The Cirneco dell'Etna Dog Breed

The history of the Cirneco dell'Etna dog breed is very varied, as are the various hypotheses made about its origin. One of these says that this breed is descended from the dogs of the Egyptian pharaohs of the last dynasties. It is very similar in fact to the Pharaon hound, and would have existed as early as 1000 BC in the Nile valley of ancient Egypt. Another hypothesis, that they originated from dogs imported to Sicily by the Phoenicians, and in particular from the Ibiza podenco breed.

There is no doubt, however, that this is a Mediterranean dog. In more recent times, there is another theory, which seems the most convincing, that the cirneco dell'Etna is a native Sicilian breed. There are two facts that seem to confirm this hypothesis, the first being the discovery of a statuette near Syracuse of a dog very similar to today's cirneco and dating back as far as 4000 years BC. The other is its representation on coins minted in Sicily in the period between the third and sixth centuries B.C. It is, however, a very ancient breed that has undergone little manipulation over the centuries.

It looks like a greyhound, it is beautiful, slender, fast and agile. It is an animal born for hunting and was used in the past mainly for hunting wild rabbits and hares. Today, in addition to hunting, it is also considered an excellent guard dog and companion dog. It is a dog that is especially widespread in Sicily, much less so in Italy and is almost completely unknown in the rest of the world.

The character of the Cirneco dell'Etna dog breed

The Etna cirneco is a very intelligent, independent and also somewhat solitary dog. He usually attaches himself to one master and would give his all for him, and shows him loyalty and obedience. He is also very good with children, he is never aggressive and is very quiet, it is just that it is not for him to be in the mess very much, so he tends to move away after a while. He has a bizarre character, i.e. he socialises immediately with some, takes a while with others and never socialises with others. He goes in for likes and dislikes by skin, like us humans.

With other animals, especially up to 3-4 years of age, he does not get along very well, so it is good to socialise him as soon as possible. Its training is easy, as it loves to please its owner, but it is a very sensitive and sweet animal and is capable of remembering a snub it has suffered or an overly harsh attitude, so it is important to be firm in training it, but not harsh in reprimanding it.

With strangers he is usually wary, although he never becomes aggressive, so he is an excellent guard dog because he is alert to any stranger approaching his property.

As a child he suffers from loneliness, but as he grows up he will show that he does not particularly suffer from it. On the contrary, he likes to be alone from time to time and will therefore wait calmly and patiently for his family to return.

It is not suitable for the elderly or sedentary as it was born as a hunting dog and therefore needs a lot of daily exercise, to be left free in the woods and countryside where it can be seen immediately that it is hunting, and if it has received good training it will never tend to move away from its owner and will never lose sight of him.

Appearance of the Cirneco dell'Etna dog breed

The cirneco dell'Etna is a small to medium-sized dog, the height at withers of a male being 46 to 50 centimetres and weighing 10 to 12 kilograms, the female usually a little less. It belongs to the class of primitive hunting dogs; its appearance is reminiscent of greyhounds, but unlike the latter it does not hunt by sight but uses its sense of smell, like a search dog.

It is slender and slender, with long legs and a muscular body, but at the same time very elegant and toned. It is also very fast, can even reach 40/45 kilometres per hour when running and is very good at changing direction suddenly when chasing prey. He also has strong fingers and pads that make it easy for him to walk among volcanic rocks. Its musculature is dry and it has a light, but firm and strong constitution.

Its tail, which is rather thick and uniform throughout its length, is carried sabre-like when at rest and high on its back when in action. The Cirneco dell'Etna is one of 14 Italian breeds and is most probably also the oldest.

The head is well chiselled and dry, the muzzle is pointed with a length equal to that of the skull, the eyes are not very large, but very sweet, they can be ochre, amber or hazel. The ears, which are a characteristic of this breed, are perfectly straight and wide, the truffle rather large and rectangular in shape to match the coat.

The coat is short and very dense on the ears, head and limbs, semi-long but always smooth and adherent to the skin of the trunk and tail. The most frequent colours are more or less intense fawn, sand and Isabella, which is a shade between yellow and brown. A peculiarity that many specimens have is a star-shaped spot on the chest. Specimens can also be found with a white list on the forehead, chest, paws, tail tip and belly, which are also white.

Health and care of the Cirneco dell'Etna dog breed

The Etna cirneco does not suffer from any particular hereditary diseases. It is very robust and has excellent health. It is also very long-lived; the average life expectancy is 15 years, but it is not uncommon to find specimens that have reached 20 years. It must be borne in mind, however, that being accustomed to the Mediterranean climate, which is hot and dry, it fears the cold and sudden changes in temperature very much.

Being mainly a hunting dog, it needs frequent outings to run and vent all its energy, and it also needs a balanced and controlled diet as it tends to eat more than necessary.

As for the care of its coat, it only needs to be brushed once a week to keep it nice and shiny.