Canaan Dog
Israel's national dog, and one of the few breeds developed out of a free living pariah population. Wary of strangers by instinct rather than by training.
Overview
The Canaan Dog is a pariah dog, meaning it descends from a free living population rather than from a deliberately created breed. Semi wild dogs had lived across the Middle East for thousands of years, and in the 1930s Rudolphina Menzel began collecting them in what is now Israel to develop a working dog for guarding and messenger work.
It is the national dog of Israel, and it retains a great deal of the natural dog: seasonal moulting, denning behaviour, and a strong survival instinct.
Temperament
Alert, self possessed and naturally wary. Canaan Dogs are devoted to their own people and genuinely suspicious of strangers, which is the pariah inheritance rather than a training failure.
They are highly territorial and vocal, and they will bark at anything unfamiliar. They are intelligent and independent, and training works best as negotiation. Early and heavy socialisation is essential, because an under socialised Canaan is a fearful one.
Care and grooming
A short harsh double coat that needs a weekly brush and daily attention during the two heavy seasonal moults.
The breed is unusually healthy, which is what a natural gene pool buys. Hip dysplasia and hypothyroidism occur at low rates. Twelve to fifteen years is normal.
Living and exercise
An hour a day plus mental work, and a secure fence, because they dig and they roam.
They are excellent watchdogs and problematic neighbours, since the barking is genuine. They suit an experienced owner with space and a tolerance for a dog that thinks for itself.
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