Key Behavioral Features of the Canaan Dog Breed
The Canaan Dog breed originated and evolved in Palestine and has very ancient origins. Until a few years ago, it was only known in these territories, but today, thanks to breeders, it finds many admirers in Europe and especially in the United States.
Its origins are very uncertain, but it is thought that its ancestors may have been various breeds of wolf shepherds, and most probably also the Collie. Enthusiasts of the breed claim that the Australian Dingo contributed to its current morphology. Until a few years ago there were two morphologies of this breed, the ‘Dingo’ and the ‘Collie’, which were then merged to create the current Canaan Dog.
For a long time it was a wild dog, living on the edge of Bedouin camps where it tried to steal a little food, and the Bedouins adopted a few of this breed to protect their fields and herds.
This was until a dog expert, Professor Rudolfina Menzel, was commissioned in 1937 to select dogs that would later be used in army service, and it was she who became interested in the Canaan because of its temperament, great learning ability and remarkable versatility. It thus became the official dog of the Istraeli army.
The Canaan was used extensively during and after the Second World War for patrol, search and guard duties: one of the first dogs trained to search for mines was a Canaan. In its native areas it was often used during the various wars as a rescue dog, as a messenger and for searching for the wounded.
Character of the Canaan Dog breed
The Canaan Dog has a truly extraordinary character. He is a loyal and reliable friend, obedient and absolutely devoted to his master. If guarding and defence of the owner are absolutely innate in him and do not need any training, as far as obedience is concerned, one has to start working with the puppy very young, but he is very docile and easy to train.
The Canaan dog is the only primitive dog to be used for guarding rather than hunting: this is because of its territoriality, which is very pronounced and different from that of other breeds. Like all primitive dogs, it has equally developed sight, hearing and smell. This enables the Canaan to sense a suspicious presence at a distance five times greater than with other breeds.
Selected to be a perimeter guard dog, thus to patrol very large spaces, the Canaan constantly goes back and forth and carefully patrols every corner of what it considers its territory. He is wary of strangers, but very attentive and watchful of both his humans and the animals in the house.
Canaan likes to be outdoors a lot, but he also likes to be indoors, and in the house he needs his own little space where he can rest quietly. He is not a very expansive dog, but gets along well with everyone in his household.
If there are children around, he plays with them patiently, and he is also happy in the company of other dogs or cats, but he can be quarrelsome with other dogs and aggression with same-sex dogs is likely, so early and continuous socialisation is essential. Like all primitive dogs, it is very independent.
They are not easily forgiving of human mistakes: if you often raise your voice and scold them unfairly, they may come to distrust you.
Appearance of the Canaan Dog breed
The Canaan Dog is a medium-sized dog, an adult male can weigh around 25 kg with an average height at the withers of 60 cm, the female as always a little less. It is classified as a wolf type, has a solid and robust build, is very well proportioned, has a solid and robust gait, very quick, light, but full of energy. The tail with high hairline, with very abundant and thick fur is rolled on the back. The legs are straight, the hind ones particularly muscular and slender.
The head is conical, the muzzle is strong, of moderate length and width. The truffle is black. The almond-shaped eyes, slightly oblique, are dark in colour, the eyelids have black contours. The ears are set low and make the muzzle look much wider than it actually is, they are carried straight and have slightly rounded tips.
The coat is short to medium, rough to the touch and slightly shaggy to the eye. It has a very abundant and dense undercoat. The coat colours range from sandy to red-brown, white, black or spotted with or without a mask.
Care and health of the Canaan Dog breed
The Canaan is generally a disease-free breed; it is a dog that rarely falls ill, but is very fragile when subjected to the elements. It is therefore not a dog to be relegated to the garden, but needs its own space in the home.
It is a rustic and fairly long-lived dog, its life expectancy ranging from 12 to 15 years. It does not need special diets if it gets enough exercise, but it is not a lazy dog but rather a very active one.
As far as coat care is concerned, this is a very clean dog that tries to keep itself clean, however a weekly brushing must be done, such as several times a week in conjunction with moulting.
