Perdiguero de Burgos vs Cretan Hound - Breed Comparison

Although the Cretan Hound or the Kritikos Lagonikos is recognized in both Greece and Germany, the hunting dog breed is from the island of Crete, Greece. The dog’s history goes back thousands of years. It is an ancient breed and some believe it is one of the oldest hunting breeds in Europe.

The Cretan Hound has been bred as a working dog, combining sight and scent to track down their prey. Today it is still a rare dog breed that you won’t easily find outside of Crete.

Greece kennels recognize this dog as well as some European kennels, but it isn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The Iberian Peninsula is thought to be the place of origin for many of the pointing breeds of Europe, and the Perdiguero de Burgos hails from Spain. Known as the Spanish Pointer, the dog has contributed to the development of other pointer breeds.

The dog has been around since the 1500s and believed to be a descendent of the Perdiguero Navarro and the Sabueso Español.

Today's Perdiguero de Burgos is smaller and lighter so as to make it into a better bird-hunting dog.

The Perdiguero de Burgos has always been used to hunt deer but today it is used as a pointer of smaller animals and birds.

Known for its extraordinary scent abilities as well as its speed, this dog has always been used as a hare hunter because of these skills.

It’s a slender dog of medium to large size and stands at about 60-68cm in height and weighs between 20 – 30kg. It is lean, strong, muscular and swift with a body that is inclined to be longer than tall.

He is slightly heavier than other scenthounds and his ribs aren’t seen. The head is wedge-shaped and the ears drop down, are folded back or can be semi-erect. The eyes are dark and the tail is long and curves upwards with longer hair being found on the tail.

The coat is short and smooth, and coat colors of the dog are varied and can be fawn, sandy, grey, white, black or brindle, and it can be tri-colored too.

Temperament:

The Cretan Hound is alert to sight, sound and scent and when it senses prey, the tail moves in a circular way and the dog becomes rigid for a while before he is off on the hunt.

He is a gentle, intelligent dog, reserved around strangers but making an excellent family pet as he gets on well with all his human family members as well as pets in the house. With good training and socialization, the dog becomes more relaxed around strangers.

He isn’t an aggressive dog, and while he is alert to sounds and smells, he doesn’t make a particularly good watchdog.

The Perdiguero de Burgos is a large dog with straight, strong legs and a strong, musculr body. He stands at between 52 - 64 cm and weighs between 22 - 32 kg.

The short, smooth coat is white and liver and the coat is heavily flecked or speckled. The ears are Long and floppy, the nose dark brown, the eyes dark hazel and the tail long and fairly slender. The tail has always generally been docked.

The chest is deep, it has a strong, square shaped head with the muzzle being long and quite broad. This dog isn’t recommended for life in the city as they are active dogs requiring a lot of open spaces.

Temperament:

These are wonderfully calm dogs, being gentle and intelligent and with a quite, confident expression to them. Even on the hunt these gun dogs are calm and steady. He is obedient and intelligent, easy to train and patient with children and other dogs.

Training and socialization of this excellent dog simply makes him even more obedient, amicable, Loving and loyal, making him a splendid pet.

The Cretan Hound is an energetic, curious dog, but when it comes to being a family pet, he is affectionate and gentle.

He is a reserved dog around strangers. He likes to be busy and will love his walks and games with his human family members. He is smart so is readily trained and he likes to be obedient and to please.

The Cretan Hound will live in harmony with other dogs in the home and they’re also patient and good around disciplined children who have learned to respect animals.

Provide your Cretan Hound with his fair share of love and attention and he will go out of his way to be a loyal and loving family friend.

Your Perdiguero de Burgos is such an amicable dog, making a splendid family pet. He can sometimes be a little reserved but he is never aggressive.

He can be stubborn but he is intelligent and responds well to training and socialization. He is lively, playful, energetic, calm and loving and he will be willing to join you when you go out jogging or riding your bicycle.

When it comes to grooming he is also pretty low maintenance, so you can see that when it comes to choosing a fantastic family pet, this easy-going, calm dog should be a top consideration.

The Cretan Hound is a healthy, robust dog breed, but even so, he can suffer from some common health problems that other dogs are also susceptible to. Some of these are hip dysplasia , cancer, ear infections, bloat and cherry eye.

Remember that if you don’t want your dog to have puppies, they can actually benefit health-wise from being spayed or neutered. Doing this for your pet can prevent a number of health issues later on down the line.

Make sure too, that your puppy receives his vaccinations in a timely fashion so as to avoid terrible, life threatening illnesses such as parvo and rabies.

All dogs can develop health problems, and with the Perdiguero de Burgos you will need to be made aware of some of the common heath problems there are -

Hip Dysplasia:

Hip dysplasia is a common skeletal disease where the dog’s hip joints don’t develop properly and the hips partially dislocate. It makes it very painful for the dog to get around. Hip dysplasia is a genetic condition, although diet and environmental factors can play a big part too. Rapid weight gain can also contribute to hip dysplasia as the extra weight puts strain on the joints.

Hypothyroidism:

This is caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland. Thyroid cancer can also cause hypothyroidism, and it occurs more often in large breed dogs. A common sign of low thyroid function in dogs includes thinning of the hair and a dull, lifeless coat. There is also weight gain and reduced activity. Hypothyroid dogs also are inclined to have ear infections as well as skin infections. Your pet will need to get to the vet for blood tests and treatment.

Other health problems include eye problems, allergies, bloat and even epilepsy. Once you buy a puppy, it is your responsibility to protect him from some of the deadly diseases there are and take him to the vet for his puppy vaccines.

You’re certainly not going to have to do too much grooming with the Cretan Hound as he is a low maintenance breed.

The dog is a short haired breed and an average shedder, so a good brush twice a week will keep the coat free of loose hairs and maintain the condition of the hair.

As with all dogs, the nails as well as the ears must be checked and attended to. The veterinarian can advise you on how to keep his ears clean and free of infection, as prodding around without knowing can damage his ears.

Exercise:

This Cretan Hound has high activity needs. He is energetic and also hard-working, and you’ll need to be taking him on long walks and providing him with some highly energetic playing sessions. Throw ball for him and take him with you when you go jogging or cycling.

Exercise is of critical importance to these energetic dogs. That is why it is important for them to live in a home where there is plenty of opportunity to run, swim and hike. They’re way too energetic to be confined to a tiny city property.

Grooming:

The dog is an average shedder and the smooth coat of the Perdiguero de Burgos simply requires a brush-down twice a week. A rub down too with a chamois will be therapeutic for your pet and leave the coat shiny and vibrant.

Rubbing your pet down like this will give you the opportunity to feel for any unusual lumps and check for fleas and ticks. It is also your chance to check inside the dog’s ears. The ears are floppy and because the dog loves water so much, dirt, wax and moisture can be a breeding place for bacteria and painful ear infections.

Diet:

If you feed your Perdiguero de Burgos a commercially manufactured dog food, make sure you choose a high quality one that has been manufactured particularly for large, energetic dogs. Some of the poor quality foods have bad ingredients in them such as colorants, preservatives and worthless, toxic fillers that can have a detrimental affect on your pets health.

Try and include some tasty homemade food into your dog’s diet too. Tasty, nutritious food such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and wholesome vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots and spinach will do your pet the world of good. You can every now and then, also include some raw meat.

All a dog wants is a simple, wholesome diet like this as it ensures he doesn’t have any digestive upsets. Dogs like simplicity and consistency. Make sure your pet has a never-ending supply of fresh, cool water.