The Saluki | Saluki type and anatomy

The Saluki is not like any other dog. I think it takes special people to fall for theese soulfull dogs. But if you fall for the breeds undoubtable charm, you will definitly fall forever. The breeder of our familys (now passed away) salukis Eri and Isaí once said "the Saluki is not a dog, it´s a mixture between cat and monkey" and that describes the Saluki sense of humor quite well! As the Saluki gets older it develops a great sense of integrity, dignity and grace that you may not expect to find in a dog. But among the family the Saluki can still show off it´s childish "catmonkey" behavior, as this is a breed that "stays young" the whole life through.
The Saluki is not always overly enthusiastic over strangers, it chooses whom deserves it´s interest. But often it only takes a short while for the Saluki to embrace a new person and start demanding them to obey! This behaivor is expressed by a paw neatly placed in your knee and a unmistakeable look that says "pet me, servant!"

The family is something that is of great importance for the Saluki, they will grow to worship their owners and make their special "happy-growling" sound at you when you come home. The temper of the Saluki reminds of a cats or a wolfs. They are independent, worthy and noble. When the puppy-period has passed by (the Saluki matures late) the Saluki is genreally very calm indoors. Some Salukis will pick things to chew on as puppys, but if you give them chewing toys or bones most Saluki pups will satisfy with them.

Photo: Ninni Österholm

The Saluki is first and foremost a skilled hunting dog, even if that is a fact that people seem to forget in this modern society. Several western countries won´t allow hunting with sighthounds, alas, some regard the Saluki to be nothing but a "fancy showdog". But in most Salukis, even of western breeding, there still lies a hunter within. If our swedish hunting breeds could be compared to a regular shooting rifle, the Saluki would be a sharploaded missile! The Saluki hunts in a fast rushing way, and is a specialist to work independetly as well as within a group of hounds. The ability to make quick desitions is amongst the things that makes it the perfect hunter under tough conditions. Even though the Saluki is very interested in live game, it´s not impossible to teach your Saluki not to run after every potential prey it sees. Maybe 100% control is a bit to much to demand from a dog that has been bred for thousands of years to make it´s own decisions, but a good elementary obidience is something that most Salukis will be able to learn. By playing a lot of hide-and-seek games when the Saluki is still a puppy, your dog will learn to always keep track off where you are. This may come in handy later on. Cats and other pet animals won´t necessarily be a problem to keep with Salukis. If they are used to pet animals from the start or properly introduced for each other they can quite the contrary have a good very relation. But one should note, that pet animals that is not a part of the own family may still be considered as prey!

The Saluki has a great need for exercise and is an ideal companion for jogging, trekking or bikeing. To run freely at a regular basis is a must. You will never see such true happiness as a Saluki off-leash on open pastures! As the Saluki have some "catmonkey" within they enjoy climbing and jumping up on things to explore their surroundings, some Salukis may therefor enjoy agility exercises. However, the Saluki has a deficient patience, so it shouldn´t be recommended to someone who wants a pure dressage star. The Saluki wants to self be the judge of when to take part of your games - or not. It´s not impossible to learn your Saluki tricks: as long as it´s at their own pace, they can learn to do tricks just as any other dog. But you shouldn´t expect to much, and not be harsh on your Saluki if it wont go as fast as with a bordercollie. This, in my opinion, does not make the Saluki less smart than other dogs, but quite the opposite! The Saluki wants to lead, not follow, it has a free will of it´s own - something that for me interprets a great sense of intelligence!

Photo: Alexandra Krantz

Some short facs about the Saluki:

* The Saluki, or rather the Saluki complex as a whole, is one of the oldest dog types known to man. Archaeologists have found remains of Salukilike dogs that are several thousand years old. One of the most famous finds is the one of Tepe Gawra in aincient Mesopotamia, that dates to 4000 - 3700 B.C.!

* The Saluki is among the fastest dogs in the world. On long distances it is unbeatable because of its great endurance.

* By most muslims, dogs are considered to be "kelb" - unpure. In many cases, the Saluki seems to be seen as an exception of this. Maybe beacuse of it´s great importance as a food provider.

* The Saluki has sometimes (or rather somewhere geographically) been referred to as "El Hor", meaning "the noble one" in arabic.

* The Saluki varies in size. This varation is something that is a specific of the dogtype. While some dogs measure only something above 50 centimiters to the withers, some can be as tall as above 70 centimeters!

* The Saluki is surrounded by a lot of legends and conceptions, which seems to vary from place to place in the dogtypes great range of origin. Some of whom have lead to misconceptions when transfered to the western world. Some conceptions with a romantic air to it have been embraced: such as the one telling of dogs with a white tip on their tails has "Allahs Blessing" or that dogs with a white mark on their forehead has "the Kiss of Allah". Other conceptions, not as poetic as the ones mentioned above, regards coloring and coat type. By some villagers and bedouins long coat has been a sign of impurity, when others has regarded the opposite. The same applies to colors: some regard only white dogs pure, some regards brindle or black masks as signs of impurity. The truth is that all of theese appearances are naturally occuring in the wast spreading area of the Saluki complex. Color, coating, and body structure rudiments varies according to breeding traditions, climate, useage and terrain. That means that an appearance that is familiar for some, is unknown to others.

Please browse the links about the breed and have a look at the literature list below for more useful info!

Photo: Curt Guwallius

Literature of interest:

Allan, Diana & Ken: The Complete Saluki, 1991, Ringpress. ISBN 1-86054-195-X

Brown, Curtis: Dog Locomotion and Gait Analyzis, 1986, Hoflin Publishing. ISBN ???

Chamberlain, Ann: Saluki - A comprehensive Owners Guide, 2005, Kennel Club Books, LCC. ISBN 1-59378-300-0

Duggan, Brian Patrick: Saluki - The Desert Hound and the English Travelers Who Brought It to the West, 2009, McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-3407-7

Goodman, Gail (editor): The Saluqi - Coursing Hound of the East, 1996?, Midbar Inc.? ISBN 0-9639224-0-8

Lyon, McDowell: The Dog in Action, 1950. Reprint avaliabvle from Dogwise Publishing. ISBN 978-1-929242-06-1

Winqvist, Gösta, m.fl: Anatomiboken - Hundens anatomi, rörelser och fysiologi, 2006, Sellin & Partner Bok & Idé AB. ISBN 91-7055-245-2 (In swedish)