Caravan Hound Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Caravan Hound, resembling most of the breeds, has many names, such as the Maratha Hound or Mudhol Hound, however, interestingly, even the official kennel clubs cannot seem to agree on one name, as they all registered the breed under different names. Not taking into consideration the name, it is certain that the Caravan Hound is believed to be an ancient breed, indigenous to the Deccan Plateau of India. This region covers the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and to a lesser degree, Andhra Pradesh.

The Caravan Hound is basically an offshoot of the Saluki, and it was first introduced to India by mercenaries and traders from various parts of Arabia and Central Asia, who traveled in caravans. Even though the Caravan Hound’s full ancestry and pedigree might be lost, due to the lack of documentation, some experts believe that the breed is a direct descendant of the Afghan Hound or Persian Greyhound, or the Tazi, which probably mingled with genetics from local dogs in India. When local people saw the dogs running alongside the caravans, they started to refer to them as “karwani” which translates to English as “of the caravans”, that is why they named the breed Caravan Hound. The breed was basically developed to endure the demanding extreme heat and the rugged terrain of their homeland India. Moreover, thanks to being always on the side of their humans, accompanying them, the breed grew to be a very social, and domesticated one. In its native land, the Caravan Hound was used as a guard of people and property and also as a hunting companion, who was able to quickly dispatch prey for their masters. The breed was also frequently seen in the homes of the nobility and royalty because of their elegant looks, but equally the dogs could have been found in the homes of the peasantry.

During the 17^th and the 18^th century, the Caravan Hound was seen as a patriot when the dogs helped fight for India’s freedom. Furthermore, the breed has recently made headlines as being the first native Indian breed to be employed as official military dogs for the Indian Army. They provide surveillance, border protection duties, bomb-sniffing, and detection services as well as general guarding and patrolling duties. Thus far, only six specimens are being used on a trial basis, however as they are excelling at their jobs, it is more than likely that more will come. The Caravan Hound was practically revived by Shrimant Rajesaheb Malojirao Ghorpade of Mudhol, who was part of the Mudhol royal family. He noticed that local people use the dogs for hunting purposes and took up a selective breeding process for the Caravan Hound. He liked the breed so much, he even presented King George V. with two specimens when he came to visit India for the first time.

Nowadays, the Caravan Hound is considered to be relatively rare in western societies, only a few specimens are registered in Europe and in America. Nevertheless, in their native lands, the Caravan Hound is largely kept by local Indian families, and they still use the dogs for their original purposes, such as hunting and guarding. Today most of the Caravan Hound specimens are kept as family companions, because of their excellent behavioral patterns, and for the reason that the dogs are known to be very patient and gentle with children. Despite being a relatively old breed, only the Indian Kennel Club recognized the breed under the name Mudhol Hound. Moreover, as of 2015, the Indian town of Mudhol in Karnataka is known to be the only place on Earth where this breed is officially bred in a planned and organized manner. As many Indian dog breeds are being dominated by the European and the American breeds, that many people see as more fashionable or valuable than their indigenous breeds, the Caravan Hound got close to the edge of extinction in the early 2000s, but concentrated efforts are being made by breeders and fanciers in the Mudhol area to preserve and re-establish the Caravan Hound.