These are not my opinions but things I’ve learned from some of the men who wrote the Portuguese Podengo standard. Some will say I’d rather have a dog that is black then a dog that is …… but that is a false agreement. You don’t have to award either. Why breed a dog that you know won’t preform it’s function?

Bred for function and form, form and function.

The Portuguese Podengo Pequeno comes in two coats. A smooth and wire coat. The wire coats are very popular and most judges and exhibitors have seen them before. The smooth is the original coat dating back to the Egyptian times but until recently have not been shown here in the States.

You might possibly have 10 wire coat varieties in your ring and only one smooth. Judges must look beyond the coat.
Many times judges report putting up a wire because that is the coat they’ve seen before, or that the wire is “cuter”. Some claim the wire is more to standard than the smooth. However, This could be due to coat and grooming. The smooth is a what you see is what you get variety.

The breed standard calls for “Smooth coat which is short and very dense. Wire coat (rough) is long and harsh. The hair on the muzzle is longer (bearded) on the wire coat variety. The wire coat is not as dense as the smooth variety. Both varieties are without undercoat. Skin on both varieties is thin and close fitting. A very rustic breed shown naturally. Groomed but not trimmed or sculpted”
~Rustic Breed shown naturally.
~GROOMED but not sculpted. These two sentences confuse many exhibitors.

The breed standard calls for “The height is 8 to 12 inches and the weight is 9 to 13 pounds. Proportions – The distance from the withers to the bottom of the chest is one half the total height. The length from the point of shoulder to the point of buttocks is 20 percent longer than the height.”
~8 to 12 inches. The correct dog might seem small when the majority of the dogs are over 12 inches.
~20 percent longer than tall. This is not square.
~ The distance from the withers to the bottom of the chest is one half the total height. This is a 50/50 ratio

The breed standard states “Stop – Barely defined. Eyes – Very lively expression with small almond shape set slightly oblique. Not rounded or prominent.”
~eyes that are Round do not protect the dog while hunting. We must remember function when judging.

The breed standard calls for color that is “Yellow or Fawn. Light, medium or dark shades are acceptable. The color can be solid or with white markings or white with markings of the above colors. The following colors are accepted but not preferred. Black or brown, as solid colors or with white markings.”
~the function of the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno is to hunt rabbits. The standard was written this way to protect the dogs. I’ve talked to some of the creators who helped rewrite the standard as we know it now. They did not expect people to breed for not preferred colors. When hunting, either actively shooting or searching the fields you will not see a black dog. He will be hidden in the shadows. This is dangerous.