| More about
the Ibizan Hound
Origins
The breed originates from the Balearic islands of
Mallorca, Ibiza, Minorca and Formentera, where it is
know under its original name of “Ca Eivissec”.
 It
is also common in Catalonia, around Valencia, in
Roussillon and Provence, where it is known under the
names of Mallorqui, Xarnelo, Mayorquais, Charnegui and
Chien des Balearic.
It is believed that the breed was brought to these
islands by the Phoenicians and maybe also by the Romans.
It is a typical representative of an ancient robust type
of dog and one of the oldest that can be traced back
thorugh time. Drawings of these dogs have been found in
the Egyptian tombs and pieces of art taken from these to
museums around the world, some dating back to around
3400 BC.
They are used mainly for rabbit hunting without weapons
and guns, both by day and by night. Using it's agility,
good hearing and hunting instinct, it's quick to seek
out and catch its prey.
Characteristics
A very kind and open dog describes the breed well. Loved
by children, who seem to sense its friendliness and
playful mind. It is easily upset if harshly corrected as
its extremely good hearing. (Note the beautiful and
large errect ears!)
This makes it a dog one absolutely should not shout
commands at all the time.
It also has a very good nose and is excellent at
tracking down its quarry by following its scent.
Ibizans are very strong and untiring dogs and are even
to this day used for hunting both by day as well as at
night, either singly or in groups.
It is not a breed that just dashes off and doesn't come
again, but is good at retrieving and a hunt with them is
just as successful even without the use of guns! It is
said that a couple of Ibizans, without much difficulty,
have managed to catch up to 100 rabbits in one day.
However, these qualities are mostly unusable where we
live so they must manage with artificial lure coursing,
retrieving and several have shown a flair for obedience
and the like.
But above all it is also a lively, loving and devoted
family dog!
One piece of advice to future Ibizan owners is, that one
should be extremely careful where one lets this dog run
loose!
One must be a long way from roads with heavy traffic and
any possible wild prey that it might run after.
It is a tireless hunter, so be warned! The best one can
do is to go regularly to obedience training and thereby
get a reasonable amount of control over the dog.
A big run is a must with a high fence around that is at
least 180 cm high as this breed is a strong high jumper
- even from standing without a running jump, it can
reach amazing heights!
Odd facts about the breed:
First registered in Spain in 1922.
First registered in FCI in 1931.
First import to England in 1926.
First time shown at Crufts in 1929.
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