Canaan Dog is a breed of pariah dog and has been in
existence in the Middle East for thousands of years. There are 2,000 to 3,000
Canaan dogs across the world, mostly in Europe and North America.
Appearance
The
Canaan dog is a typical primitive dog in appearance. It is a medium-sized
square built dog, with a wedge-shaped head, erect and low set ears with a broad
base and rounded tips. Its outer coat is dense, harsh and straight of short to
medium-length. The undercoat should be close and profuse according to season.
Color 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.
Rudolphina
Menzel, an immigrant to Mandate Palestine from Austria, having studied the
desert free living dogs and the variations in appearances, classified these
canines into four types: 1) heavy, sheepdog appearance, 2) dingo-like appearance,
3) Border Collie appearance, 4) Greyhound appearance. Menzel concluded that the
Canaan dog is a derivative of the Type III pariah — the 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, not the modern Rough
Collie).
In
writing the first official standard for the Canaan dog, 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
angular, 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)".
Temperament
Canaan
dogs have a strong survival instinct. They are quick to react and wary of
strangers, and will alert to any disturbances with prompt barking, thus making
them excellent watchdogs. Though defensive, they are not aggressive and are
very good with children within the family, but may be wary of other children or
defensive when your child is playing with another child. They are intelligent
and learn quickly, but may get bored with repetitive exercises or ignore
commands if they find something of more interest.
Skills
Canaan
dogs can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball,
tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be
measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Canaans exhibiting basic herding
instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.
Health
In
general, the Canaan dog does not suffer from known hereditary problems.
Although the breed is one of the healthiest, George A. Padgett, DVM, listed
diseases that have been seen, at one time or another, in the Canaan dog:
hypothyroidism, epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), cryptorchidism,
hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, and osteochondritis dissecans
(OCD).
Breed recognition
The
Canaan dog was first recognized by the Israel Kennel Club in 1953 and by the
FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) in 1966. The first accepted
standard was written by Dr. Menzel.
In
1986, the first Canaan dogs were brought to Finland from Sha'ar Hagai Kennel,
in Israel.
The
Canaan Dog is today recognized by all the world's kennel clubs and is being
bred in many countries. There are breed clubs in the U.S., Canada, the U.K.,
Finland, Germany, Israel and France.
Canada
The
first Canaan dog came to Canada May 16, 1970. The dogs came from a kennel in
Delaware.
The
Canadian Canaan Club was formed in 1972, and the first executive of the Club
was elected on March 15, 1973. The club has since been dissolved.
The
Canaan dog obtained entry into the Miscellaneous Class of the Canadian Kennel
Club on December 1, 1975. In January 1993, the breed was accepted in the
Working Group, as the Canadian Kennel Club did not have a Herding group at that
time.
United Kingdom
The
first Canaan Dog was brought to the UK from Lebanon in 1965, before they were a
recognized breed.
In
December 1970, they were recognized by the Kennel Club, and the breed was
placed in the Utility Group.
In
May 1992 the inaugural meeting of the Canaan Dog Club of the United Kingdom
took place. Since 1996 the breed has begun to grow in numbers in the UK, though
it is still quite numerically small.
United States
On
September 7, 1965, Menzel sent four dogs to Ursula Berkowitz of Oxnard,
California, the first Canaan dogs 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. In June 1989, the Canaan dog entered the American Kennel Club
(AKC) Miscellaneous Class. Its profile was raised when John F. Kennedy Jr.
purchased a Canaan dog in the 1990s. Canaan dogs were registered in the AKC
Stud Book as of June 1, 1997. The dogs began competing in conformation on
August 12, 1997.
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