This smart looking dog has been the Portuguese national dog for about 2000 years.
They are a Mediterranean-type hound, brought to the Iberian Peninsula by Phoenicians and Romans in ancient times.
A versatile hunter that uses both sight and sound and who are particularly good in rocky and shrubby terrain.
The Podengo dog comes in sizes small, medium and large, in smooth and rough coat.
The small and medium type hunt mostly rabbits by flushing them out of their warrens where they can either kill their prey and retrieve them to their handler or drive the rabbits towards the hunter.
Thehe larger dog can hunt for deer and wild boar.
It may seem cruel to hunt rabbits.
I had a lovely white rabbit for six years who, when I let him out from his hatch would come when called and perform 180 degree jumps in the air, rabbits can make great pets.
However, rabbits can have local demographic explosion in population causing extensive damage to crops and infrastructure with damage reported on approximately 42,000 hectares per year.
The Rabbit status in Portugal is complex because they are a keystone species and are essential for the survival of endangered predators like the Iberian Lynx and Imperial Eagle.
This duality makes rabbit management challenging.
Even today the Podengno dog breed is actively utilised for their traditional purposes.
You can recognise this dog breed by their large pointed ears, pyramid shaped head with a narrow muzzle, expressive almond shaped eyes, while the tail stands high.
They have a strong muscular body, and the medium sized dog of the breed tends to be more intense than the large.
They appear somewhat similar to an Australian dingo, but they are domesticated dogs and can reproduce twice a year.
Alert, independent and highly intelligent, they can learn new tasks quickly, but they are not always easy to train as they tend to be independent, yet loving with family and often suspicious of strangers.
They can make great watchdogs.
Podengo dogs love to play and they will easily entertain themselves with toys by or chasing one another.
One thing to be aware of is they may view smaller pets and animals as prey.
These dogs are becoming popular in the USA as a sport dog for agility, coursing, fly ball and other spots.
They are generally quite healthy and live to around 10 – 15 years.
