Pharaoh Hound

Pharaoh Hound

Anyone who has ever looked at the Pharaoh Hound have seen, power and speed. The pharaoh Hound is medium sized, of noble bearing with hard clean cut lines - graceful, well balanced, very fast with free easy movement and alert expression. It quite remarkable that this breed type can have lasted through literally thousand of years. The obvious elegance of this outlineof the breed makes it easy to understand the degree to which this classic dog was venerated by the Pharaohs of old. The Pharaoh Hound has bebecome a native of Malta over the centuries and it was from that island that the first imports came, with the breed finally establishing itself in Britain in the 1970s. The most striking feature of the is his shining, Glossy coat of rich tan verging on red. The erect ears, the amber eyes with theire keen gaze, and the athletic enthusiasm make him a dog who appeals to lovers of the aesthetic, but his ability to hunt both by scent and sight makes hin nuch more than an object of beauty. He really is a working hound ans as such needs an owner ready to give him both exercise and affection. His short coat makes him easy to maintian in prime condition, but equally makes it necessary to avoid him being exposed to intense cold without proper protection.

General Appearance* Medium - sized, of noble bearing with clean cut lines. Graceful yet powerful. Very fast with free, easy movement and alert expression.

Characteristics* An alert keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight using its ears to amarked degree when working close.

Temperament* Alert, intelligent, friendly, affectionate and playful.

Head and Skull* Skull long, lean and well chiselled. Foreface slightly longer than skull, Only sligh stop. Top of skull parallel with foreface, whole head representing a blunt wedge when viewed in profile and from above.

Eyes* Amber coloured, blending with coat, oval, moderately deep and set, with keen, intelligent expression.

Ears* Medium high set, carried erect when alert, but very mobile, broad at base, fine and large.

Mouth* Powerful jaws with strong, teeth. Scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Nose* Flesh coloured only, blending with coat.

Neck* Long, lean, muscular and slightly arched. Clean throat line.

ForeQuarters* Shoulders strong, long and well laid back. Forelegs straight and parallel. Elbows well tucked in. Pasterns strong.

Body* Lithe with almost straight topline. Slight slope down from croup to root of tail. Deep brisket extending down to point of elbow. Ribs well sprung. Moderate cut up. Length of body from breast to haunch bone slightly longer than height at withers.

HindQuarters* Strong and muscular. Moderate bend of stifle. Well developed second thigh. Limbs parallel when viewed from behind.

Feet* Strong, well knuckled and firm, turning neither in nor out. Paws well padded. Dewclaws may be removed.

Tail* Medium Set fairly thick at base and tapering whip like, reaching just below point of hock in repose.Carried high and curved when dog is in action. Tail should not be tucked between legs. A screw tail undesirable.

Gait * Movement* Wel free and flowing, head held fairly high and dog should cover ground well without any apparent effort. Legs and feet should move in line with body, any tendency to throw feet sideways, or high stepping hackney action highly undesirable.

Coat* Short and glossy, ranging from fine and close to slightly harsh, no feathering.

Colour* Tan or rich tan with white markings allowed as follows, white tip on tail strongly desired. White on chest called The Star. white on toes.Slim white blaze on centre line of face permissible. Flecking or white other than above undesirable.

Size* Height, dogs ideally 56 cms and 22-25 inch. bitches the ideally is 53 cms and 21-24 inch.

Faults* Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note* Male animals should have and must have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.