Africanis

The Africanis is the traditional dog of southern Africa. It is a landrace rather than a formal breed: a population shaped mostly by its surroundings and its work, with only limited deliberate breeding by people. It has long lived in and around human settlements, where it has helped herd sheep, goats and cattle, kept predators away and joined its owners on the hunt.

History

Africa’s indigenous dogs are thought to descend from dogs that lived in the Nile Delta of ancient Egypt about 5,900 years ago. Their descendants moved across the continent as people migrated, first through the Sahara and then southward, reaching southern Africa around the 6th century AD.

The dog goes by many local names, among them the Kasi dog, the Khoikhoi dog, the Tswana dog and the Zulu dog. The name Africanis itself joins the words “Africa” and “canis”. European settlers generally thought little of these dogs and preferred the breeds they had brought with them.

More recently there have been efforts to protect and promote the Africanis, and to keep it from being divided into several breeds on the basis of looks. The Africanis Society of Southern Africa was founded in South Africa in 1998 with that aim.

Some writers call the Africanis a pariah dog. That label is considered a poor fit, since it usually means an ownerless, free-ranging dog, and the Africanis has been kept by owners.

Appearance

The Africanis is a medium-sized, lightly built dog with a long, slender muzzle and, as a rule, a short coat. It has been compared to a cross between a Greyhound, a terrier and a dingo. Most stand between 50 and 62 cm (20 and 24 in) at the shoulder.

Almost any color or mix of colors can appear, though fawn, brown, brindle and black with white markings are the most common. One distinctive mark, possibly a primitive trait, is a black patch high on the outside of the tail, at the spot where wolves have a scent gland.

As with any landrace there are regional variations and small differences from dog to dog, but the Africanis still breeds true to a recognizable type.

Temperament

The Africanis is described as affectionate, intelligent and gentle. It is said to be eager to please, which makes it easy to train, and to respond best to reward-based methods. It is also described as good with children and a good family dog, while remaining watchful and territorial.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.