redarachnid Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I have always trained my afghans and saluki to be able to be off-lead with good recall. Mainly it's coz i cannot run after them if they escape so it's in my interests to get them to recall. It's hard work and doesn't happen overnight so you have to be dedicated, understand behavior and constantly train. The "average" pet owner would find it very difficult. Re prey drive: If you were prepared to be an obedience nut, you should be able to acheive just about anything. Depends how dedicated you were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 my impression is this is not a breed suited to high density suburbia, would you say this is true or is it possible with management? I think any sighthound is more suited to surburbia than most people realise - including Salukis. They aren't designed to run all day like a working breed. They are made for bursts of activity and in between they have traditionally been expected to be calm and await the next hunting opportunity. No-one wants to take a dog hunting that's been spinning around on the spot and has exhausted or injured itself.... So they are well suited to an indoor quiet life, with two good walks or jogs a day. The important thing about living somewhere more dense with a Saluki would be finding somewhere safe that they could have a good gallop once a week or so - like a fenced dog park etc. The other good thing abouut surburbia is that the fences are usually more secure which Salukis need anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Could we have some photos please? I would particularly like to see one of your brindle boy Margot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KismetKat Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I know an American on a board whose daughter was in Iraq with the US military. She rescued an injured saluki and eventually brought it back to the US. He told me the dog had some marking on the top of it's head which people in Arabian countries call "the kiss of Allah" and it is a highly prized marking for salukis in those countries. Is this true? And is the mark well regarded here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 She is probably talking about a patch of white in the middle of her dog's forehead. Two of my kids have it. I can't speak for others but from what I've observed here in Australia it's a point of cultural interest but not something that people here aim to produce in their breeding programs. I'm actually going to ask the question on an international breed list because when I googled this to confirm my vague idea about it google turned up a mish mash of sometimes contradictory information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Great Thread!!! I would be very interested in the difference between the show lines and desert lines. Also is there a big difference between males and females? They would be a fairly quiet breed, which doesn't bark a lot right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 They would be a fairly quiet breed, which doesn't bark a lot right? Depends on the individual and their lifestyle. They are good singers, try "singing saluki" in a youtube search and you'll see what I mean. This one just gave me a giggle: They can be barky or howly if they are lonely or bored - much as they'd like you to think otherwise they are still dogs! As for photos, here's mine pretending they are in love: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 How do they cope with the kinds of hot and cold extremes we get in Australia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 How do they cope with the kinds of hot and cold extremes we get in Australia? Heat doesn't bother mine at all. In fact, when we were having those furnace-like temps last summer I was having to call them in from the yard to the aircon the daft buggers. I would not leave a Saluki in any situation that I wouldn't leave a normal dog in in summer, but they don't suffer in the heat in my experience. They do get cold - they are light framed with very little body fat and unlike Borzoi and Afghans, they don't have a big coat to keep them warm. It can be hard to keep the weight on them in cold weather. I have just upped the amount of food I am giving to my two younger ones because they are starting to look a bit thin. Mine have pajamas for when they are outside in the runs during the day when we are at work and they sleep inside at night. I would not recommend they be kept outside overnight during a Southern NSW winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redarachnid Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 My boy whines and sings if things aren't to his liking... never heard him bark once!!! He just whines/sings where a normal dog would bark from excitement. Doesn't care about the heat but likes to be warm. And just a little off topic... I'm getting my 2nd saluki any day now!!! Excitement!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gogee Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 My boy whines and sings if things aren't to his liking... never heard him bark once!!! He just whines/sings where a normal dog would bark from excitement. Doesn't care about the heat but likes to be warm. And just a little off topic... I'm getting my 2nd saluki any day now!!! Excitement!!! Yup, mine yodels, sings and growel-wowels (is that a word? ) to get attention, to initiate play etc....and whinges and whines when he is upset. He does bark, but probably less than other breeds I've met. He gets lethargic in the heat (as any other dog would), but definitely loves to be warm in winter....in front of the fire blocking the heat from everyone else preferably As for living in suburbia, I think salukis are quite manageable if adequate exercise is provided everyday and a safe area to run and stretch out a few times a week. I would really prefer some acreage to let our hounds run though, and hopefully in the near-ish future we will find a place with some land....would definitely make the exercise management easier...and i would feel a little less guilty ps good luck with your new luki, redarachnid! I am very jealous make sure you post piccies in the sighthound thread too! Here's my little bugger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 (edited) Re the "kiss of Allah", I mentioned I was going to ask people more knowledgeable than me. I have had two replies from old school Saluki people who have spent considerable time in the middle east, one is a noted expert who has lived in Iraq and spent time with local Saluki breeders. They both say that this is a western romanticisation and that an Arab Muslim would NOT invoke the name of Allah in connection with a dog, even if that dog is a Saluki. I got the impression from one private mail I received that over the years some of this has been akin to us teasing tourists about drop bears. Other myths are that the Saluki brought home food for the Bedouin pot (in fact they had herds of goat, camel or sheep and a sophisticated barter economy) and that Allah "blessed" the Saluki. Also not true for the reason noted above. Apparently in Iraq the white patch is sometimes called a star, and a bitch with such a marking will be called "Najma" for that reason. Thanks for the question, it's helped me clarify an area of my own knowledge. Edited to fix a pronoun. Edited July 1, 2009 by anita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KismetKat Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Thanks Anita. After you mentioned googling it I googled it too - there was some discrepency between the "kiss of Allah" being a white mark on the head and a white mark on the chest. Also the ever unreliable wiki was quite effusive about saluki's being somehow exempt from the muslim beleif that dogs are unclean (which is in the hadiths). So it was really interesting to read what you have posted. "drop bears" - yeh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I've got a question: Most Salukis I know have long feathered ears, but I've seen a few ones which actually have feathered ears as well but folded back. Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gogee Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I've got a question: Most Salukis I know have long feathered ears, but I've seen a few ones which actually have feathered ears as well but folded back. Why is that? Do you mean you have seen pictures, or in real life? If you mean pictures, it could be that their ears have been cropped - which happens sometimes in the salukis' countries of origin i.e. middle east. My boy does hold his ears back when he is excited or feeling cuddly, so much so that I call him my "Dumbo" (as in the flying elephant :D ). A saluki's ears are more manoueverable than most people think! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanaussi Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Well, the long feathered ones in real, the folded back ones on pics (I think). Hm, they could have been cropped... That's not allowed here, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Well, the long feathered ones in real, the folded back ones on pics (I think). Hm, they could have been cropped... That's not allowed here, is it? It's not allowed, also, unlike the cropping of some breeds' ears, I don't think it ever caught on in the west. EFP Edited July 20, 2009 by SkySoaringMagpie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 (edited) Some video links showing healthy, happy, pure breed Salukis at work - Salukis coursing in one of the countries of origin: Puppies from this hunter/breeder have been exported to Australia and as the country of origin is an FCI country, they will contribute to the gene pool here in Australia. These Salukis are all FCI registered. Salukis lure coursing: Lure coursing is the main option available to demonstrate working ability in countries where open field coursing with live game is banned. It's great fun, and is available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Salukis also participate in agility: Some Salukis in Australia have completed the ANKC Endurance test where dogs and their handlers gait a 20 kilometre course in a set time. There is plenty of opportunity to participate in dog sport with a Saluki from the right breeder. Australian Saluki breeders have been particularly active in importing bloodlines from overseas, including top coursing lines from Europe. More information on Salukis, including Salukis participating in sport, can be found regularly in the online magazine Saluki Insights, which you can download from www.salukiinsights.com Edited to add Sir Terence Clark's new website on salukis: http://www.saluqi.net/ Sir T is recognised as the leading western expert on country of origin salukis. Edited September 9, 2009 by SkySoaringMagpie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan_mannix Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Thanks so much for these links SSM. Great idea to demonstrate healthy dogs in full flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarris Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I'm doing a bit of breed research, because I'm hoping to get a dog soon. My dilemma is that I have cats. Ragdolls who don't really defend. One runs away like a normal cat, and the other just sits there and laps up what's given to him (Newfoundlands etc. don't bother him). Also, this dog will be visiting my parent's place sometimes and they have loose chickens. I am interested in Greyhounds but I love the Saluki appearance. What's the difference between the two personalities? Is it safe to leave the cats and dog together if raised from a puppy with cats, or could it turn one day? Or is it only outdoors that this instinct kicks in? Thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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