Originating in the island of Crete, the Cretan hound is rarely seen outside this area. On occasions where it does leave Crete, it is usually for international dog shows in Athens where poeple can finally see a true living legend. It is mainly used as a hunting dog because of its agility, speed, and durability.
physical appearance
The Cretan Hound is a rather small dog with short coat that comes in colors such as pure white, cream, sandy, fawn, grey, black or brindle, bi-colored or tri-colored. The breed’s head is wedge-shaped, and features a pair of pricked, mobile ears that fold in a greyhound-like fashion. The tail is the most important breed characteristic, long and curved upwards, creating a loose or tight ring and covered with a slightly longer hair underneath.
behavior
The Cretan Hound is a passionate working dog that is deadly on the chase. They are polite, calm, and aristocratic at home, and they are slightly reserved with strangers. They are kind, patient, and very good with children. They are born to hunt, and they have an amazing sense of sight and smell. They have been known to taste aerial and ground scents to the point of sucking a pebble from the ground to hunt their prey. They are graceful hunters with clean, crisp, elegant movements. They are most happy when given a task that involves the use of their natural instincts. They rarely bark but will give notice of strangers approaching their home; at the farm they will kill mice and rats and it’s not indifferent to feathered game, but the latter use will make the breed lazy and untidy in the hunt; its constitution needs the challenge of the true chase. They are a healthy breed overall, but they really need to be taken out for a daily excercise. Not best suited in an apartment setting since they need a lot of room to run around in.