The Ibizan Hound or Podenco Ibicenco dog is a primitive Sighthound originating from, as its name suggests, Ibiza (Balaeric Islands), Spain. The breed, also known as Balaeric Dog, was developed from the pariah dogs brought from Ancient Egypt to Ibiza by the Phoenician traders, a few thousand years ago. There, in the seclusion of its native island, it left isolated for centuries. This isolation is the reason this dog remained nearly unchanged to this very day. Ibizan Dog is quite similar to other Mediterranean hounds, such as Podenco Canario, Portuguese Podengo, Cirneco dell Etna or Pharaoh Hound. He is included in the Primitive Types – Hunting Dogs group in the class of primitive dog breeds. The Ibizan Hound is a slim and agile hunting dog, who is often used to hunt small game in its native country. He is highly intelligent, playful, quiet and elegant. Podenco Ibicenco life span can vary from 11 up to 14 years.
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Main Ibizan Hound Information
Main Ibizan Hound characteristics are agility, speed, intelligence, independence, loyalty, persistence, stubbornness, alertness, endurance, and emotional sensitivity. Thanks to his high intelligence and curiosity, he is relatively easy to train, especially for an experienced and dominant owner. But, you will have to work carefully with this buddy to achieve proper results. Yeah, like every other primitive dog, he is stubborn and independent, but that’s not an issue in this case. His emotional sensitivity is where the problem lies. Similar to other hounds originating from the Old World, this dog can have mental issues if treated inappropriately. He can become too shy or too aggressive, which is unacceptable. That is why it’s important to act carefully with him. You must apply short and fun training sessions without rude or forceful methods, that’s the only way!
Wirehaired Ibizan Hound
The Ibizan Hound is a nice family companion. He is very loyal to his primary owner, while with other members of the household he’s often very playful and silly. Also, you can freely keep him indoors. In fact, he will enjoy spending time with your family in the comfort of your house. These dogs are generally very affectionate with kids, especially if grow up together. However, their sensitive nature is the reason they won’t tolerate any kind of abuse or loud cry, so it’s important to do a few behavioral adjustments in this case. The Podenco Ibicenco dog is often reserved and suspicious with strangers, but never aggressive. He will alert you with a loud bark whenever somebody approaches your property, which is why he is known to be a good watchdog. This dog likes to roam and investigate surroundings, plus he can jump incredibly high, so make sure you have a big enough fence or wall.
The Ibizan hound possesses a strong prey drive. He will gladly chase and kill every cat or any other small pet in your neighborhood. So, it’s advisable to keep him on a leash while outside. He can as well live in harmony with them, but only if they brought up together. Ibizan Hounds can be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex. For this reason, it is necessary to put your dog through proper socialization. They are very energetic dogs, but not as much as some other Mediterranean hounds. Despite that these dogs require regular daily exercise, so make sure you take your Ibizan Hound for a long walk or jog at least once a day. With adequate training, they can successfully compete in various sorts of sporting events, such as dog agility, obedience, racing or tracking trials. As you can clearly see, this is a quite versatile breed.
Balaeric Dog Physical Characteristics
The Ibizan Hound is a light, medium-sized dog. His muscular and bony body is well defined since his thin skin is closely attached. There are two types of Ibizan dogs based on their coat – shorthaired and wiredhaired. The shorthaired hounds are more common. They have short, smooth and straight hair, so the regular grooming is’t required. The wiredhaired hounds, on the other hand, do require a bit more grooming and even hand plucking of dead hair since they have slightly curly, longer hair (up to 3 inches). The hair is longest on the back, tail and buttocks. The wirehaired dogs can have a mustache. Despite the type of hair, neither of them is used to cold weather. So, if you live in colder climate, make sure you keep your dog indoors during cold days. Main colors of Podenco Ibicenco are red, fawn and white. The acceptable color variants are white with red or fawn markings, solid white or solid red.
The Ibizan Hound has a narrow, wedge-shaped head with large, erect ears and oval-shaped eyes of a light amber color. The muzzle is long and slender with the scissor jaws and broad nose in the color of meat. Podenco Ibicenco is slightly longer than tall at withers. It is thin and “elongated” dog, who has all the properties similar to other Sighthounds – the slightly arched neck, straight back, deep and narrow chest, and long legs. The front legs are straight and parallel, and they have dewclaws, which can be trimmed. The hind legs are muscular and slightly angled. The paws are oval with hard pads and long nails, which must be trimmed from time to time. His tail is long and thin. It is often held lowered, reaching the hocks, but when the dog is alert or excited, it is held high above its back in the shape of a sabre.
Podenco Ibicenco Dog Size And Weight
Male
– Height between 23,5 and 29 inches (60-74 cm)
– Weight between 48,5 and 55 pounds (22-25 kg)
Female
– Height between 22,5 and 27,5 inches (57-70 cm)
– Weight between 42 and 48,5 pounds (19-22 kg)
Excellent hunter!
Fast And Cunning Hunter
The Ibizan Hounds are relying on their sight, hearing, speed and sense of smell while hunting. These dogs are patient and skillful hunters, who can easily cope with any kind of terrain. On top of that, they can equally well hunt during the night too. They hunt in packs of up to 15 dogs, where the majority are females since they are better hunters. Beezers (nickname given by their fans) are relying on the senses of smell and hearing to track down an animal. Silent and cunning, they can easily caught hare off guard, which is the reason Ibizan Dogs are such extremely efficient hunters. When spot the game, they start to chase it at full speed. While chasing, these hounds bark as loud as they can. This is not usual for other Sighthounds, who are often quiet during the chase. Who knows why they’re so different, I like to think it’s out of pure joy and thrill of hunt :)
Cunning Counter Surfer
We, kind of, used to emphasize some useful qualities of every breed in the last segment of articles like this. Well, this time I will highlight a bit different speciality of Ibizan Hound, the one not-so-nice, but nonetheless interesting and fun :) This dog is actually one sneaky little thief! Yeah, you’ve read that right! Like a fox, he will use all his cunningness and agility in combination with his height to steal some food whenever it’s possible. When caught some nice smell, he won’t hesitate to search out countertops, tables, or every other place he can reach. So, I suggest you keep your food at some safe space, and warn your neighbors to do the same :) You see, with Ibizan Hound it’ll never be boring for sure. You won’t only get a nice companion, but a dog who will bring a smile upon your face. Isn’t that fair enough recommendation to buy one for yourself? I bet it is ;)
