meet the... Pharaoh Hound

Head

• General Appearance: Fairly dolichocephalic skull type, moderate in size, long, fine, and shaped like an elongated wedge with a blunt end. The skull is long and lean. The head is well-proportioned to the rest of the body. It is well-chiseled, clean-cut, and without excess skin or wrinkles, and completely dry.
• Expression: Aristocratic, watchful, and intelligent, yet reserved.
• Stop: The stop is slight.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 4:5, with the topskull being just shorter than the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is full, yet fine and elongated, being longer than the topskull. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight and level or just slightly convex. It tapers slightly from the slightly broader base toward the nose. Upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipey or weak.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well pigmented and self-colored according to the coat in shades from pink to liver. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are smoothly muscled and flat. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Medium in size, oval to almond in shape, and amber in color. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Medium in size. Set somewhat high, set between the 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock and the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock position. They should never appear parallel to one another or perpendicular to the skull. They are triangular in shape and firmly erect when alert, yet highly mobile. They may tilt forward when alert, be dropped sideways, or be pulled back. They lack hair on the inner portions. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Compact, deep, symmetrical, powerful, and agile, never appearing weak and slack, nor heavy or cumbersome. Always of sufficient substance to allow speed, dexterity, and strength. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Long and lean, slightly arched, muscular, and clean. The neck tapers slightly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The throat is free of loose or excess skin, exhibiting a clean and dry throat.
• Chest: Very deep and narrow, with the brisket extending to the approximate point of the elbows or just before the point of the elbows. The forechest is strongly developed.
• Topline: Lithe and nearly straight and level topline. The topline is level from well-defined withers to croup. The back is long, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut, strong, supple, and may be flat or just slightly (almost imperceptibly) arched, yet supportive. The back is never swayed or roached.
• Croup: Broad, powerfully muscled, and gently sloped.
• Underline: The body underline is moderately tucked up. The underline is taut and firm without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, usually hanging in a neutral position in repose, high and curved when alert or in action, but never tucked tight against the stomach. The tail is long, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending beyond the hock joints when held down and reaching the spine when pulled through the legs and brought to the back. The tail is long, fine, and whip-like.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are very long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers. The distance from the withers to the brisket may be equal to, or just greater than, the distance from the elbows to the ground.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, of moderately fine yet sturdy bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are very long, equal in length, strong, of moderately refined yet sturdy bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval, with well-arched toes and tough pads. Toes are well-webbed for swimming.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: The coat is short, smooth, and close to the body throughout. It is glossy, ranging from fine to slightly harsh, never with feathering.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Various shades of tan to tan-red, with or without white trim.

Movement

The movement of the Pharaoh Hound is a free, flowing, fast, smooth gait with graceful movements that are energetic, effortless, and efficient. They move in a suspended trot, as well as an impressive ground-covering gallop. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

The Pharaoh Hound breed appears regal and standoffish. However, unlike many primitive dogs and sighthounds, they are very friendly and can even be a bit of a clown. They are renowned for their affectionate, loyal, and gregarious personality. While generally laid back, this breed does require daily exercise to expend energy and work natural drives by giving chase or galloping. During these exercise periods, a Pharaoh Hound should be allowed ample room in a fenced area to stretch out their muscles at full gallop. True hunting dogs at heart, Pharaoh Hounds will chase anything they deem worthy prey, including a cat or squirrel they may see across a busy road. For this reason, Pharaoh Hounds should not be let loose in open areas that are unsecured by a very high (eight feet or more) fence, as they are known to easily clear a six-foot fence. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper, healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.