Podenco Canario

The Podenco Canario is a Spanish warren hound from the Canary Islands. It is used mainly to hunt rabbits, though it may also be put to other small or larger game. In build it resembles the other warren hounds of Iberia and the Mediterranean, such as the Podenco Andaluz, the Podenco Ibicenco and the Podenco Valenciano.

History

The Podenco Canario is found on every one of the Canary Islands. Legend has it that the breed descends from ancient dogs brought from North Africa by the islands’ first settlers and kept isolated there ever since. Recent genetic studies say otherwise: the Podenco is closely related to the other European hunting breeds and is no more primitive than they are. A 2019 study of Mediterranean warren hounds found that the four Spanish podenco breeds form one cluster, separate from the Cirneco dell’Etna of Sicily and the Kelb tal-Fenek of Malta.

The FCI definitively accepted the breed in 1987, and Spanish law recognized it in 2001. It is also recognized by the Real Sociedad Canina de España, which in 2026 counted it among sixteen Spanish breeds it considers vulnerable.

Appearance

The Podenco Canario is slender, lightly built and very agile, yet sturdy and muscular. It comes in two sizes. The larger, similar to the Ibizan Hound, stands about 55 to 64 cm at the withers in males, with females slightly smaller, and size varies with the ground the dogs hunt over. A smaller type recognized within the islands stands about 30 to 40 cm.

The short, dense coat is a shade of red, white, or red and white, depending on the island and sometimes on the district. The nose, nails and skin are also a shade of red, and the dogs are said to blush when excited. The neck is long, the head longer than it is wide, and the large ears are carried fully upright. The long tail is set low and not carried too high on the move. The dog moves at a long, agile trot.

Temperament

Hunting instinct can show as early as three months of age, though it may take up to 14 months to develop. When chasing prey the dogs give a repeated, staccato bark that some local hunters call the song of the rabbit.

Care and health

A genetic disorder of sexual development, in which a genetically female dog develops testes or ovotestes in place of ovaries, has been recorded in one dog of this breed.

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