The canaan dog, or 'Celev Canaani' as it's called in its home country Israel, has been around for centuries as a half-wild dog. It is believed to originate from Asia, and has been found on ancient Egyptain walls, such as the graves in Beni Hasan, 2000-1800 B.C. The breed was 'discovered' in the 1930's by a german couple, professor Rudolphina Menzel and dr Rudoplh Menzel, who has fled from Germany to Palestina. They were going to train dogs to become military service dogs, but the traditional breeds could not cope with the heat. Instead, the couple caught some of the half-wild dogs from all over Palestina and tried to train them. They succeded, in fact their training went very well. In 1948 canaan dogs were also trained as blind dogs, which went just as well. The breed was exported to the USA in 1965 and now it can be found in Europe as well.
The canaan dog should be a medium size breed with a slightly rectangular shape, resembling a pariah. The head is shaped like a modified wedge with low set ears and slight stop. The neck is of medium length and powerful, the chest deep but not too broad. The back is straight, and the dog should have a visible tuck up. The tail is set high and carried curled over the back. The coat can be short or medium long, always hard and straight with a good amount of undercoat.
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preferred.
