Page 273 - Showsight April 2013

Living with
Pharaoh hounds
By Robert Newman, Esq.
President, Pharaoh Hound Club of America I acquired my first Pharaoh
Hound over eight years ago,
after researching the breed for
almost a year. Although I did all
that I could to prepare myself
for what I realized was a unique
breed, nothing could have adequately
prepared me for the reality of living with
Pharaoh Hounds.
Likemost sighthounds, PharaohHounds
can be quirky and idiosyncratic. Some can
be extremely shy with strangers, taking an
extended period of time to become com-
fortable. But at the heart of this breed lies a
mischievous clown that can be surprisingly
adaptable and even trainable.
My first Pharaoh Hound was a male
named Logan. Because I was aware that
Pharaoh Hounds can be quite vocal, and
because I live in a residential neighborhood
and am away at work for up to 6 hours at
a time, I had planned in advance to help
integrate Logan into our home.
From the day he arrived, Logan went
everywhere that I went. He was introduced
to and inundated with new sights, sounds
and scents on a daily basis. He learned to
walk on different flooring and textures from
carpet to tile and anything else I could
find. From outdoor restaurants, parks, out-
door malls and around the neighborhood,
Logan was a constant fixture. I cannot stress
enough how important early and ongoing
socialization is for the Pharaoh Hound.
The first “trick” Logan learned was to
“speak” on command. Because they can
be excessive barkers, I wanted to reward
the barking behavior when it was asked
for and ignore it when it wasn’t, hoping to
extinguish the unwanted bark.
Because most Pharaoh Hounds are
extremely food motivated, training is rel-
atively easy. Most Pharaoh Hounds will
do anything for food, and there are many
Pharaoh Hounds with Rally Obedience,
Obedience and Agility titles—quite
impressive for a sighthound. I have had
several judges comment that they had
never seen a Pharaoh Hound in Rally or
Obedience before I walked into their ring
with Logan.
Extreme caution must be used when
working with a Pharaoh Hound off leash,
and sadly, there are too many stories about
Pharaoh Hounds being injured or killed
because they were off leash or got loose.
Pharaoh Hounds tend to be escape art-
ists, and must be secured well, including a
minimum of six-foot fences in all yards in
which they are allowed to free roam.
“Because most Pharaoh Hounds are extremely food motivated,
training is reLativeLy easy.”
ShowSight Magazine, April 2013 • 273