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Canaan Dog Information
The Canaan Dog is the natural breed of Israel and dates back to Biblical times. They originated in the Land of Canaan. Drawings found on the tombs at Beni-Hassan, dating from 2200 to 2000 B.C. depict dogs that show a striking resemblance to the Canaan Dog of today.
They were used as guard and herding dogs of the ancient Israelites, guarding their camps and their flocks. They were plentiful in the region until the dispersion of the Israelites by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. As the Hebrew population dropped, the majority of the dogs sought refuge in the Negev Desert, a natural reservoir of Israeli wildlife. Avoiding extinction, they remained undomesticated for the most part, although some lived with the Bedouins and earned their keep by guarding the herds and camps.
This was how the breed survived until the arrival of Dr. Rudolphina Menzel, who was asked by a Jewish self-defense organization to develop a dog to guard the isolated Jewish settlements and supervise the buildup of war dogs for Israel's coming War of Independence.
These dogs proved highly intelligent and easily trainable, serving as sentry dogs, messengers, Red Cross helpers, and land mine detectors. During World War II, 400 of the best dogs were recruited and trained as mine detectors for the Middle East, and they proved to be superior. They are constantly alert, always watching for possible dangers. They are quick to react, distrustful of strangers, strongly defensive though not naturally aggressive.
Males should be 20-24 inches tall and weigh 40-55 pounds. Females should be 19-23 inches tall and weigh 35-45 pounds. They are double coated-outer coat being straight, harsh, short to medium length. The undercoat is close and profuse. Their colors can be sand to red-brown, white, black, or spotted, with or without mask. If masked, mask must be symmetrical. Black mask permitted on all colors. White markings permitted on all colors: "Boston Terrier" patterns are common. Unacceptable colors are gray, brindle, black and tan or tricolor.
The UK breed standard states that the Canaan Dog should be 20-24 inches tall and 40-55 pounds. Color can be sand to red-brown, white, black, or spotted, with or without a symmetrical black mask. White markings permitted on all colors. Gray, brindle, black and tan, or tricolor undesirable.
Young Canaan Dogs sometimes enter a fear period at around 9-12 months. For some, this period doesn't subside until around two years of age. During this period, the dog maybe hyper-neophobic; pull away from the touch of strangers, bark at benign things, have a wide-eyed stare and demonstrate avoidance. If the dog has not been raised and handled properly to this point, this stage may show itself in an extreme way to keep people at bay. Some people may consider this period aggressive should the dog even appear ready to bite out of fear. In general, the Canaan Dog is not a biter. Canaan Dogs will largely choose flight over fight as a stress response.
As an adult the types of aggression that need the owner's management the most would be same-sex, territorial, and prey-drive behaviors. A Canaan Dog has an intact prey drive. This means, he will quite naturally exhibit the entire prey behavior sequence of stalking, chasing, killing, and sometimes consuming small prey.
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