FCI-Standard No 248


Pharaoh Hound

(Standard F.C.I. n° 248b)

Origin : national dog of Malta -
Patronage: Great-Britain

General appearence :
Medium sized, of noble bearing with clean-cut lines. Graceful yet powerful. Very fast with free easy movement and alert expression.

Characteristics :
An alert keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight using its ears to a marked degree when working close.

Temperament :
Alert, intelligent, friendly, affectionnate and playful.

Head and skull :
Skull long, lean and well-chiselled. Foreface slightly longer than skull. Only slight stop. Top of skull parallel with foreface, the whole head representing a blunt wedge when viewed in profile and from above.

Eyes :
Amber coloured, blending with coat ; oval, moderately deep set, with keen, intelligent expression.

Ears :
Medium high set ; carried erect when alert, but very mobile ; broad at base, fine and large.

Mouth :
Powerful jaws with stong teeth. Scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Nose :
Flesh coloured only, blending with coat.

Neck :
Long, lean, muscular and slightly arched. Clean throat line.

Forequarters :
Shoulders strong, long and well laid back. Forelegs straight and parallel. Elbows well tucked in. Pasterns strong.

Body :
Lithe with almost straight topline. Slight slope down from croup to root of tail. Deep brisket extending down to point of elbow. Ribs well sprung. Moderate cut up. Length of body from breast to haunch bone slightly longer than height at withers.

Hindquarters :
Strong and muscular. Moderate bend of stifle. Well developed second thigh. Limbs parallel when viewed from behind.

Feet :
Strong, well knuckled and firm, turning neither in nor out. Paws well padded. Dewclaws may be removed.

Gait/movement :
Free and flowing ; the head held fairly high and dog should cover ground well without any apparent effort. Legs and feet should move in line with body ; any tendency to throw feet sideways, or a high stepping "hackney" action highly undesirable.

Tail :
Medium set - fairly thick at base and tapering (whiplike), reaching just below point of hock in repose. Carried high and curved when the dog is in action. Tail should not be tucked between legs. A screw tail undesirable.

Coat :
Short and glossy, ranging from fine and close to slighly harsh ; no feathering.

Colour :
Tan or rich tan with white markings allowed as follows : white tip on tail strongly desired. White on chest (called The Star). White on toes. Slim white blaze on center line of face permissible. Flecking or white other than above undesirable.

Height :
Dogs : ideally 56 cm (22-25 ins).
Bitches : ideally 53 cm (21-24 ins).

Faults :
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note :
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.