Portuguese Podengo Dog Breed

AKC Dog Breeds: Portuguese Podengo

As dog owners and people who care deeply for animals and wildlife, we wanted our Dog Encyclopedia to be a website that could empower pet owners to create the most positive, loving environment for their dogs. Dog Encyclopedia realizes that owning a dog is like adding a new member to your family.

Foundation Stock Service® Breed
Height: Small: 8-12; Medium: 15-22; Large: 22-28 inches
Weight: Small: 9-13; Medium: 35-44; Large: 44-46 pounds Color: White with black, yellow, or fawn markings

General Appearance
There are three types (sizes) of Podengos: Grande, Medio and Pequeno. Each has a different temperament but all three love to hunt, as is their heritage and tradition in their native country. The large Podengos hunt wild boar and the medium and small are known as one of the world's finest rabbit hunters. Each size comes in two varieties: smooth coat and wire coat. The Podengo is known for its erect ears, pyramidal head, elegant lines of body and agile movement. The Medio Podengo Portugueso is a moderately-sized sighthound type with a well-proportioned head, flat skull and pronounced stop. The nose is usually brown, but may be black. The ears are large, naturally upright, triangular and highly mobile, turning forward to catch sound. The muzzle is straight. The chest is muscular and prominent. The small, oblique eyes are brown to honey in color. The cat-like feet have well arched toes with hard, strong pads. The back line only has a slight arch. The neck is strong and muscular without dewlap. The tail of the Portuguese Podengo is indicative of its mood. When it is calm, the tail is slightly drooped. When in motion or excited, the tail is horizontal. The coat comes in two varieties: smooth and wirehaired. The smooth coat is hard and longer than that of most sighthounds. The wirehaired coat is medium-long, shaggy and coarse. Colors may include yellow, fawn, or black with white markings.

Temperament
The Podengo is a hardy, intelligent and lively breed, making fine companions. Loyal and fearless, the Podengo is also a good watchdog and will alert their family by barking. The Portuguese Podengo is happy, cheerful, and good-natured. They are loyal and extremely devoted. This breed is good with older considerate children and friendly toward strangers. Portuguese Podengo's generally get along well with other dogs. The Portuguese Podengos are more affectionate to people than to other dogs. Due to their primitive nature, this breed is not recommended for first time dog owners. The Podengo is easy to train and excels at agility and other sports. This breed will not survive living in an apartment. They need exposure to sunlight as they are well-suited for hot climates and they can survive living and sleeping outdoors just as long as they have adequate shelter.

Grooming
Portuguese Podengo's require occasional combing or brushing to remove loose and dead hair. Dry shampooing will suffice. Dental hygiene is extremely important.

Health Problems and Life Expectancy
The Portuguese Podengo is one of the healthiest dog breeds. There are no known genetic faults or inherited diseases. The Pequenos have been known to live twenty years, with the average lifespan of the breed approximately 15-17 years. The Médios can live to be approximately 12-15 years.

Activity Level
The Portuguese Podengo is not recommended for apartment living. They require a securely fenced yard for a lot of daily exercise. Fencing should be a minimum of 6 feet in height, and also buried into the ground. It is never a good idea to play tug-of-war with this breed. The Portuguese Podengo benefits from the companionship of daily walks. They excel in agility, fly-ball, hunting, and tracking.

Search:

Dog Breeds:

Dog Encyclopedia has added beautiful dog photographs on each of our Dog Breed pages to enhance your experience. Each section in Dog Encyclopedia helps to educate pet owners, enabling both the dog, and the owner to have a safe, high quality experience