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Sloughi breed guide
American Kennel Club (AKC) calls the ancient Sloughi the Arabian Greyhound, a lean, swift coursing hound that hunted a variety of game in North African deserts, regally aloof with strangers and gentle with loved ones.
A lean, no-frills hound, it has big dark eyes often described as melancholy and a coat from light sand to mahogany red-fawn.
- Height
- 26 to 29 inches male, 24 to 27 inches female
- Weight
- 40 to 65 pounds
- AKC group
- Hound Group
Sloughi temperament
The Sloughi is an intelligent and loyal breed that is somewhat aloof. It does best with caring, sensitive owners. Some are shy and most are simply very reserved.
Despite athleticism, Sloughis are very quiet in the home, but they do not respond well to harsh training methods.
Sloughi lifespan
Sloughis live 10 to 15 years. AKC says breeders test stock for conditions such as progressive retinal atrophy.
Sloughi care
The short, smooth, fine coat needs very little maintenance: weekly brushing with a soft bristle brush or hound glove keeps it smooth and sleek, with an occasional bath to keep it clean-smelling.
Usually sedate at home, the Sloughi is a somewhat active breed and a mannerly housedog with a high prey drive in pursuit. It needs ample exercise, preferably including chances to run full out in a safely enclosed area.
Sloughi history
Like many breeds developed in antiquity around the Mediterranean, the Sloughi's origins are, in the words of canine historians, lost in the mists of history. Sloughi-type hounds were favored hunting companions of Egyptian nobles, Berber kings and nomadic chieftains, who kept packs of tough but graceful hounds that could course game across vast stretches of desert.
One theory says Berber cavalrymen who accompanied Hannibal across the Alps may have introduced the Sloughi to Europe.
AKC trait ratings
| Trait | AKC rating | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Level | 4 of 5 | Couch Potato to High Energy |
| Trainability Level | 3 of 5 | Self-Willed to Eager to Please |
| Shedding Level | 3 of 5 | No Shedding to Hair Everywhere |
| Barking Level | 2 of 5 | Only To Alert to Very Vocal |
| Adaptability Level | 3 of 5 | Lives For Routine to Highly Adaptable |
| Good With Young Children | 3 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Children |
| Good With Other Dogs | 3 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Other Dogs |
| Watchdog/Protective Nature | 2 of 5 | What's Mine Is Yours to Vigilant |
More Hound Group guides
Sources
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Sloughi by Svenska Mässan from Sweden, CC BY 2.0
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