Canaan Dog

The Canaan Dog is a breed developed in the 20th century from semi-wild pariah dogs whose ancestors had lived in the region since biblical times. It is the national dog of Israel and is also found in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and the Sinai Peninsula. In 2012 there were an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Canaan Dogs in the world.

History

Dogs of this type are very old. The Ashkelon dog cemetery in Israel, dating from the Persian period, held 700 dog skeletons anatomically similar to the modern Canaan Dog. Free-ranging dogs lived on in the Negev, where Bedouins used them to herd livestock and guard camps.

In the 1930s the animal behaviorist Rudolphina Menzel captured a group of these semi-wild dogs, tamed and trained them, and began a breeding program. She found them adaptable and easy to domesticate. Her dogs served the military, were trained as guide dogs for the blind from 1949, and worked for the Red Cross in search and rescue. The Israel Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1953 using Menzel’s standard, and the FCI followed in 1966. After her death in 1973, Shaar Hagai Kennels carried on the program.

The first Canaan Dogs reached the United Kingdom and the United States in 1965. The Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1970, the UKC in 1992, and the AKC admitted it to its Herding Group in 1997.

Wild Canaan Dogs have become hard to find in Israel. Many were destroyed in the campaign against rabies, and most Bedouin dogs are now mixed with other breeds.

Appearance

The Canaan Dog has a wild-type look. It is medium-sized and square in build, with a wedge-shaped head and erect, low-set ears that are broad at the base and rounded at the tip. The tail curls over the back when the dog is excited. The outer coat is dense, harsh and straight, short to medium in length, over a close undercoat that varies with the season. Colors run from black to cream with every shade of brown and red in between, usually with small white markings, or white with colored patches. Spotting and white or black masks are allowed.

Temperament

Canaan Dogs are alert, quick to react and distrustful of strangers. They are strongly defensive without being aggressive. They can compete in agility, obedience, flyball, tracking and herding events.

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