UTILIZATION:

The Podenco Ibicenco is mainly used for hunting rabbits without guns, by day and at night.
Thanks to his particularly good scenting ability, which, coupled with hearing, he uses more than sight, he scents and hunts out rabbits with ease, even in dense cover.
Nimble and bright, he catches his prey quickly, specially when hunting together with other dogs.
When one dog indicates game, he is surrounded by all the others, which keep a certain distance and stand in wait.
They bark only when they see or hear the game and when they have surrounded it.
Both when indicating and catching game, all dogs wag their tail fast, but are easily put off their waiting attitude.
The Podenco Ibicenco is also used for hunting hare and large game.
He is a good retriever.
With certain exceptions only bitches are used for the formation of a pack or, at most, with one male only, as the latter do not work together during a hunt and are quarrelsome.
When a pack has caught several thousand rabbits, it can happen with this breed, that some dogs from the same pack no longer want to hunt until they have had a considerable rest.
The Spanish expression “enconillarse” (go to rest) refers to this peculiarity.


BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY:

This breed originates in the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Ibiza, Minorca and Formentera, where it is known by the original name of “Ca Eivissec”.
It is also widely found in Catalonia, round Valencia, in the Roussillon and in the Provence, where it is known by the names Mallorquí, Xarnelo, Mayorquais, Charnegue, Charnegui and Balearic Dog.
Probably these dogs were brought to the islands by the Phoenecians, Carthaginians and eventually also the Romans.
This dog is a typical primitive and robust representative of one of the oldest still existing breeds.
Illustrations of these dogs are found in the graves of the Pharaohs and on objects in museums, so that the existence of the breed can already be proved in the year 3400 BC.


IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:

The distance from the tip of the muzzle to the eyes is equal to that from the eyes to the occiput.