up with them from an early age, though, he is more likely to live amicably with cats or small dogs. Sighthounds are attracted by movement, and the Portuguese Podengo will happily chase cats and other small furry animals. One of his hunting traits is the ability to jump incredibly high. The Podengo’s alert nature can make him an excellent watchdog.Ĭonfine the Podengo to your yard with a tall fence. #Portuguese dog podengo plus#They will enjoy regular exercise of 20 to 30 minutes daily, on leash, plus free play in a well-fenced yard. Whatever their size, their athleticism makes Podengos naturals at agility and lure coursing, and they can also do well in obedience, rally and tracking. A Medio can produce Grande pups, and vice versa. The Grande, who is little seen in North America, weighs 44 to 66 pounds the Medio 35 to 45 pounds and the Pequeno 10 to 13 pounds. The energetic and friendly Podengo comes in a wire or smooth coat. Podengos are primarily a pack breed, used to hunt rabbits in their homeland of Portugal. He resembles the Pharaoh Hound, Ibizan Hound, and Cirneco dell Etna, and it is likely that all of these breeds share the same ancestry. The Podengo is alert and should make a good watchdog.The Portuguese Podengo is a sighthound that comes in three sizes: Grande, Medio, and Pequeno. Invest in a tall fence if you get one of these dogs. He likes to hunt rabbits and other furry critters and can jump straight up, very high. He comes in three sizes and two coat types (smooth and wire). The first smooth Pequeno came to the United States in 1995, and the first wire in 2001.This Portuguese sighthound is lively, active, funny, and smart. They are considered an integral part of the Portuguese people’s survival through the centuries and are still widely popular there today. The Podengo is one of the 10 National Dogs of Portugal. Podengos were also adept at protecting from rodents and they accompanied Portuguese ships - possibly spreading them to other ports. They are said to use their hearing to hone in by calling to each other with a single yip (called the Maticar). The dogs hunted together using first their sense of scent, then hearing, to locate and flush small animals from crevices and dense undergrowth. “Podengo” has been used at least since the 16th century to mean any pack hunting dog. Different sized dogs gradually became specialized to hunt different sized prey, with the smallest dogs hunting small game for their peasant owners.Īlthough the original dogs had smooth coats, ideal in Portugal’s wet north, wiry coats flourished in hot, dry southern Portugal where brambles were particularly abundant. Their ancestors were brought by the ancient Romans and Phoenicians to the Iberian Peninsula over 2,000 years ago. The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno (pronounced peh-KEN-oo) is the smallest of three Portuguese Podengo breeds, the other two being the Medio and Grande. Search Articles: Submit Search Close Search Favorites
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |