Overview
The Portuguese Podengo is a primitive hound from Portugal used to hunt rabbit and, in its largest form, boar and deer. It comes in Pequeno, Medio and Grande sizes and in smooth or wire coats, so the dog in front of you might be a four kilo terrier-sized scamp or a thirty kilo athlete. The Pequeno is the one most often seen in Britain.
All sizes share a sharp, inquisitive nature, upright ears, a tendency to bark and a hunter's reaction to movement. They are affectionate and funny with their own people and tend to be more robust and outgoing than Spanish podencos arriving from rescue.
Exercise and walking needs
A Pequeno is content with an hour a day and a good sniff. Medios and Grandes want ninety minutes or more, with the chance to run. Vary the ground; they enjoy scrambling over rough terrain and get bored of flat tarmac.
Mental work matters for all sizes. Hiding treats in grass or cardboard makes a happy Podengo.
On the walk
- Recall: Decent for a primitive hound in the smaller sizes, patchy in all sizes once something runs. A long line in open country is the sensible default.
- Pulling: Light in Pequenos, moderate in bigger dogs. Any size will lunge hard at a rabbit, so brace near hedges.
- Other dogs: Generally confident and sociable. Pequenos can be bossy with bigger dogs; keep an eye on that in groups.
- Barking: Podengos are vocal and alert bark readily. Not a problem in the field, more so in town.
- Digging: They go after rabbits underground. Watch warrens and keep the dog out of holes.
Tips for professional walkers
- Use a harness with a secure fit; these dogs twist and back out of collars.
- Rotate routes with rough ground, hills and scrub rather than parks.
- Scan ahead for rabbits and squirrels and shorten the lead before the dog notices.
- In the wire-coated dogs, check the beard and legs for seeds after long grass.
What to ask the owner
- Which size and coat is the dog, and how much exercise is it used to?
- Does it bark much on walks, and does the owner want you to manage it?
- Where has it been reliably off lead, and what does it chase?