Saluki Photo

Saluki Dog Breed Info & Pictures

The Saluki is a fast and agile hound with remarkably good eyesight. Like greyhounds, theyre built to run: the body is sleek and narrow with a deep chest and long, graceful legs. The dog has a long and thin face, with a slightly wide skull between long ears. The hair is smooth and short on most of the body; the feathered variety has silky feathering on the ears, tail and legs. The eyes are bright, oval shaped and large, without being too prominent. Females are noticeably smaller than males. Salukis come in many colors, including white, tan, fawn, cream, red, golden, black and tan, grizzle and tan or tri-colored (black, white and tan).

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Saluki Fast Facts

Hound
12 - 14 years
Middle East
Antiquity
45 - 65 lb
35 - 55 lb
23 - 28"
18 - 26"
Salooki, Saluke or Salukee.
Gazelle Hound, Persian Greyhound

Photos

Temperament

Salukis are clever and highly spirited, and are often been described as having cat-like personalities, which means they have little patience for rough treatment or training....

They are very fond of human companionship, but it is important that their needs are met and that they are treated with respect. The Saluki is moderately fond of other dogs and pets, but it does not take well to strangers. Their hunting skills are extremely strong and they will run after just about anything fuzzy that moves. It is not unheard of for the Saluki to kill what it catches.

Caring For a Saluki

Salukis are happiest when offered varied physical and mental challenges throughout their lives....

Giving a Saluki plenty of room to run is essential. They are not to be trusted off leash in unsafe areas, as they can be difficult to catch if they run away. If your Saluki has access to a yard, it is necessary to have a fence more than five feet high, since this dog can easily jump over anything shorter. Training can sometimes be difficult with this breed; Salukis are intelligent, but require a lot of patience and positive reinforcement. Training is considerably easier when the desired activity mimics their hunting instincts. Salukis are best suited to warm climates and it is important they have plenty of soft surfaces to lie down on, since they are lean and thin-skinned. The smooth coated Saluki needs only occasional brushing, while the feathered Saluki needs biweekly brushing. A typically healthy hound, the Salukis health risks are generally limited to hemangiosarcoma and cardiomyopathy.

Saluki History

Breed History

As with many breeds, the Salukis origins cannot be traced back to an irrefutable source....

Visual evidence depicts their connection to Middle Eastern civilizations going back thousands of years. Carvings from the Sumerian Empire dating as far back as 7000 BC depict dogs with sleek greyhound-like bodies with feathered tails, ears and legs. Similar carvings appear on Egyptian tombs dating from 2100 BC. Some historians identify the Saluki as being a distinct breed since Alexanders Invasion of India in 329 BC. Nomadic Bedouin tribesmen have been breeding Salukis for at least 2,000 years. The Salukis origins are strongly tied to the nomadic lifestyle and consequently, their native habitat stretches from the Sahara to the Caspian Sea; this geographic diversity has also led to marked variation in the breeds color and size. Written records depict that Salukis were always held in high esteem by their owners. They were honored by Egyptian nobles and usually mummified along with them. Many Saluki owners are Muslims and while they consider most dogs unclean and untouchable, Salukis are allowed into tents.Salukis have been in Europe since 1840, but few paid attention to their existence until Florence Amherst brought one of Prince Abdullas Arabian Salukis from Transjordania to England in 1895. Colonel Horace N. Fisher is credited with having brought the first Saluki to the United States in 1861. Breeding was relatively minimal until 1927, when the American Kennel Club officially recognized the Saluki as a breed. Salukis are extremely fast and were primarily used by Arabs to bring down gazelles. In England, they were used to catch hares. In the United States today, they participate in a variety of competitions, such as lure coursing, agility, obedience trials and tracking. They are also employed as show dogs and companions.

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