Canaan Dog

The AKC recognized Canaan Dog (Canen) is medium-sized, squarely proportioned, and weighs 35-55 pounds and stands 19-24 inches. The double coat has a rough harsh outer coat and a soft flat undercoat. Colors typically will be black, tan, brown, red, and white, or combinations of any of those. This is a very clean breed that has no dog odor. It is easy to groom; just a brushing once a week. The Canaan is a seasonal heavy shedder.

The Canaan Dog is an excellent herder and works well as a team member in the field or farm.

This breed is very intelligent and will do well with training but quickly gets bored with repetition. This dog needs a firm and clear Alpha owner. The Canaan behaves best with clear leadership. If the Canaan feels that the owner is meek it may developed a higher dominancy level and become aggressive with other dogs. This is a working dog and requires large amounts of exercise in addition to mental challenges. Long daily jogs or walks, along with herding exercises, or other challenging training sessions will make for a calm household pet. The Canen is a loyal and gentle family dog. They are protective guard dogs and make for excellent watchdogs that will defend their territory. The Canaan Dog may bark a lot but can be trained to not do so. This dog needs to be well socialized to avoid becoming standoffish with strangers.

The life expectancy of this breed is 12-15 year and shows no signs of hereditary health problems.

The Canaan Dog is a descendant of the dogs of biblical Israel. Canaan looking dogs are depicted in drawings from 2200 BC. This breed is used to detect mines in desert regions and is often used for search and rescue, war sentry, herding cattle, guard, and a guide for the sight impaired. The Canaan was listed in the Herding category by the AKC in 1997.