- a) Fawn colour in all shades ranging from dark to light and dilutions.
About the Cirneco Dell Etna
Origin: Italy
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 10-12 kg
- Female
- 8-10 kg
- Height
- Male
- 46-50 cm
- Female
- 42-46 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Italy
- Also called
- Cirneco del Etna
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Cirneco Dell Etna?
Ancient medium-sized sighthound with short coat, elegant slender build, and distinctive large ears. Bred for hunting on the rugged volcanic terrain of Mount Etna, this athletic breed combines endurance with graceful movement.
Cirneco Dell Etna history and origins
Ancient Sicilian breed developed for rabbit hunting on Mount Etna's rugged volcanic terrain for over 2,500 years. Nearly extinct, the breed was revived in the 20th century and is now recognized by FCI and AKC Foundation Stock Service.
Cirneco Dell Etna appearance and size
Males typically weigh 10-12 kg and stand 46-50 cm at the shoulder; females 8-10 kg and 42-46 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Hunting dog – in particular used for wild rabbit
- Behaviour and temperament
“The Cirneco is strong-willed, uncompromising, affectionate and alert, a resolute dog, very attached to his owner. Fundamentally a hunting dog who uses his keen sense of smell, but is also an excellent companion. The specific skill is searching for scent and pursuing wild rabbit and other small game both fur and feather. The ideal hunting ground is among the nooks and crannies of rock faces and in particular the terrain formed by volcanic lava on the slopes of Mount Etna where the Cirneco leaps from one rock to another, surefooted and elegant. The breed uses sight only to select the most suitable location and nothing escapes his attention. The hearing is used to pick up the movement of the rabbit when it has gone to ground, but it is the powerful, reliable sense of smell that allows the dog to follow a trail and flush out the prey”
Quoted from FCI standard n°199. 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: “Hunting dog – in particular used for wild rabbit” 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
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Cirneco Dell Etna
What you get with the Cirneco Dell Etna
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Hunting dog – in particular used for wild rabbit”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The Cirneco is strong-willed, uncompromising, affectionate and alert, a resolute dog, very attached to his owner”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Of vitreous and dense texture, smooth on head ears and legs, semi-long (2.5 cm…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. 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 · Cirneco Dell Etna
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Of vitreous and dense texture, smooth on head ears and legs, semi-long (2.5 cm approximately) sleek and fitting on the body and tail
Colour patterns
- 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.
Tan and white
Base colour
White blaze or mark on head
- white mark or blaze on chest
- white feet
- point of tail
- belly
- White collar less appreciated
- Permissible: The tan coat with mixture of slightly lighter and darker hairs
Shortened from FCI standard n°199 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Cirneco Dell Etna down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Divergence of skull-muzzle axes.
- Accentuated occipital crest and frontal region.
- Accentuated stop.
- Ears with thin cartilage, semi-pendent or divergent.
- Rear dewclaws. Short neck, dewlap. Feet long, wide, flat, splayed toes. DISQUALIFYIING FAULTS:
- Accentuated divergence of skull-muzzle axes.
- Nose leather black or without any pigmentation.
- Concave nose ridge (dish-face).
- Undershot bite.
- Overshot bite.
- Wall eye.
- Pendent ears.
- Black eye rims, toe nails, pads, digital pads.
- Tail curled over the back; absence of tail (anury) or stump tail (brachyury).
- Coat colour that is solid brown, black or brindle. Black or brown patches or black or brown hairs.
- Height not within the upper or lower tolerance
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Cirneco Dell Etna in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Cirneco Dell Etna
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Cirneco Dell Etna 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 Cirneco Dell Etna 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 Cirneco Dell Etna 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.