A new member of the AKC Miscellaneous group, The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno, a rare dog breed originating in Portugal, is a really healthy hound breed and typically very long lived as well.
This dog breed comes in three sizes and the name reflects their size classification too. The Podengo Portugueso Grande is the Larger Portuguese Hound, the Podengo Portugueso Medio means that this is the medium sized Portuguese Hound and the name Podengo Portugueso Pequeno refers to the smallest of these Portuguese Hounds.
This dog breed also comes in two different coat types - wire and smooth. As far as coat colors go, these dogs can be a yellowish color, or even fawn.
This little dog breed requires firm, calm and confident, but loving guidance and they are also very easy to train and very intelligent. Make sure that you socialize them from an early age.
They are also considered to be pack animals - meaning that they really love the company of others - be it other dogs, or other people. Keep in mind though that, despite their size, these are not lap dogs. They are very energetic and need lots of exercise.
It is also said that these little dogs travelled with Magellan, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and many other Portuguese explorers, keeping their ships and all the sailors free of vermin and possible vermin born diseases.
Enjoy a Short Video Featuring a Podengo
These little dogs are very healthy generally speaking and are often seen to live well into their teens. They are a pretty new dog breed in the US however they are fairly well known in many other European countries.
The average height for this little dog breed is about 8 to 12 inches in height. His average weight should be about 9 to 13 pounds. These little dogs also have erect ears and should always be left as is coat-wise, meaning that they don't need excessive grooming and clipping like some dog breeds do.
Regular brushing will keep the Portuguese Podengo Pequenos coat in wonderful condition. The coat should be brushed a few times a week but other than that, grooming is fairly minimal for these little dogs.
Country of origin: Portugal Lifespan: 10-15 years Colors:a yellowish color, or fawn Known health problems: Legg Calves Perthes, Luxating patellas
