Jump to content

"klieb Tal-kacca Ta Malta" The Maltese Hunting Dog


Recommended Posts

Ok, elaborate more please?

Yes, please...

I am assumimg that either the Pharoah-type hound or the Talbot-type hound is the Hunting Dog you refer to? Surely neither the Maltese or the bob-tailed Chihuahua-type dog would be the national hunting dog?

ETA _ OK after reading your other posts I can see that it is the orange and white hound that is the Maltese Hunting Dog, or I suppose Maltese Hound in English(?) but please do tell us something about the other two as well.

Edited by RuralPug
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seriously couldn't wait for an answer after seeing the lovely looking pointery dog in the photos thread. :o

More here from a maltese breed forum

Brilliant googling Anna! Gorgeous breed! Wow if you can get it established here it will be in great demand for game birds! I was surprised but pleased to see that the Kelb tal-Fenek is actually the Pharoah Hound, although it sems that some Maltese breeders are unhappy with the way that the breed developed in Britain and Europe.

I could find very little on-line regarding the Kelb Tal-but that appeared reliable. It would be fascinating to find a bit more history on the Kelb Tal-but which appears to be closely related to the Chihuahua (which of course is from the New World so on the face of it seems unlikely. Could it be a parallel mutation/regression?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love hearing of your enthusiasm and dedication, best wishes for the future with your lovely dog!

Would you have any pictures of the "Pharoah Hound" in its indigenous form?? I would love to see what the Maltese have....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Maltese background. The dog that's in the top left is the Kelb tal-Fenek which is the National Dog of Malta. That particular pic is on a Maltese stamp & coin (the model dog's name was Ra of Attard). English translation is 'Rabbit hound' because of its use for hunting.

Some of these native Maltese dogs were taken to the UK and finally became an accredited breed with the Kennel Association. The Maltese name was dropped and replaced by Pharaoh Hound... even though these dogs had nothing to do with Egypt. But they were of a type like various native hound breeds around the Mediterranean region. So it's not surprising that the Kelb tal-Fenek looked similar to dogs depicted in art work in ancient Egypt.

In the meantime, the native Maltese Kelb tal-Fenek has continued to be bred, raised and used for hunting by farmers (& others) in Malta, within the original gene pool.

There was a good article in the Times of Malta newspaper that asked if that original gene pool is shrinking or not. And also the issue regarding any export of the native Kelb tal-Fenek. Written by Jan Scotland.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040720/letters/the-national-dog-of-malta.117338

There's a reliable website devoted to the native Kelb tal-Fenek with pictures & info.

http://www.kelb-tal-fenek.de/indexeng.htm

The dogs in action with their Maltese owners here:

http://www.kelb-tal-fenek.de/action.htm

Edited by mita
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re the Kelb tal-Kacca (plural is Klieb tal-Kacca). The Maltese Gun Dog Top right in the OP.

Here's another article from the Times of Malta that deals with it. Lovely pic of Maltese man with his dog, Sasha. He's working towards a registry & breeding of these dogs on Malta with a view to getting it recognized as purebred.

He believes the Kelb tal-Kacca may have evolved from a mix between the Kelb tal-Fenek and a French or Italian Pointer.

(English is widely spoken in Malta. It was formerly administered by the British.)

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100405/local/dog-owner-gunning-for-breed-purity.301312

Edited by mita
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh Mita can you tell us anything about the Kel Tal-But please? History especially?

I know next to nothing about that littlie, RP....except its name means Pocket Dog. I've seen a few articles speculating how & where these dogs might have come from. There's a video someone's put up on the Net. I'll see if I can find it...

Here's an article that speculates the Maltese Pocket Dog was connected with the Chihuahuas of Mexico....based on facts they both have a 'soft spot' in their skull & the connections of trading routes.

http://www.chihuahua.classykennels.com/history.html

Another article that speculates that the Chihuahua originated in Europe & points to the similar Pocket Dog of Malta.

http://www.chihuahua.it/HistoryChihuahua.asp

It's odd there's not much info to pull up about these Pocket Dogs currently in Malta. More available on the 2 hunting dogs.

Wish I knew someone there, connected with the little dogs....like, if they're still bred.

Edited by mita
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seriously couldn't wait for an answer after seeing the lovely looking pointery dog in the photos thread. :o

More here from a maltese breed forum

WOW!, you found my post on the Maltese Hunting Forum! , those are some of Hunters photo as a pup around 12 weeks showing his natural ability to quickly learn to retrieve, as you can see the purple knotted dumbell is almost as big as his head!

Well here is Hunter and his Master jen, he was 12-13 weeks in this photo.

Here is a link to the Maltese Hunting Dog Club in Malta overseen by the FKNK Federation for Hunting & Conservation Malta who is pushing and working to do the research to obtain international pedigree recognition once getting enough information through maltese owners registering their dogs. aswell as entering them into dog shows as "Kelb Tal -kacca" is now eligble to enter shows run by the Maltese Canine Federation which has no ascociation with FKNK or its ascociated club KRPE

http://www.huntinginmalta.org.mt/index.pl/MalteseHuntingDogClub

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re the Kelb tal-Kacca (plural is Klieb tal-Kacca). The Maltese Gun Dog Top right in the OP.

Here's another article from the Times of Malta that deals with it. Lovely pic of Maltese man with his dog, Sasha. He's working towards a registry & breeding of these dogs on Malta with a view to getting it recognized as purebred.

He believes the Kelb tal-Kacca may have evolved from a mix between the Kelb tal-Fenek and a French or Italian Pointer.

(English is widely spoken in Malta. It was formerly administered by the British.)

http://www.timesofma...d-purity.301312

Quite right so over many decades the Kelb Tal-Fenek & Italiano Bracco (Italian Pointer), it is most definitely the Italian Bracco,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that's so cool! Lovely dog! All the best for breed recognition in Australia kelbteltakka!! Would love some more pics of Hunter!! :thumbsup:

Well done super sluth powerlegs!!

Well here is the very FIRST photo i ever took of a full grown adult male dog, "chester" , as you can see he is extremely well built with real clear cut markings, with dam large ears and one unique expressive face

He is Hunters uncle, "Chester" one of the 2 first males here in Victoria.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love hearing of your enthusiasm and dedication, best wishes for the future with your lovely dog!

Would you have any pictures of the "Pharoah Hound" in its indigenous form?? I would love to see what the Maltese have....

Here is a perfect example of the Kelb Tal-Fenek hunting in Malta along the stone walls, as you can see the environment they must adapt to in the background of the photo.

The Kelb Tal-Fenek is rumoured to be able to run as fast if not faster than a whippet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love hearing of your enthusiasm and dedication, best wishes for the future with your lovely dog!

Would you have any pictures of the "Pharoah Hound" in its indigenous form?? I would love to see what the Maltese have....

Kelb Tal-Fenek aka "The Pharaoh Hound" is one of the oldest domesticated dog breeds in the world. The breed is estimated to have originated around 4000 to 3000 BC. The breed's exact origin is unknown, but one belief is it began in Ancient Egypt. Numerous Egyptian artifacts and writings show a dog that is undeniably a direct ancestor of the Pharaoh Hound. The dogs were used to chase and hunt small ...game and were also a loyal companion of the royal pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. It is believed that the Phoenicians brought the dogs from Egypt to the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. The dogs are now the national dog of Malta, declared in 1974. For 2000 years the people of Malta were exclusively responsible for developing and preserving the breed into the Pharaoh Hound we know today. In Malta the hound is known as the Kelb Tal-Fenek, which literally translated means "Dog of the rabbit", which was the dogs main task. Just like his Mediterranean cousins, the Ibizan Hound, the Cirneco Dell Etna, the Portuguese Podengo, and the Podenco Canario, the Pharaoh Hound is both a sight hound as well as a scent hound, using its sense of smell to a marked degree when searching for its prey. When the prey bolts, its sight hound instincts come into play and the hound is in full flight in strong pursuit. The breed is also a good guard dog. It has been used to accompany goats and sheep on their way to the pasture and as a gundog to flush and retrieve quail and woodcock. Maltese Lira coins were minted in 1977 depicting the Pharaoh Hound on the back side. During the 1960's Pharaoh Hounds were imported to England and to the United States. The breed was recognized by the AKC in 1983.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re the Kelb tal-Kacca (plural is Klieb tal-Kacca). The Maltese Gun Dog Top right in the OP.

Here's another article from the Times of Malta that deals with it. Lovely pic of Maltese man with his dog, Sasha. He's working towards a registry & breeding of these dogs on Malta with a view to getting it recognized as purebred.

He believes the Kelb tal-Kacca may have evolved from a mix between the Kelb tal-Fenek and a French or Italian Pointer.

(English is widely spoken in Malta. It was formerly administered by the British.)

http://www.timesofma...d-purity.301312

Mita it is because of owners like Andrew who realize the importance of the breed to Malta, as an icon, companion and working dog unique to Malta faced with the very real threat of extinction due to no standard pedigree plus cross breeding and lack of owners registering their dogs.

It is the FKNK with the KRPE(Public Relations & Educational Commission) established the Maltese Hunting Dog club, enabling owners to now register their dogs allowing research and information to be collected.

"The Kummissjoni Relazzjonijiet Publiċi u Edukattiva – KRPE (Public Relations & Educational Commission) is a sub-committee set-up within the FKNK that deals mainly as its title implies, that is with public relations and educational events and activities, mostly with environment conservation issues.

The Committee’s chairmanship is under the guidance of FKNK’s Public Relations Officer, and its secretariat is undertaken by another FKNK Council Member. The Committee’s members are mostly composed of youths, hunters and trappers, but also some non-hunting volunteers.

Some of the KRPE’s calendar of events include the annual clay-pigeon shooting competition for teams and publicity Stands at Mnarja and Malta’s International Trade Fair. Other ad hoc events and participation include clay-pigeon shooting occasions, conservation efforts by ‘putting back into the wild’, FKNK Members District Meetings, Dinner Outings, Stands in various villages on special occasions, etc.

The KRPE is also responsible for recruitment of members and events’ organisation for CUBS (children’s Club) and the Maltese Hunting Dog Club."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...