Portuguese Podengo
| Portuguese Podengo | |||||||||||||
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.jpg) Medium variety, wire-haired | |||||||||||||
 Large variety, smooth-haired | |||||||||||||
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| Origin | Portugal | ||||||||||||
| Distribution | Brazil[citation needed] | ||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||
The Portuguese Podengo, also known as the Podengo Português or Portuguese Warren Hound, is a Portuguese breed of dog of warren hound type. As a breed, the Podengo is divided into three size categories that are not interbred: small (pequeno), medium (médio) and large (grande). The coat is either short and smooth, or longer and wiry. The smooth-coated variety is traditional, whereas the wire-coated variety results from the assimilation of various other breeds during the twentieth century.[citation needed]
History
[edit]In the Middle Ages, hunting dogs in Portugal were collectively known as Podengos de Mostra ('pointers'}. Dogs of this kind were used to kill rats in sea-going Portuguese caravels.[1]: 248
Recognition of the Podengo as a homogeneous breed began in the early twentieth century.[1]: 248 The breed standard for the large variety dates from 1953.[2]
Description
[edit]The Portuguese Podengo is bred in three size varieties: large, medium and small (Portuguese: grande, medio and pequeno).[3][4]: 384 According to the breed standard, the large stands 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in) at the withers and weighs 20 to 30 kg (44 to 66 lb), the medium stands 40 to 54 cm (16 to 21 in) and weighs 16 to 20 kg (35 to 44 lb), and the small stands 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) and weighs 4 to 6 kg (9 to 13 lb).[5]
Use
[edit]The Podengo has an affinity for game, regardless of size. The large variety is used mainly for hare, either alone or as a pair;[6]: 86 [4]: 384 it may also be used to run down deer.[7]: 21 The medium and small varieties usually hunt in packs for rabbit,[6]: 86 but may also be used alone.[4]: 384
References
[edit]
- ^ a b [s.n.] (2021). Catálogo Oficial de Raças Autóctones Portuguesas (in Portuguese). Lisboa: Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal; Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária. Archived 19 January 2024.
- ^ Cães - Raça Podengo Português Grande (in Portuguese). Vale de Santarém: Sociedade Portuguesa de Recursos Genéticos Animais. Archived 5 September 2025.
- ^ Desmond Morris (2002). Dogs: A Dictionary of Dog Breeds. North Pomfret, Vermont: Trafalgar Square Publishing. ISBN 9781570762192.
- ^ a b c Arthur Frederick Jones, Ferelith Hamilton (1971). [https://archive.org/details/worldencyclopedi00hami/page/384/mode/1up The World Encyclopedia of Dogs. New York: Galahad Books. ISBN 0883653028.
- ^ Podengo Português (in Portuguese). Clube Português de Canicultura. Archived 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b David Alderton (1987). The Dog: The Most Complete, Illustrated, Practical Guide to Dogs and Their World. London: New Burlington Books. ISBN 0948872136.
- ^ David Alderton (2000). Hounds of the World. Shrewsbury: Swan Hill Press.ISBN 1853109126.