The working Pharaoh hound

[RiverinaRunningDogs 13]

Hi all,

I was having a conversation with a close friend today how we rely very heavily on information through forums and in the days of AI and anything else related you never know who or what you are reading. So I thought that I needed to share my personal experience. Information on this topic seemed to be secondhand at best or opinions formed on very minimal time periods spent with the breed. I do not consider myself a Pharaoh Hound expert, but I just wanted to share my notes from the first six months as an avid dog  handler and hunter.

Although I had read undesirable reports on Pharaoh Hounds across the internet, i decided I was going to FAFO. I splurged in the new year and got myself a PH pup. 

Now he isn’t going to be a world beater, and I’m not going to tell you he’s passing the occasional golden nugget. But at six months I am extremely happy with his progress. 

I have had allot of experience with greyhound/staghound/deerhounds and bull x lurchers. Currently owning three of these types in my kennel ranging from 3 to five years old (they’re in their prime).

Here goes;
Confirmed, they are noisy. They do yip yip a bit in the kennel. But he has not opened up (Trail Barking) at all in the early stages of coursing game. I will wait out for him to mature more and start some behavioural training with that in the future. But it’s not constant barking from his kennel. It’s more to do with wanting to be apart of anything and everything that is going on around the farm. Likely a form of separation anxiety. But he is not fretting, just vocalising his note of disgust.

Confirmed, they are headstrong. To me this isn’t a con but it might be for some. He casts very wide following his nose and scenting ability which I was super surprised by but those big ears do switch off. But not completely. I would relate it to some working dachshunds that I own. The nose is working but the ears aren’t. Eventually they do. But again this is something that can be easily corrected as he matures. 

Fine bone. Now as a pure bred dog I wouldn’t use this breed for big game. I’m sure some would but I won’t be unless something accidental happens in the field and it couldn’t be avoided. But I will be experimenting with crossbred pharaohs for big game in the future as I’m finding they have the exact traits I want in a hunting dog cross.

Speed. He’s way too young to say yet, but I definitely have my doubts on him keeping up with my long dogs in the long haul on something like a Hare. This will remain to be seen but definitely has the agility and speed of a sighthound pup. I’ll just be watching very closely on that front.

Prey drive is super high, higher than any sighthound pup I have had. Almost like a bull x. He’s already catching rabbits at six months over a business of ferrets and is mad for it. Has been like this since his first outing at four and a half months of age. Almost annoying how keen he is sometimes. 

I know I already briefly mentioned it but his nose and scenting abilities are super high. To my pleasant surprise. Often watch him scent ground and wind. I watched him find some hides I’m currently tanning, on the wind this afternoon and haven’t really observed sighthounds doing that kind of thing so intently in the past. Hot scent is often their forte as it would seem a cold scent is no problem for a PH. He’s not A blood hound but he’s certainly got more nose than a greyhound.

Maturity. To compare him to other sighthounds I would say he is maturing much faster, remain to be seen but already working with ferrets very well and not really needing to be shown what to do. The old two year wait for a mentally mature dog may not be the case with the PH. 

Intelligence is high. When one on one training he knows what you want. Always making eye contact which is something I have found that I really like in a dog of any breed. 

In closing, at this stage I wouldn’t be surprised if you spoke to me in five years and I had a second pharaoh and had started to lean away from my crossbred long dogs. But only time will tell. I will be breeding bull lurcher types with a pharaoh base in the future (that was the purpose of adding this breed) but I was pleasantly surprised as a hunter to find how they are in their pure form.

cheers

@RiverinaRunningDogs

 

 

 

 

 

[dodger 3,494]

Interesting read something different n looks like a great place you live bet you n the dog love it there..

[Bosun11 537]

My cousin's ex is a KC judge for Pharaoh hounds, Crufts and all that.

I asked if he fancied a day or night out with one of his dogs, as i'd liked to have seen one run, after he told me how good they would be in the field. He declined, he's a total bellend...

[Borr 7,434]

3 minutes ago, Bosun11 said:

My cousin's ex is a KC judge for Pharaoh hounds, Crufts and all that.

I asked if he fancied a day or night out with one of his dogs, as i'd liked to have seen one run, after he told me how good they would be in the field. He declined, he's a total bellend...

,well there's confidence in a breed , probably had a good few grand tied up in them I guess

[Bosun11 537]

Just now, Borr said:

,well there's confidence in a breed , probably had a good few grand tied up in them I guess

Oh absolutely... But don't come here giving it large about a show dog, whilst looking down on my working lurchers.

So glad when my cousin bin bagged him

[Borr 7,434]

Haha

[chartpolski 26,738]

I’ve seen one or two of the exotics, pharaoh hound, Ibizan hound, borzoi, Afghan, etc and every owner of one has told me how good they were at hunting and racing, and every one couldn’t catch a rabbit in a ‘phone box and wouldn’t beat a whippet if given 100 yards start over 150 yards !

These would have all been show types , and I know that in Australia some of these types are used as crosses in their running dogs, but I can’t see any practical use for them here .

Cheers.

[Borr 7,434]

I think a rule of thumb is that the most popular dog is probably the best bet , we'd all like something different to the next guy at some point in our lives but generally what's getting work is gonna do the job better...

[RiverinaRunningDogs 13]

10 hours ago, chartpolski said:

I’ve seen one or two of the exotics, pharaoh hound, Ibizan hound, borzoi, Afghan, etc and every owner of one has told me how good they were at hunting and racing, and every one couldn’t catch a rabbit in a ‘phone box and wouldn’t beat a whippet if given 100 yards start over 150 yards !

These would have all been show types , and I know that in Australia some of these types are used as crosses in their running dogs, but I can’t see any practical use for them here .

Cheers.

This is true, I have found the same thing being said by people who own the breed but don’t actually work them. My fella is show bred. But I guess what I’m trying to say is they shouldn’t be written off completely as a working breed and they do have some seriously high instinct still. I’m in a very fortunate position of living on the paddock. I can run hares, foxes and boar out of my back door. It is super flat and open. Some might say my training style is loose, where I let a dog become what it’s going to be and work with it from there. But i do have the luxury of a breed palette to compare to. And as an “exotic” “show bred” almost antique breed, I personally am pleasantly surprised. I look forward to his prospects and will give a 12 month update and onward. As I couldn’t find any information on them working across the web. Not a game changer but definitely still very much a sighthound with faster maturing qualities and what would seem a nose to impress. 
 

cheers

@RiverinaRunningDogs

[chartpolski 26,738]

Keep us updated.

Cheers.

[Borr 7,434]

He'll here them coming , all the best with him, smart looking dog.

[Bosun11 537]

Please keep us updated, I'd really like to know how he gets on. Best of luck

[Luckee legs 523]

Hopefully that Pharaoh hound is made of the right stuff for your line. The only one I have seen work was very good on rabbits, not enthusiastic about recall, it was obviously smart and very prey driven. Will be interesting to see if yours takes on bigger quarry

[dodger 3,494]

What are the other dogs that you've got in the back of the ute

[chartpolski 26,738]

Sitting in the man cave and this thread reminded me of my son picking this up for me when he was stationed in Egypt ;

Cheers.