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> Podengos > Questions About the Breed StandardQuestions About the Breed StandardBelow are a list of frequently asked questions about the breed standard for the Portuguese Podengo. Click on the question to get the answer.
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Are the Pequeno, the Medio and the Grande all one breed?
Why is there a Size Gap Between the Pequeno and the Medio?
Is there a Preferred Color for the Portuguese Podengo, and what is the Difference between Fawn and Yellow?
What does it mean that the Portuguese Podengo is "Rustic"?
What does it mean that the Head has a "Pyramid" Shape?
Why do Portuguese Podengos have Large Prick Ears?
Is the Neck of the Portuguese Podengo "Ewed" or "Arched"?
What is the Natural Movement of the Portuguese Podengo?
Are the Pequeno, the Medio and the Grande all one breed?
To prevent the interbreeding of the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno with the Medio or Grande, in August 2008, the PPPCA requested that the AKC split the Pequeno from the Medio and Grande as a separate breed. This will give the Pequeno the same protection against interbreeding which it has within the Federation Cynologique Internacionale, the equivalent organization to the AKC in Europe. FCI has a system to prevent interbreeding of varieties if requested to do so by the Country f Origin; AKC does not. The Portuguese consider ther Podengo to be one breed with three sizes and two coat types. The only differences in the breed standard among the sizes, besides the size difference itself and the differnce in substance that goes with size, is a requirement for full dentition in the Grande due to the rigors of the boar hunt, and a somewhat rectangular build in the Pequeno (versus the almost square build in the Medio and Grande) to enable the Pequeno to enter small crevices and dense brambles. There is also a tolerance for a somewhat broader range of colors in the Pequeno, but the fawn or yellow colors (solid or with white) of the Medio and the Grande are also preferred in the Pequeno.
Due to Portugal's relative isolation at the western edge of Europe, unlike the other two sizes, the Medio evolved to its present form without much influence from other breeds, and as a result has the most strongly-established and homogeneous type and greatest genetic stability of the three sizes. The Medio embodies the authentic type of the Portuguese Podengo and serves as the type reference for the other two sizes.
The general direction of the revisions to the Portuguese Podengo Breed Standard over the past 50 years has been to make fewer allowances for the Pequeno and Grande sizes in deviation from the standard for the Medio. Successful breeding programs with the Pequeno and Grande have largely weeded out other breed influences in the best exhibits.
There is one Podengo "type" across the three sizes in all senses of the concept of "type": breed character, silhouette, head/expression, movement and coat. All three are fast, agile edurance trotters who hunt in a clever multi-sensory style. They all have an autonomous, somewhat wary nature. They all have the same rustic, natural, lean and well-balanced silhouette. They all have the same prick-eared, pyramid-shaped head with divergent planes and the same lively expression in their almond-shaped, slightly obliquely set eyes. They all move with the same easy light-footedness. They all have the same coat qualities according to the two types and the same coat color preferences of yellow or fawn (solid or with white).
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Why is there a Size Gap Between the Pequeno and the Medio?
The key measurement in judging the Portuguese Podengo is the height of the Pequeno, as there is a match up of heights between the Medio and the Grande, so a tall Medio becomes a Grande (assuming it has corresponding substance), and there are few, if any, Grandes in existence above the top end of the range. There is a lot of pressure among Portuguese hunters to push up the Pequeno height, or to create a new variety between the Pequeno and the Medio, because the hunters actually like dogs in that range, as they tend to be able to hunt for longer distances and be a bit faster. The CPP, on the other hand, is trying to protect the functional and historical integrity of the Pequeno as a somewhat rectangular dog actually able to fit into rock crevices and dense brambles.
Jorge Humberto of the CPP puts it this way: "The Standard mandates a large gap in weight and height between the Pequeno and the Medio. The Medio is significantly taller than the Pequeno, which helps to avoid confusion and prevents mixing of the two sizes. The gap in the Standard between the Pequeno and the Medio remains in the present time and preserves the integrity of the Podengo Pequeno. If hunters and breeders were to breed with no limits, without addressing the Standard, fixed as it is in the history and functionality of the breed, eventually the Medio would lose its distinct characteristics and the Pequeno would disappear, becoming just a small Podengo Medio with too long legs, unable to enter small and difficult places."
The Pequeno's somewhat rectangular proportions enable it to enter rock crevices and dense thickets, without significantly compromising its performance as an endurance trotter. According to Curtis Brown, the ideal proportion for endurance trotting in a dog is a body length 10% to 20% longer than the height. All three Podengo sizes fall within this range. There is a tendency for some Pequenos to be rectangular, rather than somewhat rectangular. A body length greater than 20% longer than the height diminishes endurance and speed, and also tends to produce an arched back line, which is a fault. Pequenos which are too elongated should be bred with shorter dogs to preserve the correct proportion.
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Is there a Preferred Color for the Portuguese Podengo, and what is the Difference between Fawn and Yellow?
Yellow and Fawn are preferred colors. Nearly all Medios and Grandes are yellow or fawn, either as a solid color or with patches of white. Equally preferred, but much more rare, is white with patches of these colors. Solid white color is a disqualifying fault, as is brindle colored or tri-colored. The terms "yellow" and "fawn" are often confused, even in Portugal. Both have a range of shades from light wheat to deep red-orange, reflecting the hues of the Portuguese landscape. The distinction between the two colors is that with "yellow" each hair is the same shade from root to tip, where with "fawn" each hair contains a range of shades. In the dark fawn this can include hairs with a black tip that gives the coat a black-frosted appearance.
Tones of black and brown are acceptable in the Pequeno, but not preferred. To breed out the influences of other breeds in the Pequeno, the primary focus has been on conformation rather than color, with the result that there is a much broader range of color in the Pequeno than in the Medio, which has very good genetic stability and homogenieity of type. The Pequeno is also more varied in color than the Grande, where the other breed influences are breeds of similar color. However, while tones of black and brown are accepted in the Pequeno, the yellow and fawn common to the Medio and Grande are preferred. Many hunters prefer Pequenos to be white-patched rather than solid, or white with patches of the accepted colors. This is to make it easier to see them in the brush and to distinguish them from the rabbit.
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What does it mean that the Portuguese Podengo is "Rustic"?
It means that Portuguese Podengo is a dog which should be shown in its natural state, cleaned up but untrimmed. Excessive grooming should be penalized. Excessive grooming and bathing actually diminishes the functionality of the coat, which is naturally resistant to dirt. A Portuguese Podengo can get muddied up in the field and be totally free of dirt a half hour later as the dirt falls off the hair when it dries. Excessive grooming changes the character of the hair, making it less dirt resistant, as well as softening it so that it is less bramble resistant.
This does not mean that the Portuguese Podengo should not be combed out of lose hair; it should. In fact, when Portuguese Podengos are hunted in the dense brush of the Portuguese woods, the brush tends to pull out all of the loose hair, so it is actually "un-natural" to show a Portuguese Podengo with a coat full of loose hair.
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What does it mean that the Head has a "Pyramid" Shape?
"The head is the hallmark of every breed" according to Ed Gilbert in the book "K-9 Structure and Terminology." The Portuguese Podengo is no exception. The head is shaped like a pyramid, or a broad-based wedge, when viewed from the top or in profile. Note especially the phrase: "with a large base and a very sharp extremity". The Portuguese Podengo does not have the narrower sight hound-type head.
It has a flat back skull, almost straight in profile, with prominent superciliary arches (the bones under the eye brows). It has a scarcely perceptible frontal groove. It has a prominent occiput and a barely defined stop.
The planes of the back skull and the muzzle are divergent. The plane of the muzzle slopes down slightly, while the plane of the back skull (as measured by a center line from the occiput to the stop) is almost level. This is one of the most unusual features of the Podengo head. In combination with the prominent superciliary arches, the straight neck and the slightly oblique eyes, it is a head that enables the dog to look up and forward to sight game while simultaneously tracking a scent.
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Why do Portuguese Podengos have Large Prick Ears?
The prick ears of the Portuguese Podengo mark it as a dog of primitive origin. The large size of the ears place it in the Mediterranean area, as the primitive Nordic dogs have small prick ears suitable for a colder climate. The Portuguese Podengo's large prick ears help to release body heat and are the reason for its remarkable hearing. According to Gilbert, "Large prick ears, in the evolutionary process, evolved for hearing sounds. The ability to turn ears and focus on noises is of special benefit to hunting in dense cover or at night." The ears of the Portuguese Podengo are highly mobile, tracking together or individually to the source of noise like radar dishes.
Because both bent or lopped (drooping) ears are genetically dominant over erect ears, it is critical not to breed any Portuguese Podengos with bent or lopped ears, and as a result, dogs with these faults are disqualified in exhibitions, as the prick ear is so fundamental to both the look and function of the Portuguese Podengo.
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Is the Neck of the Portuguese Podengo "Ewed" or "Arched"?
The neck of the Portuguese Podengo is very strong, and long enough (in combination with good separation of the shoulder blades) to enable it to reach down and catch the rabbit on the run. While it is of the arched type, rather than the ewe type, it should not be severely arched, rather appearing to be straight and thus keeping the head up to enable it to look ahead as it hunts. There should be no throatiness.
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What is the Natural Movement of the Portuguese Podengo?
The Portuguese Podengo has a body built primarily for endurance trotting, rather than endurance galloping. It typically moves at a light trot, changing to a fast trot when it senses the game, and increasing in speed to a rotary gallop to catch it. While many Portuguese Podengos are capable of the double suspension gallop, they almost never have the opportunity to get up to that speed in a densely wooded hunt, so typically do not use it. In the show ring, the Podengo should be moved at a light trot and should evidence easy, agile movement as would be expected of a lean, well-balanced, light-footed, endurance trotter.
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