Podengo Galego
Spanish breed of dog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Podengo Galego is a traditional Spanish breed of 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]
| Podengo Galego | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other names | Coeillero Galego[1]: 585 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Origin | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution | Galicia, principally Ourense and Pontevedra | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
It is one of four traditional breeds of Galicia, the others being the Can de Palleiro, the Guicho or Quisquelo, and the Perdigueiro Galego.[6] It is related to the medium-sized variety of the Podengo Português of northern Portugal.[1]: 585
History
The Podengo Galego 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 Podengo Galego.[6]
It is distributed throughout Galicia, but mainly in the provinces of Ourense and Pontevedra.[1]: 585
Its conservation status was described in 2009 as "in danger of extinction", but improving.[1]: 526 A dog census in the comarcas of O Deza and Tabeirós – Terra de Montes in Pontevedra in 2024 found 1059 of the dogs, or about 7% of all dogs identified by breed in the census; in some concellos of the area – including A Estrada, Cerdedo-Cotobade and Dozón – it was among the three most numerous breeds of dog.[7] In 2025 The Podengo was listed by the Real Sociedad Canina de España among the breeds in the process of recovery.[5]
Characteristics
The Podengo is of medium size and light build: body weights range from 10 to 15 kg, while heights at the withers are from 42 to 46 cm for bitches and 46 to 52 cm for dogs; bitches are somewhat more slender than dogs.[2][6] The coat may be of any shade of tan, ranging from sand-coloured to reddish; a chocolate or liver coat is occasionally also seen.[2]
Use
The Podengo is a warren hound, used principally for hunting rabbit and hare, or occasionally for fox. It can also be trained to hunt feathered game such as partridge, quail or woodcock.[1]: 585