Podenco Andaluz

The Podenco Andaluz is an ancient Spanish breed of warren hound used to hunt small game in Andalusia, Spain.^[1][2] It is one of four podenco breeds recognized by the Real Sociedad Canina de España.^[1] It is an agile dog generally used to hunt ducks, rabbits, boar and fowl.^[1][3] There are three accepted sizes (small, medium and large) and three coat types (wire-haired, long-haired and smooth).^[2][4][5]

Podenco Andaluz
A small, smooth-coated example
Other names	Andalusian Warren Hound Andalusian Podenco
Origin	Andalusia, Spain
Traits Height Males Small: 35–42 cm (14–17 in) Medium: 43–53 cm (17–21 in) Large: 54–64 cm (21–25 in) Females Small: 32–41 cm (13–16 in) Medium: 42–53 cm (17–21 in) Large: 53–61 cm (21–24 in) Weight Small: 5–11 kg (11–24 lb) Medium: 10–22 kg (22–49 lb) Large: 21–33 kg (46–73 lb)
Kennel club standards Real Sociedad Canina de España standard
Dog (domestic dog)

History

As with some other Mediterranean sighthounds, it is sometimes claimed that the Podenco descends from Egyptian hounds such as the Tesem or Saluki, distributed by Phoenician traders in the 1st century BC.^[2] However, it was not until 1990 that a breed club formed to promote the development of breed standards. Phillipe Bloque-Rentón and colleagues at the University of Córdoba's veterinary medicine faculty undertook the research work required to specify the breed; their study, presented at the second Simposium de las razas caninas españolas (Spanish dog breeds symposium) in 1992, was recognized by Real Sociedad Canina de España in April of that year as a defining breed standard.^[1] In Spain, podenco Andaluz were included within Group V - Spitz and Primitive Types, under Section 7, Primitive type - Hunting dogs. However, the breed is recognized neither by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) nor by any other international dog breeds association, due to the large number of matches with the Portuguese Podengo standard — a fact which casts doubt on its claim to be regarded as a separate breed.^[6] Genetically the Podenco Andaluz is most closely related to the Galgo Español.^[7] In January 2015 it was recognized by the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen in Germany.^[8]

Characteristics

Podenco Andaluz standing in snow

There are three sizes – large, medium and small – and three types of coat – wire-haired (Spanish: Cerdeño), long-haired (Spanish: Sedeño) and smooth.^[1][4][5][3] This combination of factors can results in nine different varieties.^[2][4][9] This variability may be the result of adaptation to the different microclimates within Andalusia, including mountains, agricultural land and marshes, as well as the diverse game targeted by hunters.^[10] Coat colors ranges from white to deep red.^[5] Podenco Andaluz have a trot as fast as their gallop.^[3]

Like other warren hounds, the Podenco has excellent sight, hearing and sense of smell.^[2][11][3] They are renowned for their methodical hunting style, as well as stamina and endurance while working in the mild winters with irregular precipitations, and dry, hot, sunny summers of Andalusia.^[11][3] Podenco Andaluz are lively dogs, affectionate, loyal to their owners, but wary with strangers.^[3]

Podenco Andaluz are used either singularly, in pairs or as part of a large hunting pack known as a rehala. Small and medium podenco Andaluz hunt rabbits with one dog entering the bramble to drive out the rabbit, while the rest lie in wait to catch it.^[3] Medium and smaller dogs search out deer or wild boar, while the larger hounds are used for attacking the prey.^[3]

Podenco Andaluz (front-side)

One of the most typical functions of the large Andalusian hound was that of the so-called quitaor^[12] accompanying the Spanish greyhound colleras^[13] during hare hunting. The quitaor‘s job consisted primarily of flushing out the hares from their home or hiding place and killing them; then, together with the greyhounds, retrieving them for the owner. Andalusian farmhouses would use the larger hounds as watchdogs, and the smaller hounds were used to kill rodents.^[3]

References

1. González, A.; Luque, M.; Rodero, E.; González, C.; Aguilera, R.; Jiménez, J.; Sepúlveda, N.; Bravo, S.; Herrera, M. (2011). "Use of Morphometric Variables for Differentiating Spanish Hound Breeds: Uso de Variables Morfométricas para la Diferenciación de Razas de Sabueso Español". International Journal of Morphology. 29 (4): 1248–1255. doi:10.4067/S0717-95022011000400030.
2. Morris, Desmond (2002). Dogs : the ultimate dictionary of over 1,000 dog breeds. North Pomfret, Vt.: Trafalgar Square Pub. ISBN 1-57076-219-8. OCLC 49515650.
3. "Andalusian Warren Hound RSCE Standard No. 401 (Not Accepted FCI)" (PDF). REAL SOCIEDAD CANINA DE ESPAÑA. 1992. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. González Rodríguez, S.; Barba Capote, C. J.; Molina Alcalá, Antonio; Delgado-Bermejo, J. V. (1998). "Estructura poblacional del Podenco Andaluz" [Population structure of the Andalusian Hound]. Archivos de Zootecnia (in Spanish). 47 (293). ISSN 1885-4494.
5. Lama, L.; Barba Capote, C.J.; Delgado-Bermejo, J.V. (1998). "Contribución al estudio faneróptico en la raza canina Podenco Andaluz: Contribution to phaneroptical study in andalusian hound dog breed". Archivos de Zootecnia (in Spanish). 47 (178–179): 2007–211.
6. "El Club Nacional del Podenco Andaluz". El Club Nacional del Podenco Andaluz (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 August 2022.
7. Morera, L.; Barba, C.J.; Garrido, J.J.; Barbancho, M.; de Andres, D.F. (1999). "Brief communication. Genetic variation detected by microsatellites in five Spanish dog breeds". Journal of Heredity. 90 (6): 654–656. doi:10.1093/jhered/90.6.654. PMID 10589516 – via Oxford Academic.
8. Hundewesen (VDH), Verband für das Deutsche. "Der VDH erkennt vier neue Rassen national an » VDH.de". www.vdh.de (in German). Retrieved 26 August 2022.
9. Fuentes Garcia, F.; Aparicio Macario, J. B.; Herrera Garcia, M. (1985). "Ethnological study on the big Andalusian Podenco dog". Archivos de Zootecnia (in Spanish). 34 (129): 169–182. ISSN 0004-0592.
10. Delgado, Juan V.; Lobo, M.; Capote, Cecilio Barba (1998). "Plan de preservación para las variedades minoritarias de la raza canina Podenco Andaluz" [Preservation plan for minority varieties of the Podenco Andaluz canine breed]. Archivos de Zootecnia (in Spanish). 47 (178): 491–495. ISSN 0004-0592 – via Dialnet.
11. "Spain's Andalusian Hound". National Purebred Dog Day®. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
12. Quitaor is the dialectal Andalusian word corresponding to the Castilian Spanish quitador. Hunting dogs with this role were trained not to eat or tear apart their prey.
13. According to the Diccionario de la lengua española, in Andalusian Spanish the word collera is defined as Pareja de ciertos animales, as in Una collera de pavos ("a pair of animals, such as a pair of turkeys"). In hunting, the partners do not have to be a male and a female, although the meaning of collera is usually that of a mated pair.