Portuguese Podengo

Ten Most Interesting Portuguese Podengo Facts featured image

Ten Most Interesting Portuguese Podengo Facts

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The Portuguese Podengo is the National breed of Portugal. This is a primitive type Sighhound best known for its excellent hunting skills. There are three varieties of Podengos – Podengo Pequeno (small), Podengo Medio (medium) and Podengo Grande (large). They do not only differentiate by their size, but temperament and working habits to some degree. In general, these are all pack-hunting dogs, but can as well hunt singly. In their native country, Podengos are primarily used to hunt rabbits. They are generally good family companions, but only if they undergo early socialization. Early socialization is particularly important for a Podengo Grande. Luckily, Portuguese Podengos are relatively easy to socialize and train, but only in the hands of a dominant and experienced owner. When working with these dogs, one has to be firm and confident, but calm and careful. Positive reinforcement techniques are recommended in this case. Now, let’s take a look at ten most interesting Portuguese Podengo facts. Continue Reading →

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Portuguese Podengo Dogs Characteristics

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The Portuguese Podengo or Podengo Português (Portuguese Warren Hound) is a primitive type Sighthound breed originating from, as its name suggests, Portugal. The breed comes in three varieties – Portuguese Podengo Grande (large), Portuguese Podengo Medio (medium), and Portuguese Podengo Pequeno (small). Except their size and weight, they are more or less the same dogs with only a few noticeable differences, which I’ll explain later in this article. There’s a common opinion that these dogs were developed from hounds imported to the Iberian peninsula from Egypt and North Africa by the Phoenician traders approximately 3.000 years ago. However, some experts believe that this breed particularly had evolved from small Iberian wolves. Anyhow, there’s no denying that these Portuguese dogs have many similarities with other Mediterranean hounds, such as the Pharaoh Hound, Podenco Canario, Cirneco dell Etna or Ibizan Hound. That’s why the Podengo Português breed is by the FCI included in the group 7: Primitive Types – Hunting Dogs in the class of primitive dogs. Continue Reading →