The Canaan Dog is considered a natural dog
breed, which means it has developed with little
selective breeding from humans. These dogs have
been in existence for at least 2,000 years, and the
breed might be even older. There are drawings of
dogs looking just like it dated back to 2,200 BC.
This was the guard and herding dog of the ancient
Israelites, and when then they were dispersed by
the Romans over 2,000 years ago, the dogs avoided
extinction in the Negev Desert. Some lived with the
Bedouins, and some were used as guard dogs for
the Druze people.
Today the Canaan Dog is quite rare. There are
somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 Canaan dogs
in the world.
Being herding dogs and guard dogs they can be
territorial and are often reserved with strangers, but
they are also quite affectionate with their families.
Canaan dogs are versatile and intelligent. They are
easy to train, but quite independent, and they need
both physical and mental stimulation to stay happy.
They are often seen winning agility trials, competing
in flyball, or doing well in obedience.
The Canaan dog is generally tan or black-and-white
with curled tail, pricked, pointy ears and almond-shaped
brown eyes.
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