- Permissible: Tan or rich tan with white markings as follows: White tip on tail strongly desired
- White on chest (called « the star »).
- White on toes.
- Permissible: Slim white blaze on center line of face
- Undesirable: Flecking or white other than above
About the Pharaoh Hound
Origin: Malta
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 20-25 kg
- Height
- Male
- 58-64 cm
- Female
- 53-61 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Malta
- Also called
- Perro del Faraon
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Pharaoh Hound?
Medium-sized elegant sighthound with short tan coat, alert expression, and distinctive ability to 'blush' on nose and ears when excited. A graceful, powerful, and swift breed of ancient origins.
Pharaoh Hound history and origins
National dog of Malta and ancient breed believed descended from Egyptian hunting dogs brought by Phoenician traders over 2,000 years ago. Known as 'Kelb tal-Fenek' (rabbit dog) in Malta, used for rabbit hunting. One of oldest domesticated breeds with depictions found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Recognized by AKC in 1983.
Pharaoh Hound appearance and size
Males typically stand 58-64 cm at the shoulder and females 53-61 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- An alert keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close
- Behaviour and temperament
“Alert, intelligent, friendly, affectionate and playful”
Quoted from FCI standard n°248. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “An alert keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 3 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Pharaoh Hound
What you get with the Pharaoh Hound
- Purpose stated in the standard: “An alert keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Alert, intelligent, friendly, affectionate and playful”
What you are taking on
- Shorter-lived than a crossbred dog — median 10 years across 45 animals, against 12
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Pharaoh Hound
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible and undesirable.
Coat
Short and glossy, ranging from fine and close to slightly harsh
no feathering
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°248 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Pharaoh Hound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Pharaoh Hound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Pharaoh Hound on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Pharaoh Hound owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Pharaoh Hound breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.