All about the Breed
History:
The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno; the little dog with the big name.
- Portuguese- the country of origin.
- Podengo- a word used in Portuguese history to refer to a dog that hunted in packs-in this case for rabbits and other small quarry generally in rocky or dense cover.
- Pequeno- "small" preferably between 8 to 12 inches at the shoulder.
So, although it may seem a large name, it simply refers to the country of origin, original usage and size.
The first Podengo were imported into the US in the 1990's and the breed continues to see tremendous growth throughout the US.
American Kennel Club:
August of 2009 AKC officially split the Pequeno into it's own breed separating it from it's larger cousins the Medio and Grande. They became the Portuguese Podengo while we became the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno.
We are moving from Foundation Stock Service to Miscellaneous status in January 2011 and then hope to move to the Hound Group sometime in late 2012 to early 2013.
The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno of America has been chosen the parent club by the AKC to steward this wonderful little breed.
The AKC PPP Standard can be found at: http://www.akc.org/breeds/portuguese_podengo_pequeno/
United Kennel Club
Broken Road Kennel is a proud founder of the United Portuguese Podengo Club formed in 2009.
The Portuguese Podengo began showing in UKC July 1, 2006 and is still being shown as 1 breed with 6 separate varieties: Pequeno Smooth, Pequeno Wire, Medio Smooth, Medio Wire, Grande Smooth, and Grande Wire.
The UKC Podengo Portugueso Standard can be found at: http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/Breeds/PodengoPortugueso
Breed Characteristics
Size: 8 to 12 inches at the shoulder.
Coat: Wire- which is harsh; single coated and actually requires very little maintenance other than combing and tidying up or Smooth coated.
Temperament: lively, active and fun loving but can be a bit aloof and shy when first introduced to strangers. It is important to socialize these little guys from a young age.
Trainability: moderate; they seem to take well to not only conformation training but performance events and Podengo are currently competing in Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Lure Coursing, Rally and Tracking events throughout the US.
Litter Size: 3-6
Health Issues: Current issues include Legg-Calves Perthes, Luxated Patella, retained baby teeth and a possible LSD (Lysosomal Storage Disease) problem. This is a relatively rare breed in the US and we must continue to health test our breeding stock to deal with issues as they arise.
Life span: 12-14 years
FCI
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE
In FCI the Portuguese Podengo are shown as 6 different varieties with one of each going to the group Competition. There are several different translations for the FCI Portuguese Podengo standard we have listed some below for you to look at.
The FCI Standard can be found at: http://www.tiptopglobe.com/portuguese-podengo-dog-standard
http://racas.cpc.pt/en/cur/pod.pdf
http://breedsdogs.blogspot.com/2008/06/podengo-portugues-portuguese-warren.html