GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: Dogs 56- 63.5 cm (22-25”). Bitches 53.5-61cms (21-24")
Colour: Tan or rich tan with a white tail tip desired. White may be on toes,
chest and a narrow streak on the face.
Coat: Short, dense and glossy. Gait: Free flowing, active and sound.
These medium sized hounds are graceful, clean cut and noble. The head is long and lean with a foreface that is slightly longer than the skull giving an appearance of a blunt wedge. The moderately deep set oval eyes are amber coloured with a flesh coloured nose. The fine ears are large and erect. The slightly arched neck is long and lean and runs into a body that is slightly longer than the shoulder height. Unlike their cousin the Ibizan Hound, the chest should reach to the elbow. The moderately bent stifles are strong and muscular and the feet are well arched. When moving, the tail should be carried gaily and curved.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Pharaoh Hounds are alert, keen hunters who, unlike many in the sight-hound family, hunt by scent as well as by sight. Excelling in hearing, they also make excellent watchdogs. In the home, they are both affectionate, alert and playful, and like most sighthounds are aloof with strangers when first meeting. They are clean dogs, odour free and require little coat care.
HISTORY
Sharing an ancestry with the Ibizan Hounds, this breed’s history dates back to 4,000 BC in Egypt. A striking statue of a hound resembling a Pharaoh Hound was found in Tutankhamen’s tomb and it is clear that these hounds were closely associatiated with the early Egyptian rulers. Carved reliefs found in some tombs, has meant that archaeologists have been able to ascertain with fair accuracy, details of their ancestry. It is believed that Pharaoh Hounds made their way to Malta with the Phoenician traders and ultimately became the national dog of that country. In breed type, they have remained unchanged for centuries