# What's a Podenco like?



## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Hello 

When the time comes to get another dog, we'd like a rescue and we are always keeping our eye on SOS Animals, the Spanish rescue website where most of the dogs seem to be Podenco or Podenco cross... I've done some Google research but wondered if anyone had experience of these dogs? I understand them to be sight hounds so wondered if they are similar to whippets in temperament?

We'd like a small dog that's a good all rounder - we enjoy long walks and training classes and currently agility and flyball and our dogs go to a daycare when we're at work so a dog-friendly dog that's fairly versatile is our main criteria...working through issues with training is something we are totally happy to do - but being good with dogs is an essential.

Anyone have a Podenco or experience of them? What are they like? Most similar to?

Any thoughts?
Naomi


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## Polimba (Nov 23, 2009)

I've done some charity work for SOS and did a photoshoot last year. A lady brought her rescue Podenco in and I was smitten. Here she is

Shear Pawfection Charity Day for SOS Animals | furbuddiesphotography

From what I understand they are quite similar to whippets in that they are sight hounds. Some have dodgy recall. The one I net was gorgeous, very calm and got on well with other dogs. Her owner had another dog and the Podenco fitted in straightaway with him.

I'm sure Tanya at SOS would be happy to talk to you. They are a breed I would definitely consider.


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## Tapir (Mar 20, 2010)

Podecos are stunning! SOS mainly have Podenco Andaluz, which are similar in appearance to Pharoah Hounds. (Linda- ADOPTED!)









They sometimes get some 'dwarf' Podencos (can't remember the proper name - they are short legged) (Georgia - available soon)









Or Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizian Hounds) like these (Penny - ADOPTED!)









which can be wirehaired too.... (Mary - available)









And also Podenco Campanero (Billy - available soon)









Podencos are so sweet, very loving however their recall isn't great as they have a very high prey drive. They can be quite high energy and needs lot's of exercise but they are lovely little dogs. If you like SOS Animals UK and Podenco Rescue on facebook, I'm sure if you asked the Podenco owners would talk to you about them.


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## AmberNero (Jun 6, 2010)

Beautiful dogs with amazing ears! :001_wub: There are also Galgos- might be worth having a look at galgos del sol on facebook, they have been doing a few big rescue missions recently and have had to deal with a few litters of puppies with two (?) more on the way.


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

Last week on the common I saw a wire haired one.
Mine were off lead except Benny and she had hers on lead so I called out and asked is yours a bogoff dog too?
She laughed and said yes but ok with other dogs even loose so we stopped and introduced ourselves.

A lovely dog with a fantastic temprement but yes a bogoff .. They let it off a few weeks ago and it was gone for nearly 2 hours..

There is some hope though, its a vey young dog just 6 months old and she hasnt had it long so they are trying to do some recall work using a long line and lots of treats....


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## pickle (Mar 24, 2008)

There are also Portuguese Podengo, which are small and similar, they are becoming quite popular here.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks for all the information...if they're sort of sighthoundy-whippety type temperament then they sound like they'd be fine. I like the look of some of the smaller ones like this one...










I'll keep doing some research and see what else I can find out - there are a couple of other rescues that I'm looking at too....and we're not getting another dog just yet anyway....

Thanks for all the replies 

Naomi x


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## AmberNero (Jun 6, 2010)

Linda needs a home and is that beautiful tan and white colour 

Welcome to Facebook


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2012)

The member on here Scrip has a Podenco (well, Scrip is the Podenco) so maybe PM her?


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## amylyanne (Apr 30, 2012)

I cant say enough good things about podencos (today i may be overtly biased though: our foster podenco cross went to his forever home yesterday and i am missing podenco love so much!).

they are great all round dogs, and would be brilliant at agility and the like. they are clean, sweet natured and great with other dogs. and they give the best cuddles!

their only flaw, if i was to try to find one, is their high prey drive, perfectly understandable though in a sighthound so I will let them off


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## Mrs White (Jul 18, 2011)

I picked one up a few years back (well, a cross with a local terrier) and I'm surrounded by them here in a hunting part of Spain; all three sizes.

As said, they are hunting dogs and are not at all removed from their origins, still being bred for running for 6 hours in 40 degree heat. They really are tireless, hardy little buggers. Very yappy, too, as they are used for hunting in packs and for letting the others know of rabbits in the vicinity.

Recall is a nightmare, infact the local hunters often train them with e-collars. The ignorant pieces of **** often leave the poor little things to fend for themselves up in the mountains if they can't be arsed waiting round for them after a day's hunt. Not a week goes by that we don't see one of them trotting about on its lonesome, having been foresaken by its "owner"

They tend to be pretty skittish IME and did I mention the yappiness?

I've had various sighthounds in the past and been round lots of working lurchers of all shapes and sizes, and I'd say the Podenco is a more nervous, highly strung beast than the sighthounds generally used in Britain.

Having said all of the above, I'd like to clarify that virtually all the Podencos I know here are not family dogs/pets and haven't been raised as such so maybe they'd be a calmer proposition if brought up correctly (although mine is very different to any of my other more "domesticated" lads and lasses).

Good luck if you do get one:thumbsup:


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## Tapir (Mar 20, 2010)

SOS rescue ex-hunting pods, and they settle into domestic situations amazingly. I think once they are away from abusive hunters, and out of the high-adrenalin situations, they calm down a lot and will happily siesta with you!
Like any dog, they need a good couple of walks a day, plenty of mental stimulation and training and they make wonderful pets.


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info.

High energy is most certainly not a problem. In this house, we love long walks, training and exercise in general - and playing games and all sorts of things like that. And Monday - Thursday involves playing from 8 - 5 with a group of other dogs at daycare, which does burn a few calories and uses up a lot of energy...so energy isn't a problem. Prey drive/recall is something I'm happy to work on, and I'm thinking that a dog who is used to being in a pack should be okay with the daycare environment...

I was unsure if they were more houndy or terriery and all this information is very useful.

Still something I'm thinking about and I shall be monitoring the SOS website 

Thanks for all the help and information!

Naomi x


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## Tapir (Mar 20, 2010)

missnaomi said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> High energy is most certainly not a problem. In this house, we love long walks, training and exercise in general - and playing games and all sorts of things like that. And Monday - Thursday involves playing from 8 - 5 with a group of other dogs at daycare, which does burn a few calories and uses up a lot of energy...so energy isn't a problem. Prey drive/recall is something I'm happy to work on, and I'm thinking that a dog who is used to being in a pack should be okay with the daycare environment...
> 
> ...


Sounds like Pod heaven!!! :thumbsup:


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## missnaomi (Jun 4, 2010)

Tapir said:


> Sounds like Pod heaven!!! :thumbsup:


Aww, thanks Tapir! It's just the daycare thing which is so important for me to get right - I am not an expert or anything but have time for training and help via classes and stuff...but the daycare is pretty much the only none-negotiable thing, I wouldn't have a dog and leave it at home, and I have to work, so a dog would have to be happy going and so many rescue dogs have other dog issues and that's pretty much the only thing I can't accommodate (although on-lead issues would be fine) and that's what led me to look at SOS really - they all seemed to be amenable with other dogs....

Got a few things to sort out first so we're in no rush and can watch until the right one for us comes along...

Naomi x


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## amylyanne (Apr 30, 2012)

that does sound like pod heaven to me. 

what i tend to love most about the pods is they will be whatever you want them to be at the time, if that makes sense. they love love love long walks and games, but at the same time if you are having a laze yourself or trying to do something none dog related (god forbid!) they will calm down instantly and have a big lazy nap, all 4 feet in the air. of course this varies between individuals but its just what i have found. 

they would be absolutely cracking at agility. one time i was applauded and asked what level of agility a young foster pod i had in was at, after he casually cleared a wheely bin out on a walk. other dog owners around thought it was some fancy agility trick he had been taught, i just had to tell them it was just him being him!


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## Howl (Apr 10, 2012)

dorrit said:


> A lovely dog with a fantastic temprement but yes a bogoff .. They let it off a few weeks ago and it was gone for nearly 2 hours..


Wow... and I think I have problems with my two! 15 mins is hard enough 2 hours sounds like hell. At 6 months D was a dream at recall but teenager D 
Sounds like a long line and lots of training. 
I was looking at possiblities for dog number 3 when we get our own place. I must be daft because all the breeds I liked the look of had rubbish recall :lol:


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## Howl (Apr 10, 2012)

Oh my god!!  
The treatment of them is enough to make you cry they attach their mouths to a stick to kill them when they no longer have a use for them and it appears they are often hung from trees. :crying:
Typing just Galgos into google it's all you see  Poor babies how could anyone do that


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## amylyanne (Apr 30, 2012)

it is so sad  makes it seem even harsher that on the whole they are so forgiving as a breed and just really want people to love them. the galgos are the same, such sweet dogs. 

god i would be panicking so bad if i lost a dog for 2 hours. :scared:. I thought my dog had sketchy recall but thats something else!


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## Mrs White (Jul 18, 2011)

Howl said:


> Oh my god!!
> The treatment of them is enough to make you cry they attach their mouths to a stick to kill them when they no longer have a use for them and it appears they are often hung from trees. :crying:
> Typing just Galgos into google it's all you see  Poor babies how could anyone do that


I came across these images a month or so back (an Englishwoman has written a book about it) and, although I've never seen anything like it in real life here, I have no doubt theat Spanish hunters could do it. We are desperate to leave the place and live back in civilised society again.


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## amylyanne (Apr 30, 2012)

maybe you could foster first for sos uk?  

that way you can see how a podenco would fit in with you and your dogs before making the full commitment. 'try before you buy' if you will


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## james esnor (Jan 9, 2020)

This conversation is many years old. But there are more Podengos and Podencos being rescued from Portugal and Spain, so it may be worth my offering tuppence worth, even at this late stage. I normally contribute to a specialist Podengo forum, hosted by a breeder Of Podengo Pequenos in the US. So I did not notice this post before.


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## james esnor (Jan 9, 2020)

Now that I find that I am registered here and can post, I will write some more. We have a Podengo Medio rescued by us from the Cape Verde islands. As she joined us on Boxing Day, we called her Maria. 

The job of the Medio is to chase rabbits at up to 25mph over rough ground once the much smaller Pequenos have flushed them out of the burrow. Maria will chase anything furry on four legs up to the size of a fox or small deer. In Germany, she chased small deer for 10km through thick fir forest as dusk was falling. 

During the hunt, there is no chance for recall. Once it is finished, she will usually return to wherever she last saw you, for she has unbeatable ability to follow a scent, including her own. This may be hours later. 

Podengos and Podencos are identical. There are variants from the Canaries and the Balearics, which differ mostly in having larger ears and bodies. The Grande, the size of a greyhound, is much rarer. It is used for hunting wild boar.

The Podengo/Podenco is a direct descendant of he pale-footed wolf of the Levant and India. It is a relative of the Australian dingo. They were bred only to hunt and fur length and thickness and colour can vary depending on the terrain, in which they hunt.

As pets they are very affectionate and loyal and will curl up on a sofa, for most of the day. But if you are able to train them to return, once they have seen a squirrel, you must have far greater skills than me.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

james esnor said:


> Now that I find that I am registered here and can post, I will write some more. We have a Podengo Medio rescued by us from the Cape Verde islands. As she joined us on Boxing Day, we called her Maria.
> 
> The job of the Medio is to chase rabbits at up to 25mph over rough ground once the much smaller Pequenos have flushed them out of the burrow. Maria will chase anything furry on four legs up to the size of a fox or small deer. In Germany, she chased small deer for 10km through thick fir forest as dusk was falling.
> 
> ...


Well worth highlighting their hunting instinct.

I did try to warn one of my neighbours, who told me she was getting one and who isn't very robust, but she didn't listen and the poor Podengo had to go through the trauma of going back to rescue and rehoming again


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## james esnor (Jan 9, 2020)

They are certainly not easy dogs for an owner inexperienced with hunters. On the road, they must be kept on a tight lead at all times, or they will run across and be hit. That has happened to Maria, in France. With her amazing agility she managed to turn sideways on at the last split second but and made a sickening thud when she hit a Mercedes estate on the side. Both were travelling at about 25mph. Amazingly the driver was an english gent and very apologetic. But it was our fault. 

If there are squirrels, deer ,cats or foxes around, the same applies. She even tried to have a go at a life-like model of a leopard.


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