Plate 151 · Mediterranean
Ibizan Hound
伊比赞猎犬
“The high-jumping rabbit dog of Ibiza.”
- Origin
- Spain
- Ibiza, Balearic Islands
- Region of origin
- From the island of Ibiza; the marker is the Balearic Islands' reference point, which lies on Mallorca, the neighbouring island.
- The point marks the region the breed comes from, not an exact birthplace.
- Era
- Traditional in Ibiza; claimed ancient
- Today
- Hunting dog · Companion
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
Ibiza, Balearic Islands
A tall, lean, large-eared hunting dog from Ibiza, hunting rabbits by scent, sound and sight.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Hunting rabbits, often in mostly female packs; traditionally the catch was food.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
The AKC repeats the story that Phoenicians brought Egyptian hounds to Ibiza thousands of years ago; a 2012 genome study of modern breeds (Larson et al.) named it among European breeds whose written or pictorial record superficially suggests deep origins, but found no distinct 'basal' genetic signature in it. The authors explain such signatures by a lack of recent crossbreeding, helped by isolation, rather than by age, and conclude that studies of modern breeds have yet to shed light on dog origins; the study does not date when the modern breed was formed. The first US imports produced a litter in 1956.
04 · Today
Hunting dog · Companion
A rabbit-hunting dog in Spain; in the United States a companion and lure-coursing dog.
Personality
- Family-oriented
- Even-tempered
- Polite
- Athletic
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- Very athletic: lots of exercise and a tall fence; many can jump five or six feet from a standstill.
- Grooming
- Minimal coat care; check the large ears.
- Training
- Trainable but independent; even-tempered at home.
Living with one
- Size
- Large
- Lifespan
- 11–14 years
- Coat
- Smooth or wire coat; red, white, or red and white
Field note
Many Ibizan Hounds can clear five or six feet from a standing start.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Hound Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (as Ibizan Podenco, Group 5, standard 89), Real Sociedad Canina de España
- Popular in
- No reliable data
AKC: Hound Group, recognized 1978.
Traditionally a rabbit-hunting dog in the Catalan-speaking areas of Spain. AKC registrations: ranked 174 among breeds in 2025.
Sources4 references
- Ibizan Hound — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/ibizan-hound/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Ibizan Hound — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibizan_Hound
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · DNA evidence of recent formation, related primitive breeds, use on rabbits in Catalan-speaking Spain and France, pack hunting and working trials.
- Ibizan Podenco — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/IBIZAN-PODENCO-89.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Spain; Group 5, section "Primitive type - Hunting Dogs"; accepted 1954.
- Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography (Larson et al., PNAS 2012) — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3384140/
Academic · accessed 2026-10-16 · Genome study of modern breeds; read: abstract and the paragraph naming the Pharaoh and Ibizan Hounds.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: From the island of Ibiza; the marker is the Balearic Islands' reference point, which lies on Mallorca, the neighbouring island.
