The Galgo is a sight of Noble, Speed and Dignity, all these marks are to find back in its character.

The Galgo Español is a dog that deserves much more attention of sighthound-lovers than it's receiving right now.
From character the Spaniard is a Friendly, Faithful, Quiet and has a will to please its owner. Through these characteristics is the Galgo a fine buddy and family dog.


History

written by Claudia Gaede and Thomas Ebbrecht

Only a few people know that Spain has a long sighthound tradition. Some tourists have already met the original sighthound of Spain. It can be seen in the villages besides its master, ready for hunting hares over stick and stone. It is a beautiful sight to see, their long body, long head and narrow head.
Their shape, not formed by breeders striving for a certain beauty criteria, comes from the natural demands of hare hunting.

A large part of Spain consists steppe, only remainders of the original forests exist. In order to hunt a hare in such an open area, a dog is needed which is very fast and persistent. It must also be extremely agile, in order to pursue the hare despite sudden direction changes. On the dry uneven terrain of the Spanish mesetas, scattered with rocks, enormous strength is needed to complete the pursuit of the hares. Thus this climate, the topography and the demands of hunting have influenced the appearance and abilities of the Spanish Greyhound.

If you search for the roots of the Galgo Español, you must go far back in history. Many centuries before Chr. the Celts already hunted with medium sized sighthounds. These dogs pursued the track of the game not with the nose. But with their sharp eyes, and they ware fast enough to catch up to their booty in the run. As valuable hunters, they accompanied the Celts on their migrations, thus they were spread over most of Europe. They arrived on the Iberian Peninsula, when the Celts crossed the Pyrenees's in the sixth century BC, Centuries later, the Romans controlled large parts of Europe and continued the tradition of hunting with sighthound. The reputation of these dogs is reflected in numerous paintings and lyrics of this time. In the Roman province of Hispania, this sighthound breed was called Canis Gallicus (Celtic dog), and one assumes that from this the word Galgo developed, which in the today's Spanish generally means sighthound. Therefore. The Galgo Español or Spanish Greyhound is - like other breeds of European sighthounds - a descendant of these Celtic dogs. But other breeds probably influenced the breed over the centuries, e.g. by he Podenco Ibicenco or by the Sloughi, which was brought into southern regions by the Moorish occupiers during the 8-15th century AC.

The Galgo Español is closely linked to the Spanish tradition and was a companion of the Spanish aristocracy during the centuries. It is reported, for example, that the national hero El Cid used these dogs for hunting. In Spain, however, hunting with sighthounds was not only a privilege of the upper classes as it was in many other European countries. Today, it is still practiced by the rural population. Originally, hare hunting, was done only to get food, but later it was organized as a sport, the so called "carreras en campo". In these competitions, courage, power and hunting technique of the dogs are evaluated. The tradition and the rules of such competitions can be retraced into the times of the Roman Imperia.

Today, many Spanish Galgo owners belong to small racing clubs, which regularly organize their coursings. They are eager to be under the best ones of the entire country, in order to win the Copa de Su Majestad el Rey (cup of the king) in the final of the Spanish coursing championship.

Despite his popularity, the purebred Galgo Español threatened extinction at the beginning of 20th century. In the 30's many Spaniards turned away from the traditional carreras en campo and became enthusiastic for professional racing after the English model. Here, money was more important than the fame and honor. In the first races Galgos were started as well, but on an even course they are not as fast as Greyhounds. Since the latter's are more at risk of getting hurt, people crossed imported Greys with their Galgos, in order to get dogs with speed and robustness. Appearance and characteristics of these cross-breeds, called Galgo Ingles Español, were more like those of Greyhounds. The original type of the Galgo however was continuing to disappear.

In rural areas, in which the dogs were exclusively bred for hare hunting or carreras en campo and no crossing with Greyhounds were made, there are still stocks of beautiful and typical Galgos. Unfortunately, many of their owners are not interested in entering their litter onto the stud-book. But, the number of ambitious breeders in Spain, who set store to breeding their dogs with pedigrees and registration, is growing.

Character

The Galgo Español shows typical characteristics of a sighthound. At home, he behaves calmly and unobtrusively. Galgos bark very rarely. He saves his energy and his Spanish fire for the outside walks. The Galgo can be kept in a city dwelling without problems, if it is given sufficient opportunities for movement. When running in the fields, he inspires the viewer by his fiery temperament.
He is very affectionate to his master or his family. With strangers, he commonly behaves reserved and careful, but not aggressive. He wants to decide who may pet him. Because Galgos incline to caution and reserve, puppies should be exposed to different situations early in their life. It is also important for them to learn to know other people, so that caution does not change to fear. Galgos get along easily with other dogs. They do not like quarrels. They also are gentle and sensitive with children.