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The Canaan Dog is the national dog breed of Israel. It may have existed in the Middle East for millennia. Canaan Dogs are natural, aloof, independent dogs. They are intelligent and learn quickly, but may get bored with repetitive exercises or become oblivious to commands if they find something of more interest. They are cautious with strangers, and will alert to any disturbances with prompt barking, thus making them excellent watchdogs. The Canaan Dog is territorial and should be kept in a fenced-in yard.
Appearance: The Canaan Dog is a typical pariah dog in
appearance. They have a medium build, natural upright ears,
and a short to medium double coat, with a harsh, flat
outercoat and soft undercoat. Color ranges from black to cream
and all shades of brown between, usually with small white
markings, or all white with color patches.
The Canaan Dog is a typical pariah dog in appearance. They have a medium build, natural upright ears, and a short to medium double coat, with a harsh, flat outercoat and soft undercoat. Colour ranges from black to cream and all shades of brown and red between, usually with small white markings, or all white with colour patches. Spotting of all kinds is permitted, as well as white or black masks. Boston Terrier markings are frequent. It almost looks like a dingo.
Dr. Rudolphina Menzel, having studied the desert pariah dogs and the variations in appearances, classified these canines into four types: I) heavy, sheepdog appearance, II) dingo-like, III) noble, aristocratic collie appearance, IV) greyhound appearance
Dr. Menzel concluded that the Canaan Dog is a derivative of the Type III pariah dog - the noble, aristocratic collie type (referring to the type of farm collie found in the 1930s, which was a medium dog of moderate head type more similar to today's border collie, and not the refined rough coated collie).
In writing the first official standard for the Canaan Dog, Dr. Rudolphina Menzel wrote: "Special importance must be placed on the points that differentiate the Canaan-Dog from the German Shepard Dog, whose highly bred form he sometimes resembles: the Canaan-Dog is square, the loin region short, the forequarters highly erect, the hindquarters less angulated, the neck as noble as possible, the tail curled over the back when excited, the trot is short (see also differences in head and color)".
Dr. Menzel defined the breed standard as being a range of types, of which two somewhat different types of Canaan Dogs are predominant. The first type is often called the "American Type", "Old Type", "Dugma Type" or "Classic Type", and the second type is often referred to as the "Israeli Type" or "Laish Type". The two variations are based on two dogs that are considered model Canaan Dogs. In their breeding programs, Canaan Dog breeders often try to re-produce the qualities of one of these dogs over the other.
The "Dugma (Hebrew: model or example) Type" follows the look of Dugma, a Type III pariah dog, caught in the wild, chosen by Drs. Menzel to be the type representative of their Canaan Dog. The "Laish type" resembles Laish, a dog bred in by the Menzel's kennel and considered by them to be a very fine example of a Canaan Dog. Laish was the first Israeli Champion.
Measurements:
Height: 19-24 inches (48-61 cm)
Weight: 37-57 pounds (16-25 kg)
Temperament: Canaan Dogs are natural, aloof,
independent dogs. They are intelligent and learn quickly, but
may get bored with repetitive exercises or become oblivious to
commands if they find something of more interest.
They are cautious with strangers, and will alert to any
disturbances with prompt barking, thus making them excellent
watchdogs. The Canaan Dog is prone to wandering and must be in
a fenced-in yard.
History: The Canaan Dog began in ancient times as a
pariah dog in Israel. This dog is one of the oldest, dating
back to biblical times.
The Canaan Dog was the guard and herd dog of the ancient
Israelites, guarding their camps and flocks. They were
plentiful in the region until the dispersion of the Israelites
by the Romans in the 2nd Century, CE. As the Hebrew population
dropped, the majority of the dogs sought refuge in the Negev
Desert, a natural reservoir of Israeli wildlife. Avoiding
extinction, they remained undomesticated for the most part,
although some lived with the Bedouins and earned their keep by
guarding the herds and camps. Some were also guards for the
Druze on Mount Carmel.
They survived this way until Dr. Rudolphina Menzel came up
with the idea to use these intelligent scavenger dogs mainly
found in the desert, as guard dogs for the scattered Jewish
settlements. She initiated a selective breeding program to
produce the breed known today as the Canaan Dog.
Canaan Dogs in the U.S.: On September 7, 1965,
Ursula Berkowitz of Oxnard, California, imported the first
four Canaan Dogs with the idea of establishing the breed in
the United States. The Canaan Dog Club of America was formed
the same year, and stud book records were kept from these
first reports.
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