Perdigueiro Galego
Breed at a glance
- Origin
- Spain
- Weight
- 20 to 30 kg (45 to 65 lb)
- Height
- 50–60 cm (20–24 in) [ 1 ]
- Coat
- short
- Colour
- bicolour or tricolour; white with chestnut, orange, cinnamon and/or black; also solid brown, yellow or black
Use
The Perdigueiro Galego is a versatile pointing breed, used to hunt and point to game, and then to retrieve it once shot by the hunter. [ 3 ] It is used predominantly to hunt game birds , in particular partridge , quail and woodcock , although it is also used to hunt small ground game such as hare and rabbit . [ 6 ] : 566 [ 3 ]
intro
The Perdigueiro Galego is a rare Spanish breed of pointer from the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is one of four traditional breeds of the region, the others being the Can de Palleiro , the Guicho or Quisquelo, and the Podengo Galego . [ 3 ] It is recognised by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación – the Spanish ministry of agriculture – and by the Xunta de Galicia , but not by the Real Sociedad Canina de España . [ 1 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]
History
The Perdigueiro Galego – like other regional pointer breeds such as the Old Spanish Pointer , the Portuguese Pointer , the Pachón Navarro and the Braque Français – descends from dogs of Bracco Italiano type imported into north-western Iberia and south-western France several centuries ago, all developing into distinct types according to the preferences and requirements of local sportsmen. [ 6 ] [ 3 ] The Perdigueiro Galego was formerly commonly found in the municipalities of A Mezquita , Viana do Bolo , Riós , Laza and A Veiga in the Galician Province of Ourense . [ 3 ] From the 1970s onward, foreign breeds of pointer became available to Spanish hunters and numbers of the Perdigueiro Galego went into decline; this was compounded by a decline in partridge numbers throughout the Galician Massif . [ 6 ] [ 3 ] To prevent the extinction of the breed, the best surviving specimens were identified and recorded, particularly from the provinces of Ourense and Lugo , but also in A Coruña and Pontevedra . [ 6 ] : 567 [ 3 ] A stud-book for the breed was established in 2001; it is managed by the Club de Raza do Perdigueiro Galego . [ 6 ] [ 3 ]
Characteristics
The Perdigueiro Galego is a medium-sized breed of pointer: it weighs between 20 and 30 kg and stands between 50 and 60 cm ; the breed shows a considerable degree of sexual dimorphism , with recommended heights for dogs 5 cm greater than those for bitches. [ 2 ] [ 4 ] The breed has a short dense coat, which may be spotted or mottled bicoloured or tricoloured with any of chestnut, orange, cinnamon and black on white; solid brown, yellow or black examples are also found. [ 6 ] [ 4 ]