Podencos tend to be sweet-natured, and are usually calm and gentle.
Galgos and Podencos
make great pets
Galgos tend to be calm, quiet, gentle and laid back. Many live with cats and other small animals without a problem, while others, give proper instruction, can be trained to observe appropriate boundaries.
Often described as “40 mph coach-potatoes,” Galgos are are content to sleep the day away as long as they’re given a couple of short daily walks. They make excellent jogging companions.
Galgos can be either smooth- or rough-coated and generally come in one or two colors. Long and lean, they are elegant dogs with streamlined heads and almond-shaped eyes.
Similar in appearance to racing greyhounds, Galgos sport a leaner musculature more adapted to endurance than sprinting. Forever curious, they are often good jumpers, and can easily leap over a 4-foot obstacle.
Podencos tend to be sweet-natured, and are usually calm and gentle around other dogs and people.
Podencos are generally a combination chestnut and white. Their coats can be long, short, smooth or wired. Similar in appearance to greyhounds, the Podencos’ most striking feature are their large, upright ears.
Podencos come in three sizes – small, medium and large – spending on their Spanish region of origin and the type of terrain they’ve been bred to hunt on. The most common types are the Podenco Andaluz (Andalusian Hound), the Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizan Hound) and the Podenco Canario (Canary Islands Hound).
Active and athletic, they can jump surprisingly large heights from a standing still position. Given their strong prey drive, getting them to return to you can sometimes be a challenge.
Several shelters in Spain are dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and finding adoptions for Galgos and Podencos.