About Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
| Weight | 9-13 lb |
| Lifespan | 12-15 year |
| Group | AKC Hound |
| Best Suited For | Families with children, active singles, apartments, houses with backyards, farms and rural areas |
| Temperament | Lively, friendly, active, intelligent |
| Comparable Breeds | Andalusian Podenco, Basenji |
| Height | 8-12 inches |
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Basics
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno are a hardy, active, and highly intelligent hunting hound breed from Portugal. They come in three sizes: the smallest Podengo, the medium-sized Podengo, and the large Podengo Grande. Each size has its purpose and is usually not cross-bred. Podengos come in two coat variants: wiry-haired and soft-haired. The Pequeno is the smallest of the three and has a wedge-shaped head and pointy erect ears. The dog’s back is quite elongated and muscular with a taper off into a point. The tail is curved like a sickle. This breed is highly intelligent and has an agreeable personality, making it easy to train.
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno is also very loyal to its owners and makes excellent companions.
| Affection Level | Medium-High |
| Friendliness | Medium-High |
| Kid-Friendly | Medium-High |
| Pet-Friendly | Medium-High |
| Exercise Needs | Medium-High |
| Playfulness | Medium |
| Energy Level | High |
| Trainability | Medium-High |
| Intelligence | Medium-High |
| Tendency to Bark | Medium-High |
| Amount of Shedding | Medium |
Origin
It is thought that the hounds that Phoenician traders from Asia Minor introduced to the Iberian Peninsula are the ancestors of the old Portuguese Podengo breed. The Pequeno was developed especially to hunt and flush small animals, like rabbits, in Portugal’s rugged landscapes.
It is also reported that the little Pequenos traveled with Portuguese explorers on their ships in the role of rats.
The late 1990s saw the arrival of the first Podengo Pequenos in America.
Pedigree
It is believed that the Podengo was bred from a variety of hounds to catch rats on ships.
Food/Diet
Pequenos should be fed two or three high-quality meals a day due to their incredibly high energy levels.
Podengo Pequenos are vivacious and incredibly intelligent.
Training
Podengo Pequenos are vivacious and incredibly intelligent. They do, however, behave far less “refined” than other contemporary breeds, thus their owner needs to get accustomed to educating them in a more primitive manner. This entails outlining your expectations for the dog from the start and establishing early guidelines, limits, and boundaries. Because of their small stature and agility, pequenos can also be very stubborn at times, therefore it’s best to keep them on a leash when training.
Weight
Male Podengo Pequeno weights range from 9 to 13 pounds.
Temperament and Behavior
Podengo Pequeno Pequenos are lively and companionable and make excellent faves for the right canine proprietor. The ideal Podengo Pequeno proprietor should be suitable to display a calm and assertive style of leadership constantly. When placed in the hands of a weak leader, Pequenos can frequently become stubborn and willful and develop undesirable actions.
Pequenos are also extremely stalwart for their size and are alert for any intrusions into their home. This makes them a good choice as a guard canine for a small home or apartment.
Pequenos also get on well with children and other creatures, handed that they’re mingled beforehand. Setting rules and boundaries in terms of what constitutes “ prey ” is extremely important when it comes to this strain as they’ve extremely strong stalking instincts. When walking them it’s also judicious to do so on a leash as their attention can be fluently captured by small creatures that spark their stalking and chasing instincts.
Common Health Problems
There are no documented inherited health issues affecting the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno breed since they have had little to no human intervention throughout the years.
Life Expectancy
When well cared for, they can enjoy a lifespan of up to 15 years.
Exercise Requirements
Podengo Pequenos were bred with adequate endurance and stamina to hunt for days on end throughout the day. Because of this, kids seem to have endless energy and need a lot of exercise. Despite their compact size, which makes them ideal for tiny homes or apartments, they should only live in small spaces if their owners can provide for their daily exercise needs. They frequently thrive in homes with spacious gardens or open fields where they are free to run around.
Podengo Tiny For the right dog owner, pequenos are wonderful pets since they are gregarious, energetic dogs.
Recognized Clubs
The American Kennel Club initially recognized the Podengo Pequeno Pequeno in January 2013.
The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno is a primitive breed that is recognized for its small stature, upright ears, wedge-shaped skull, and two coat types: wire and smooth, according to the club. It is related to the Pharaoh Hound, Ibizan Hound, Cirneco dell’Etna, and Basenji and hunts by sight, scent, and hearing. The wire coat (rough) is long and harsh, with a bearded muzzle, whereas the smooth coat is short and extremely thick. Yellow or fawn coats with or without white markings are the preferred colors.
Coat
Portuguese Podengo Pequenos come in wirehaired and smooth-covered variations. They are a low-support breed requiring incidental brushing and washing to keep their jackets sound.
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Puppies
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno Puppies should be associated with however many people and creatures as expected from an extremely young age. Rules, limits, and limits are additionally a significant piece of growing up for this crude variety.
Breed Overview
| Pros | Cones |
| Good apartment breed | Barks loudly if someone is at the door |
| Eager to please owners | Needs substantial exercise |
| Loves to be around their family | High prey drive |
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