Description: The Ibizan hound is fine boned and slender, with a narrow (but long-haired) matching muzzle. Their teeth meet in a scissor bite. The nose colouring is rosy flesh. The eyes or amber to caramel in colour, these are small. With large erect ears, that stand upright and pointed. This breed has a long and slender, slightly arched neck. The chest is long and deep. This dog has straight legs. The breeds height is 22-29 inches, and they weigh 42-55 pounds. Their life expectancy is between 10 and 12 years. There are three varieties of this breed; the long-haired, which is very rare, the smooth haired and the wire-haired. The wire-haired, has a rougher and longer coat than the smooth haired. Colours are white and tan, white and red or red or solid white.
History: This breed of dog is similar to the Pharaoh hound. The main difference being coat colour and the Ibizan hound is larger. It is believed the dogs' breed goes back to 3400 BC, from descriptions that have been found on and ancient Egyptian artifacts. Sea Traders may have brought the dog to Ibiza and other surrounding islands, in about 700 BC. This dog has been used for hunting rabbits. This was a source of food for the islanders. The Ibizan hound is a fast greyhound type that is able to hunt. This dog hunts by using hearing, smell and sight this dog can hunt in a pack or on its own.
Temperament: This dog is known to be good with children, being playful and polite, and also known to be gentle and sensitive. It is best to remember this dog has been bred for hunting. So other pets such as rabbits, rats and cats can be seen as a source of food, to this dog. Cats that have been raised with this dog will be fine, but other cats will be a source of temptation and bring out the hunting instinct of this breed. This dog does well to be socialised from an early age with other dogs and animals, and this includes humans. This dog will not do well left in a kennel. It is a pack animal and need to live with the family. The Ibizan hound is an exceptionally clean dog, and will be respectful of household rules. We see in this dog, a quick learner. They are very trainable, providing, they have an owner that is not timid. This dog can blush, when they get excited. This dog is intelligent and will need variety in their training, as they can become bored. This is a very fastdog and can jump exceptionally high, even from a standing start, they can jump most fences. This dog will require a good run every day and will enjoy at the game of retrieving. Keeping this breed on the lead is important due, in part, to its speed. Due to its instinct, to hunt, this dog can shoot off like a rocket and will only return when it's ready, no matter how long or how much you may call him.
Health issues: Some lines are prone to epilepsy, but over all this is a strong and hardly dog. The Ibizan hound can have allergic reactions to some medication, insecticides and flea powders.
Grooming: Ibizan hounds do not require much attention, to gain a shiny coat. Rubbing a rubber glove over it is all that is required. Checking the ears weekly to see that they are clean and tidy, this will help reduce the risk of ear infections.
Living conditions: This dog will be fine in an apartment provided they get adequate exercise, both mentally and physically. An Ibizan hound will like a large garden. Fencing needs to be carefully considered due to the dog's ability to jump a normal garden fence with ease. The breed club literature suggests a 40X60 feet fenced area, as a minimum.
