Ibizan Hound

The Ibizan Hound is a lean, agile hound from the island of Ibiza in Spain’s Balearic Islands. It has traditionally been used in the Catalan-speaking parts of Spain, and in France, to hunt rabbits and other small game.

History

The Ibizan Hound resembles several other Mediterranean hunting dogs in both type and work, among them the Pharaoh Hound, the Cirneco dell’Etna, the Portuguese Podengo and the Podenco Canario. It is the largest of the group, which the FCI classes as primitive types. DNA analysis suggests that the breed was formed fairly recently from other breeds.

It is a fast dog that hunts over any terrain, using scent, hearing and sight together. Hunters run it in packs made up mostly of females, which are thought to be the better hunters. A farmer once kept one dog, or two if he was well off, to catch rabbits for the table. In recent decades hunting with packs of five to fifteen has become a sport. Working trials test pairs of dogs on tracking, signaling the rabbit, the chase, working the game in cover and the catch or retrieve.

In the United States the breed competes in lure coursing and in straight and oval track racing. The American Kennel Club recognized it fully in 1979, and it is also recognized by the FCI, the United Kennel Club, the Kennel Club in Britain and others.

Appearance

The Ibizan Hound is elegant and athletic, with a springy trot that covers a lot of ground. It looks graceful but has good bone and is a hardy dog. Its large upright ears, broad at the base, are the hallmark of the breed and frame a long, fine head. The neck is long and lean.

Males stand 58–69 cm (23–27 in) at the withers and females 56–66 cm (22–26 in). Males weigh about 23 kg (50 lb) on average and females about 20 kg (45 lb).

The coat comes in two types, smooth and wire, with smooth the more common. It is red and white. The nose, ears, eye rims and pads are a light tan, and the eyes are amber.

Temperament

Ibizan Hounds are intelligent, active and engaging, and are often described as clowns that like to entertain their people. They can be independent and stubborn but take well to training by positive methods and will balk at punishment. They are sensitive, generally quiet, and good with children and other dogs, and will bark to raise the alarm.

They are also escape artists. They can jump very high from a standstill, some climb, and many learn to open crates, baby gates and even locks, so they need very tall fences. Their prey drive is strong, and they should only be let off the leash in a safely enclosed area.

Care and health

These are active, athletic dogs that need a lot of exercise every day. They make good house dogs but do not do well in kennels.

The breed rarely suffers from hereditary illness. Minor concerns include seizures and allergies, and very rarely axonal dystrophy, cataract, retinal dysplasia and deafness. Ibizan Hounds are sensitive to barbiturate anesthesia. They typically live 12 to 14 years.

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