The Pharaoh hound, or the Kelb tal-Fenek as it is also called, was developed on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. It is a medium sized dog whose height at the withers should be around 53-63.5 cm. The colors are different shades of red with a little white. The body should be slightly more elongated than high. They should not be too high on legs as most other podencoids. In this breed, the exterior aim is for a modest and balanced dog. But of course the podencoids most characteristic existing sign on this wonderful breed are the large mobile ears. Please see the standard to get a clearer exterior description.
The terrain of Malta that these dogs have evolved to cope with consists of cliffs, terraced fields, small sharp stones and stone walls that cut through the landscape. Their main hunting prey is the wild rabbit. The rabbits on Malta do not dig burrows. They make use out of the natural cavities that exist in rocks or inside stone walls. On the coast, the landscape also consists of cracks and crevices in which the rabbits use to take refuge.
On Malta, the Kelb tal-Fenek is the dog of the farmers. They are often kept in a pack. When they go out on a hunt they often use a Mizzwegin, or a pair of dogs, a female and a male. But sometimes they also hunt with several dogs but not with as many, for example, as on the Canarias where you can hunt with up to 12 Podenco Canarios at a time. Just as with the Podenco Canarios and Cirneco dell’Etna, ferrets are used in the hunt there.
Most of the time they hunt during the night, preferably on a cloudy night. The reason for this is that rabbits are so quick and clever that the dogs have a great difficulty getting hold of them during the day. During the summer months, the heat is also very high which makes the hunt difficult for both animals and humans. At night the dogs will search the area with their noses. They hunt into the wind so that the rabbits will not smell them. The dogs can be as far as 500 meters away from the owner during the hunt. When they get hold of a track they make a characteristic barking that on Malta is called "Kurriera". The closer they get to the rabbit the more frantic the barking will get. Their barking also tells the hunter where they are so he can find them. Sometimes the dogs jump very high to get a clearer view of where the prey is. They try to chase the rabbit towards the hunter. Sometimes they even catch it and kill it. This kind of hunting is forbidden in many countries where only the human hunter is allowed to kill the prey.
Usually the rabbits try to hide in holes and crevices to escape the dogs. The dogs show the owner where the rabbit is hiding by frantically digging or scratching. The owner will then cover the wall with a net so the rabbit will not be able to escape. The owner sends in a ferret with a bell around the neck. The ferret's role is to drive the rabbit from the cavity. The dogs follow the sound of the bell to see where the rabbit will come out. Then they stand ready for it to appear. In other words, the dog takes care of everything. The hunter has a rifle, but it is the dog that takes care of the tracking, hunting and eventual killing. Then the dog retrieves the prey to the owner.
Outside Malta, the Pharaons or Klieb tal-Fenek (plural), are mostly kept as companion dogs. If you understand their working background you quickly realize that this is not a poodle that you have acquired. That this is a breed that requires a bit more from their owners than the usual companion breeds. It is important to realize that you have a predator on your leash and to treat it with the respect that it deserves. They are not at all dangerous towards humans. On the contrary, they are known as wonderful family dogs because they are so affectionate to their own family or "pack". They are gentle, cheerful, full of pranks and loving but they are bred to hunt small animals. This means that the cats and other small pets in the neighborhood may be living dangerously if you do not watch over your dog. They quickly learn to respect other small animals in the family, especially if there is an older dog in the house who tells them that. But because you yourself have a cat at home doesn’t mean that they will not attack the neighbor's cat. The hunting instinct is so strong in these breeds. If you have one dog, you can usually suppress the hunting instinct by strong training from an early age as a puppy. But if you have more than one dog, they quickly form a hunting team. This is something I have learned from personal experience. At first they came to my calls nearly 100% of the time. But as soon as I let them loose together, they turned totally deaf on me. Now they return when they have finished their hunt.
They can be a bit reserved towards strangers but they are not bred to be timid or afraid. Some farmers on Malta also uses their klieb tal-Fenek when they are moving their herd of sheep and goats. However, they don't work in the same intensive way as a real sheep dog would. They are also used as guardian dogs in the yard, but they do not have the sharpness as the real guard dogs have. They only alert that a stranger is approaching by alarm barking. It is a behavior that they bring with them also into the homes as pet dogs. Their hunting instinct, coupled with the well-developed nose, probably will give you a dog that goes with his nose glued to the ground most of the walk if you do not work against it.
They are, in other words, not a breed for those of you who only like cozy evenings at home. They are a breed that needs to get much physical exercise and mental stimulation to be a pleasant and harmonious dog. If they get that, they also love cozy evenings at home. The best thing they know is to get under a thick blanket raised on a sofa or a bed. If you don’t like animals on your furniture I strongly advise you to leave this site and go and buy yourself an aquarium instead. They see themselves as the center of the Universe. So don’t ever think you can do anything without including them in it.
Make sure you have a safe place to let your KtF run free before you buy one. They get far away from the owner when they start to hunt. A few times a week they need to run like crazy just to empty their batteries. You can also ride your bike with them, do lure coursing, tracking practice and a lot of other things that you are interested in. But remember, this is not a breed who happily works for hours just for the joy of seeing their owner satisfied.
A Pharaoh doesn’t do anything that he doesn’t perceive as benefiting him. So, all training should be done with flexible, innovative and fun methods. Practice also in short training sessions so that you keep your dog's interest alive. It doesn’t mean that you can’t make demands on your dog but you must be calm, consistent, and patient. You may have to repeat the same thing a thousand times before your dog gives up and says "Okay, I will not do it again". It is no problem at all to have them in an apartment as long as you make sure they can vent their energy regularly. A happy and satisfied Pharaoh makes no fuss indoors. He just coils himself up in a soft and warm place in the house. A not so happy or dissatisfied Pharaoh? We should not go there. I leave it to your imagination instead.
 La Podenquera
* A big thank you to Quentin Freed for checking on my english.
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* Note that a breed presentation is only a general description. A breed consists of numerous individuals, where each one is unique.
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