| Canaan Dogs: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Canaan Dog personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Canaan Dog, including these excerpts:
"The AKC Standard says, "The Canaan Dog moves with athletic agility and grace, with a quick, brisk, ground-covering trot."
The Canaan Dog is light-footed and can turn on a dime. He will take as much exercise as you can offer, yet adults are calm enough to curl up on the sofa when the day's work or fun is over.
This independent dog is self-reliant and doesn't need constant petting.
However, he is also highly intelligent and an excellent problem-solver and needs plenty of mental stimulation (obedience, agility, tracking, herding, playing games) to prevent boredom, which can lead to destructiveness.
His wariness of strangers, inherent distrust of anything new or different, territorial instincts, keen senses and canny intuition all combine to make him a vigilant watchdog.
This primitive breed is 100 percent aware of his surroundings, constantly observing and listening. He will sound the alarm at every perceived threat.
However, he is not aggressive. Rather, the Canaan Dog reacts to intrusions into his territory DEFENSIVELY -- by retreating just out of reach and barking continuously.
Because caution can easily shade into fearfulness, early and extensive socialization is required to build a confident, stable temperament.
Dog aggression can be a problem, and these dogs do have a strong prey drive and may stalk smaller animals.
Canaan Dogs resist repetitious training and jerking on the leash. Motivate them with variation, praise, and food. Yet they may also test you for pack leadership, so they require a confident, consistent owner.
Canaan Dogs love to dig and are very vocal -- barking and whining need to be controlled."
History
The Canaan Dog was a "pariah" (feral or half-wild) dog, whose cleverness and defensive instincts enabled him to survive in the harsh Israeli desert. He was by and large shaped by natural selection and eventually domesticated by the Israelites.
Size
19-24 inches and 35-55 lbs |
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Canaan Dogs
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is medium-sized and completely natural-looking
- Has a short easy-care coat that comes in a variety of colors
- Moves with light-footed agility
- Loves lots of exercise and athletic activities
- Makes an extremely alert watchdog, yet is not aggressive
A Canaan Dog may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Vigorous exercise requirements
- Destructiveness when bored or not exercised enough
- Inherent distrust of strangers and anything new or different
- Extreme fearfulness in some lines, or when not extensively socialized
- Aggression toward other animals -- chasing instincts
- Stubbornness (a mind of his own)
- Lots of barking
- Heavy shedding
- Waiting lists (hard to find)
A Canaan Dog may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Canaan Dog... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Canaan Dogs MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing. Bored Canaan Dogs can make a shambles of your house and yard.
| If you simply want a pet for your family, and don't have the time or inclination to take your dog running or hiking or biking or swimming, or to get involved in agility (obstacle course), or advanced obedience, or herding, or tracking, or a similar canine activity, I do not recommend this breed. |
- Fearfulness. Canaan Dogs began as "pariah dogs," i.e. feral or half-wild. Their defensive instincts often do not fit well into the average household. Canaan Dogs need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution is likely to become full-blown suspiciousness or fearfulness, which are difficult to live with and could even lead to defensive biting.
| If you have small children, I do not recommend Canaan Dog puppies. The temptation to chase and nip running children is a risk with young Canaan Dogs. Even Canaan Dog adults may feel overwhelmed by the loud voices and quick movements that children can't help making -- and stress and shyness may be the result. |
- Animal aggression. Many Canaan Dogs are dominant or aggressive toward other dogs of the same sex. Many have strong instincts to chase and seize cats and other fleeing creatures. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals.
- Mind of their own. Canaan Dogs are not Golden Retrievers. They are versatile working dogs, capable of learning a great deal and excelling at the highest levels of competition, but they can also be stubborn and manipulative. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say. But Canaan Dogs are also so sensitive that if you correct them too harshly, they may "shut down" and become even more resistant. It often takes an experienced trainer to bring out the inherent genius in this breed.
| To teach your Canaan Dog to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Canaan Dog Training Page discusses the program you need. |
- Barking. Canaan Dogs are typically too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, Canaan Dogs are not a good choice for you. For the same reason, Canaan Dogs should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised.
- Heavy shedding. Canaan Dogs shed a LOT. You'll find hair and fur all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life.
- Finding one. In the United States, fewer than 100 new Canaan Dog puppies are registered each year. (Compare that to over 60,000 new Golden Retriever puppies!)
| Not all Canaan Dogs are alike! |
- There are energetic Canaans, and placid Canaans.
- Hard-headed Canaans, and sweet-natured Canaans.
- Serious Canaans, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Canaans, and Canaans who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Canaan Dog puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Canaan Dog... |
There are plenty of adult Canaan Dogs who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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