Pharaoh Hound puppies

About the Pharaoh Hound

The Pharaoh Hound is the national dog of Malta, where it has long hunted rabbits over stone walls and rough ground using sight, scent and hearing together. It is a lean, athletic dog of about 20.4 to 24.9 kg standing 53 to 64 cm, with big upright ears, a short tan coat and the odd habit of blushing, since the nose and ears flush rosy when it is excited or pleased. At home it is playful, clownish and affectionate, and distinctly reserved with strangers.

Two good runs or brisk walks a day keep one fit, but free running belongs inside a tall, secure fence because the hunting drive overrides training. Grooming is a weekly brush and little else. Pharaohs are sensitive and do badly with harsh handling, and they are thin skinned enough to want a coat in cold weather. They suit an active, patient household, with supervision and socialisation around children. The most common mistake is trusting the recall off lead.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Pharaoh Hound puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip and elbow dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed for
• Patellar luxation, diagnosed by physical examination of the stifle
• Eye disorders, found by an ophthalmologist evaluation of breeding stock
• Sensitivity to anaesthesia, common in lean sighthounds and worth raising with the vet before any surgery

From Pharaoh Hound breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/pharaoh-hound/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Pharaoh Hound puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Pharaoh Hound.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 20.4 to 24.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other large breeds

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