Canaan Dog Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Canaan Dog is considered to be one of the most ancient dog breeds, for the reason being that it has barely changed since Biblical times. The breed is thought to have been working with sheep-herders as long as 4000 years ago around the Middle East. During the advance of the Roman Empire, the Canaan Dog was relegated to pariah status and only returned to the domestic lifestyle in recent times.

Ancient Hebrews in the Canaan region, mostly Israel, Greece, Lebanon, and Jordan, are the main characters of the passages from the Bible dating back to 3000 B.C., describing the use of sheep-herding dogs, known as the Keef Kanani. Wall paintings were also discovered in the middle of the 19^th century, in an Egyptian tomb at Beni Hassan, from 2000 B.C., portraying a man waking two animals on leads, one is clearly a mongoose, and the other is believed to be the early Canaan Dog. After the arrival of the Roman conquerors to the region, most of the native farmers were displaced, just like their dogs. Later many surviving Canaan retreat to the arid wastes of the Israeli desert. The Canaan Dog managed to survive around that same area for many centuries. However, even though, the Bedouins captured and domesticated, and used as herders or guards the breed’s specimens sometimes, the majority of the dogs had little to no contact with humans throughout these centuries.

During the early 1930s, the Israeli military made a contract with Dr. Rudolphina Menzel, an Austrian professor of animal and comparative psychology at the University of Tel Aviv, for developing a breed that would be suitable for use by the troops in the desert’s harsh environment. Originally, Dr. Menzel wanted to cross-breed multiple existing breeds, in order to create a new one, but she was surprised by the vigor of the feral dogs she had seen around the country, consequently, she decided to try and capture several specimens of these indigenous dogs. After several months of trying, she managed to capture a male specimen, later named Dugma, who became the base of her breeding program. In spite of the initial difficulties with the dog, after being captured, and regularly trained and socialized, Dr. Menzel managed to tame the dog to the point of being able to lead him on a leash out in the public. From that point on, Dr. Menzel knew that this breed is worth saving and further perfecting. By 1934, she had enough specimens incapacity, to start the breeding process, and not much later, the Canaan Dog was reborn as a domesticated breed.

Later, as the bloodline got more and more refined, people started to train the dogs for sentry work, land mine detection, and message delivery, furthermore, they were active members of the Middle East Forces during World War II. In 1948, the breed gained recognition from the Palestine Kennel Club, and later in 1992, the UKC (United Kennel Club) also accepted the breed, this was followed by the AKC (American Kennel Club) in 1997. Nowadays, the Canaan Dog is considered to be an extremely intelligent breed, with a great instinct for hunting and guarding both people and territory. Moreover, thanks to their past, the breed is accustomed to huge open spaces, and it is also very adaptable to any situation. The Canaan Dog is not the most popular breed of all time, but it is believed to be a great family companion, who is great with children.