![]() He has a long feathery tail and the ears can be either erect, semi-erect and in some instances, even dropped. There are a few Border Collies which have a single-colour coat. Most common color is black and white but other colors such as chocolate and white, liver and white or blue merle are also seen. The dog has a moderately long and smooth coat with a dense topcoat, with soft weather resistant undercoat. People who have been to sheepdog trials can only marvel a this dog and his intense stare, moving the sheep to precisely where his master wants them. The ideal height for this very intelligent dog is 46 – 53cm and they weigh in at about 14 – 22kg. He requires both mental and physical stimulation. Utterly responsive, intelligent, alert and keen, the medium sized border collie loves nothing more than to be actively working. This explains why it doesn’t have such a ‘companionable’ temperament as some other dog breeds. It is said that the Portuguese Podengo isn't bred to be a companion dog, being bred exclusively as a working hunting dog. He is somewhat aloof around strangers and this is actually what makes him a good watchdog. He is intelligent, he is easily trained and socialized and gets on well with children in the house if they have been disciplined to respect and be kind to animals. ![]() Being alert, he also makes a good watchdog. This Portuguese sighthound is energetic, comical sometimes, sweet and loving. The coat is found in shades of fawn or yellow and with some white markings. The coat is essentially short and smooth though you also get the longer, wiry coat. The body of the dog is lean and well muscled and the head wedge shaped. The eyes are brown, the ears are erect and the tail long and thick, held low and with a bit of a curve when at rest. The dog is similar in looks to other hunting dogs native to the Mediterranean, such as the Pharoah Hound. He stands roughly at between 20 to 30 cm and weighs between 4.1 to 5.9 kg. As a result, the Podengo spread its genetic influence around the world and also picked up some influences from other breeds, which have by now largely disappeared, making the breed true to the Podengo type.The Portuguese Podengo is available in three sizes. Back in the 15th-18th centuries, this trait made its ancestors ideal ratters, and they served that purpose by sailing with the Portuguese explorers on their voyages of discovery. The Pequeno, or “small” Podengo, is not a “go-to-ground” dog, but rather a fearless flusher of rabbits from dense brush and crevices. So, for our purposes in the US, the breed is split in two, known as the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno and the Portuguese Podengo (Medio & Grande). In the United States, the Medio and Grande size are considered one breed based on the fact that you can get both sizes in a litter and on the overlapping of the size standard. There are three types of Podengos: Pequeno, Medio, and Grande. In England, they have taken to calling the Podengo, Warren Hounds, but we prefer the real name-Portuguese Podengo. The larger and sturdier Podengo Grande hunts boar and stag, although it will make short order of any rabbit that crosses its path as well. The Medio works in tandem with the smaller Pequeno-whose job is to flush rabbits from crevices and dense briars as well as to chase, track, kill, and retrieve the rabbit. Podengos (Medio and Pequeno) hunt rabbits, which in Portugal live mostly in rock crevices and thick briars rather than in underground warrens. The Portuguese do not have a word for hound, so use the name Podengo as a specific term for the kind of primitive, prick-eared hunting dogs that were distributed around the Mediterranean basin 2,000 years ago by the Phoenicians. Over time, this was shortened to Podengo and referred to multi-sensory, endurance-trotting, pack-hunting dogs. The full name then was Podengo de Mostra (the Mostra part referring to a pack). The word “Podengo” was used in Portugal at least as early as the 16th century to refer to pack-hunting dogs. The Portuguese do not have a word for hound, so use the NAME Podengo as a specific term for the kind of primitive, prick-eared hunting dogs that were distributed around the Mediterranean basin 2,000 years ago by the Phoenicians.
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