Watched a dog show the other day and noticed a dog I had not seen before. Can anyone tell me about the "Canaan Dog"?
Temperment, intelligence, any agressive tendenancies?
I find them very interesting. ANy info would be especially appreciated.
Thanks

Canaan Dogs

I need to research this breed as well since there are a few starting to pop up in the SAR area....got one coming to the seminar this year.

A new member of this forum, Arik Kershenbaum from Israel, has a Canaan he's had for a short time, a rescue. He may have info on them, as the Canaan originated in Israel, I believe. Sefi Sahar may also have knowledge of them. Here's another link: http://cdca.org/what.html

Although you'll hear very varying reports my limited experience with Canaans is that they're very reserved with people and with other dogs, not agressive, not shy but really indifferent about interacting. They're also a very independent dog which can make them a little more difficult to train than the average labrador. I've also heard them referred to as catlike, difficult, and shy.

I'd find a breeder that would allow you to observe them at home before making a decision about them. For me personally they'd not be my first choice for a working dog.

Our seminar is in May so I will definitely report back with what I notice.

Thanks for the info and the link.

I always try to study a breed I am not familiar with when I know I will be working with one.

Canaans are very popular here, and mixed breeds are very common. Our rescue looks pretty close to pure Canaan, but it's hard to tell. We're still years behind the USA and Europe in animal welfare, and the country is overrun with domestic dogs let loose leash-less to breed wherever they want.

I've read some of the reservations that Melissa mentioned, but I can't say that I can see them in our Darwin. Admittedly, we've only had him a few weeks, but he has fit into our family with such ease that I was really pleasantly surprised. He seems to fit the more positive "reviews" of the breed that I've seen on the web (such as the AKC description). He's excellent with people, even kids (although he can be a bit over enthusiastic sometimes for our 6 year old). I'd say he's definitely intelligent - at least he's learnt basic obedience much faster than I thought he would. His temperment is wonderful - playful but not annoying, alert but not aggressive. The only issue we have at the moment is that when he's at home he barks at any dogs walking past, and sometimes people. He doesn't do this when he's out on walks, so I assume it's a territorial thing. We're working on getting him to ignore other dogs completely when we're walking, but that's a bit hard, because as I said, it seems that all the dogs in the country except for him are leashless!

I'd be happy to help more if I can, I'll certainly keep posting with our progress on all fronts. Any questions, just ask.

Oh, and here's a picture of him asleep on the floor with our second eldest. I don't know if it's the best thing for obedience, but the two of them have become inseperable...