How to Identify an Ibizan Hound

The even-tempered Ibizan hound is a very affectionate and loyal breed, and makes an excellent family pet. In addition, if your family likes to show dogs, this breed is a good breed for obedience, tracking and lure-coursing competitions because of his natural hunting instinct and stamina. Be careful letting this breed outdoors by himself, even in a fenced yard—it has excellent high jumping and broad jumping ability and is able to jump rather high from a standstill.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look at the general appearance of the Ibizan hound. It has clean-cut lines and a light pigment—add to that its large ears for a unique appearance. It has been bred for thousands of years to be able to function, so this breed is racy and possesses a deerlike elegance, while being powerful at the same time. Don’t let the fact that this breed is not heavily muscled fool you into thinking this is not a powerful breed.

2. Check the size and proportion of this breed. Males should be 23 ½ to 27 ½ inches at the withers, and females should be 22 ½ to 26 inches at the withers. Males weigh about 50 pounds and females weigh about 45 pounds. This breed is a bit longer than it is tall and has a clean, fine bone with flat muscles.

3. Make sure the finely chiseled head is long and narrow and looks like a sharp cone that was cut off at the base. The oblique eyes are small and range in color from clear amber to caramel. The eyes should give off an intelligent, alert and inquisitive look to the Ibizan hound. The large ears are naturally pointed and should not droop or bend while the dog is alert. The ears can point sideways, forward and even fold backward depending on the mood of this dog. The elongated muzzle is fine and slender. The prominent nose extends beyond the lower jaw and is a flesh color. It should never be black or liver.

4. Look at the body of the Ibizan hound. The long, slender neck is flat muscled and has a bit of an arch to it, leading to well laid-back shoulders. The chest is deep with a sharply angled breastbone. The tail is set low and should at least reach to the hock. It may be carried in a sickle, ring or saber position depending on the mood. The long front legs are strong and straight with clean, fine bone leading to hare-feet. The long toes are closed and strong and lead to white nails. The strong rear legs are equipped with flat muscles and clean and fine bone leading to hare-feet. The rear feet are the same as the front feet with long, closed toes and white nails.

5. 

   Feel the hard-textured coat. There are two types of coats—short and wire-haired. The short coat is very short on the head and ears, with some length on the back of the thighs and under the tail. The wire-haired coats can be one to three inches long, with more hair on the back, back of the thighs and tail. The coat is white or red, and may range from a light, yellowish-red (lion) to a deep red. It may be solid or any combination and can be in any pattern.