Meet the podencos!

You won't find a more diverse breed in the world. The Spanish podenco comes in every size imaginable. From the podenco Maneto, who is not much smaller than a good size dachshund to the podenco Ibicenco and podenco Canario which, at times can be as tall as the Galgo Español And everything in between. While maybe not as wel known as the Galgo Español, every region and isle in Spain has its own type of podenco which often comes in a few sizes. Just like the galgo, the podenco comes in smooth haired, wirehaired and even longhaired but unlike the galgo, they are restricted to a few colors. The podenco is most commonly found as a red, red and white dog and a red pigmented nose. There are a few exceptions, there are some black and chocolate variations. Character wise, all podencos share the same characteristics. Podencos are smart, intelligent and driven hunters. Their terrain is filled with brush and rocks, its rough and and not easy to navigate. This has created a breed that is known for its jumping and climbing capability. And a breed with large ears! Unlike the galgo, they don't only rely on sight, they also rely on their hearing (hence the large ears) and their noses. While they can be seen as stubborn, when they are hunting their recall seems to be non existent, they are also extremely loyal and bond strongly with their owners. They trust with all their being and this is for life, unless you break their trust, if you do, you will find that gaining back a podencos trust is hard work. But don't worry, most podencos have a great sense for humor. What they also have is a need for work, a job, a dog this intelligent needs to use its brain or it will get bored. And I don't need to explain about bored dogs, do I? If you are into dog sports, agility, barn hunting, trick classes, rally-o and many other sports, give the podenco a thought, specially the medium and up sizes might be great sport companions. That said, there are also plenty of our rescued poddies that enjoy a good long snooze on the couch... Just like our galgos, the podencos like company and in general do well with other breeds. Afterall, they grew up with them. Ask us about our podencos, you might be in for a great surprise. Our podencos are rescued by SOS Podencos Rescue and Fundacion Benjamin Mehnert