Guicho
Spanish breed of dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Guicho or Quisquelo, also Can Guicho, is a traditional Spanish breed of small warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is recognised by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación – the Spanish ministry of agriculture – and by the Xunta de Galicia, but not by the Real Sociedad Canina de España.[3][4][5]
- Quisquelo
- Can Guicho
- Coeillero[1]: 528
| Guicho | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Origin | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution | Galicia, principally Ourense and Pontevedra[1]: 528 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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It is one of four traditional dog breeds of Galicia, the others being the Can de Palleiro, the Perdigueiro Galego and the Podengo Galego.[6]
History
The Guicho is a traditional breed of warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia. It was officially recognised by the Xunta de Galicia in April 2001;[4] it received national recognition by royal decree in May the same year.[3] A stud-book was established at the same time; it is maintained by the breed society, the Club de Raza do Can Guicho ou Quisquelo.[6]
The Guicho is distributed throughout Galicia, but mainly in the provinces of Ourense and Pontevedra.[1]: 528
Until its recognition in 2001 it was close to extinction. Its conservation status was described in 2009 as "in danger of extinction", but improving.[1]: 528 A dog census in the comarcas of O Deza and Tabeirós – Terra de Montes in Pontevedra in 2024 found 309 of the dogs, or about 2% of all dogs identified by breed in the census.[7] In 2025 the Guicho was listed by the Real Sociedad Canina de España among the breeds in the process of recovery.[5]
Characteristics
The Guicho is small dog: body weights range from 6 to 8 kg for bitches and 8 to 10 kg for dogs, and heights at the withers vary from 30 to 38 cm for bitches and 34 to 42 cm for dogs; bites are generally rather smaller and more slender than dogs.[2][6][3] The coat may be solid-coloured, ranging from sand-coloured to chocolate or liver; or it may be bi-coloured, tri-coloured or sable.[2]
Use
The Guicho is a warren hound and is used principally for hunting rabbit in the mountains of Galicia. It may also be used to hunt fox, or to detect the presence of wild boar.[1]: 527