Salukis

Salukis are dogs from Persia, possibly an ancestor of the greyhound. The saluki is a tall elegant-looking dog. They can have many different coloured coats and are usually quiet reserved dogs. Salukis do like to go out and get exercise and should be walked regularly. The saluki was originally a hunting dog. The saluki is unusual in that it hunts by sight, rather than by smell. Though salukis are generally independent dogs and like their time alone, they can become upset if they don’t see their owner for a long time. Instead of barking, salukis are known to make more of a singing sound. The saluki might also sing if it is afraid of something or they detect an intruder. Salukis are fairly big dogs with long smooth coats and long floppy ears. While most of their hair is short, the saluki has long tufts of hair on its ears and tail. Salukis have small pretty faces and dark eyes. They often have lighter colouring on the underside of the muzzle. Salukis, like greyhounds, are very fast runners, reaching speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour. Salukis are intelligent animals but become bored fairly easily. Training can be a challenge because salukis get bored with repetitive games, so if you’re trying to train your saluki, try to make the sessions as fun and interesting as possible. As with all purebred dogs, salukis are prone to some genetic disorders that have been held onto with selective breeding by humans. Salukis would be ideal pets for someone living in a warm climate on a large piece of land. Salukis don’t like the cold and the rain and need a lot of space to run around. If you decide to keep your saluki in the suburbs, you’ll need a very high fence to keep them from running away. Salukis can jump great heights, more than five feet with ease, so you need to invest in some proper fences. It’s important to always keep your saluki on a leash when walking it because they have a natural predator instinct and could try to attack other animals if let loose. The saluki also happens to be one of the oldest dog breeds to have been domesticated by humans. It’s difficult to imagine our early ancestors keeping such graceful-looking pretty dogs as salukis. Alberto Giacometti’s ‘dog’ sculpture gives a fairly good depiction of a saluki dog, who he modeled the sculpture after. The saluki sculpture was made entirely of bronze and is now in the Museum of Modern Art.

Saluki Puppies

Salukis are fairly big dogs and tend to have large litters of ten or so saluki puppies. If you’re looking for saluki puppies, you may have a hard time finding them in Canada because salukis don’t really like the climate here. Salukis would rather be someplace warm. You would probably have better luck looking for saluki breeders in warmer climates, such as Egypt or the southern states.

How to Care for a Saluki

Salukis are very intelligent complex dogs. The Saluki can run fast, has little body fat, and needs a lot of exercise to keep fit and healthy. If you’re not a runner yourself, you can take up roller blading or cycling to keep up with your saluki. Some scientists have reported that the saluki can complete a 3 mile run, equivalent to about 3.6 kilometers, faster than any other land mammal – even faster than a cheetah and a greyhound. Keep your saluki strong and healthy by feeding your saluki a good balanced diet, high in protein and red meats. Salukis are picky eaters so it’s important that when they do eat, they eat something decent. If your saluki doesn’t like store bought pet food, and many of them don’t, you can make your saluki’s food yourself. There are some good dog food recipes available that are designed specially for salukis. Making food for your saluki sounds like a time consuming task, but it doesn’t have to be. Once you find a saluki food recipe that your saluki will eat, you can prepare a big batch of it to dish out to your saluki, one portion at a time, throughout the week.

Saluki Behaviour

Though some pet pwners are put off by the Saluki’s strange temperament and independent nature, it is their quiet nature that I like most in them. A saluki is happy to spend time on its own and might even be annoyed if you don’t allow them some time to themselves during the day. In this way, the saluki is unlike many oother dog breeds, that crave constant attention from their owners. If a saluki is left alone for too long however, they become restless and begin to make a racket. A saluki, though not suited to everyone, usually makes a good family pet. They generally get along well with children but shouldn’t be left alone with them, as with all dogs. Because dalukis are hunting dogs, they must be watched also around other animals, large and small. A saluki may even try to go after a deer if you don’t control it. If you have other pets in your home already, you’ll need to let your saluki get used to them at a young age. If you throw a rabbit into the mix when you’ve already got an adult saluki, your new arrangement likely won’t last long. Once a saluki spots its prey, it’s very difficult to stop it from getting what it wants. If you don’t have the saluki on a leash and it runs for another animal, you probably won’t be able to stop it from attacking.