All About
Canaan Dog

A gentle breed with energy to spare, the Canaan Dog loves to run, but will happily pack it in at the end of the day for a nice relaxing nap by the fire. Canaans are an incredibly agile breed, able to completely change direction on a dime, even at high speeds. They are light footed and clean – they never smell “like a dog,” and make excellent housemates. Farmers like the Canaan for their ability to herd and families like the Cannan for their companionship. Always alert and vigilant, Canaans make excellent non-aggressive watchdogs.

The Canaan Dog should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

Canaans tend to stay clean and normally require less frequent baths than other moderately active breeds. They have a double coat, consisting of a harsh, flat outer coat and a softer undercoat. They will have a shedding season at least once a year—frequent brushing during this time will help to remove loose hair and keep the dog looking his best. The nails should be trimmed regularly if they don’t wear down naturally, as overly long nails can cause discomfort and structural issues.

The Canaan's dense undercoat allows him to spend time outdoors in all kinds of weather, but when his people are home, he should be a housedog. He requires a securely fenced yard to protect him from traffic and from altercations with other dogs. With a consistent schedule, he's easy to housetrain. Canaans love to dig and can make quite large excavations in a short period if left to their own devices. Provide them with a digging area they can call their own or redirect the digging tendency with other activities. The Canaan doesn't require extensive exercise. He's usually satisfied with a couple of short walks a day or a walk plus some vigorous playtime in the backyard.

Major concerns: none
Minor concerns: none
Occasionally seen: none
Suggested tests: none
Life span: 12-13 years

In the Bible, the book of Exodus calls Canaan — ancient Palestine and Phoenicia from about 3,000 BCE — a good and spacious land, flowing with milk and honey. Flocks of sheep and goats prospered there, and where there are flocks, there are dogs. The dogs of these ancient Middle Eastern communities were known as Kelef Kanani, Hebrew words meaning Canaan Dog. It's likely that the Kelef Kanani differed little from his modern-day descendant, the Canaan Dog. Tomb drawings from Beni Hassan in Egypt, which date to 2200-2000 BCE, show dogs with smooth coats, prick ears, and bushy tails curling over their backs. No doubt they had the same alert, watchful, inquisitive expression that marks today's Canaan Dog, a breed that may well be a living portrait of early domesticated dogs. The Middle Eastern herding dogs of the past kept their charges from straying, protected them from predators or thieves, and sounded the alarm when danger was near. But over the centuries, with the invasion of Roman conquerors and the dispersal of the land's inhabitants to the far corners of the earth, the Canaan Dog became unemployed. He retreated to the hilly desert of southern Israel, living a feral lifestyle that depended on his wits and fitness. Sometimes he continued in his nomadic life, earning a living with the Bedouin desert dwellers, or served as guards for the Druse, religious communities of hill people who made their home on Mount Carmel and other areas of what are now Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. Sculpted by this harsh lifestyle, the dog became a wily athlete, perfectly suited to his environment. For centuries, the Canaan Dog continued his unfettered life in the desert, but in 1935, world events conspired to bring him back into the human community. Not only was World War II brewing, an independent Jewish state was in the offing. Isolated Jewish settlements in Palestine needed guard dogs that could withstand desert conditions, and the area's armed forces were looking for a desert-tough guard and patrol dog. Rudolphina Menzel, a professor of animal and comparative psychology at the University of Tel Aviv, was asked to develop a dog that would meet these needs. Her original plan was to work with established breeds, but in her mind's eye she kept picturing Canaan Dogs that she had seen in the desert. They had survival skills, and that was what was needed. Dr. Menzel and her husband acquired several of the desert dogs and began breeding them, recording and refining their bloodlines. They trained their new breed for sentry work, land mine detection, and message delivery, and they were active with the Middle East Forces during World War II. After the war, some of the dogs took up second careers as guide dogs. By 1948, the Palestine Kennel Club had registered 150 of them. In 1965, Ursula Berkowitz of Oxnard, California, imported four Canaan Dogs. The Canaan Dog Club of America was formed the same year. The United Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1992 and the American Kennel Club in 1997. The breed entered the national spotlight in 1998 when Ch. Catalina's Felix to the Max became the first Canaan Dog to compete in the Herding Group at the Westminster Kennel Club show. He's still a rare breed, ranking 150th among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the AKC.