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Azawakh
Hound Dog
Azawakh Hound Dog
The Azawakh dog has the appearance
of grace and swiftness in combination with a
disproportionate body, head and legs. The Azawakh dogs
chests are very deep, but the stomach area is very small
in proportion, and the hindquarters are higher than the
shoulders. The breed is very tall and thin, with the
skeletal structure obvious. They will almost always have
white on them somewhere, as was the custom to kill them
in their native country in previous years if they did
not have such markings. They have very short fur, almost
none on the belly, and the tail hangs down and makes a
small curl at the end. Used for protection and hunting
in Mali, the Azawakh was strictly kept in order to
preserve certain aspects in the breed. The Azawakh dog
is affectionate and gentle to the people it knows, and
it can be playful with its owners. The Azawakh dog are,
however, wary with strangers and sometimes even
aggressive. The Azawakh dog needs to be socialized from
puppies or they will become fearful. These dogs are very
protective and alert, and if they become aware of a
danger they will gather with their pack and chase the
threat away. The Azawakh dog are a light footed guard
and watch dog, being intelligent and discerning of
strangers.
The Azawakh dogs are gentle and affectionate. The
Azawakh dog are playful and friendly with their family.
Owners have been known to love this breed! The Azawakh
is proud, haughty and does not like harsh punishment,
Puppies and dogs do well with clicker training. The
Azawakh dog do not see their owners as above them, but
equal with them. They do better in warmer climates, and
enjoy the sun. If they are not correctly exercised or
trained, the Azawakh may turn into a food thief and may
become obese. In their native country, they can be seen
on the rooftops of straw roofs, sleeping until any
danger comes by. When greeted with danger, they leap to
action and gather together to chase the threat away. If
they are socialized around the children and accept them,
they can do well with children. If socialized properly
from puppy hood, they can get along with other animals.
They naturally bond with members of their own breed.
The Azawakh developed about a
thousand years ago, originating from the areas of the
African countries of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. They
may have also developed in neighboring countries as
well. The Tuareg people raised this breed and
perpetuated it with extreme strictness. They were
developed to hunt game such as rabbits, gazelle and to
also protect against strangers and wildlife. When a
litter was born, only one male was kept, which had to
have the right requirements for the nomadic hunters. The
dog had to have white markings, black nails, black eye
rim pigmentation, and sometimes even five warts on the
head were required! If the dogs did not have these
aspects they were killed. Sometimes a female was kept
for reproduction, but otherwise all the puppies were
killed unless they had those aspects or if they were the
male picked. Therefore, the breed didn't go very far
outside of those particular tribes. The pup would start
off catching rats and hares, then when he was old enough
he would be taken out for hunting a gazelle. These hunts
sometimes lasted 4 to 5 hours. An ambassador to the
Upper Volta and Ivory Coast named Dr. Pecar was a
well-renowned hunter, and greatly admired the Azawakh.
He made great efforts to obtain some Azawakh dogs, but
it was very difficult. Finally, before he went back to
his home in Yugoslavia, he was given a male Azawakh as a
gift. Excited, he also wanted a female to breed. This
would also prove to be difficult due to the strictness
of raising these dogs. Fortunately for Pecar, an
elephant had been terrorizing a Tuareg tribe, and Dr.
Pecar killed the elephant. Thus, he was rewarded a
half-starved female Azawakh to take with him. Thus the
introduction of the breed into Europe was by such means.
In 1980 the FCI accepted the breed, and since then a few
other kennel clubs have accepted it as well. Today the
breed is still extremely rare, even, of course, in its
home country. .
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