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Breed guide · Dogs
She hunts the flat for crumbs, nose first. I hide her dinner around the living room.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
Their ears and nose turn rose-pink the moment you walk in.
What's going onWhen they are happy or excited, their ears and nose flush a deeper pink. It is perfectly normal. Those thin, pink ears and that nose can also burn, so keep them in the shade in the middle of the day, and use a dog-safe sunscreen your vet recommends.
At home
Head down in the grass, then off after a smell you never noticed.
What's going onMost sighthounds chase what they see. Pharaoh Hounds were also bred to find rabbits in the dark, so a smell can take them off just as fast as a cat can. Lead or long line, unless it is fully fenced.
At home
A wall that holds every other dog on the street barely slows them down.
What's going onThey were bred to work over stone walls, and some Pharaoh Hounds clear a villa wall that would hold another dog. Stay out in the garden with them: even a dog who has never tried the wall can clear it.
At home
First onto the cool tiles, and first under the blanket when the air conditioning comes on.
What's going onThey were bred on a hot, dry island. They still need shade, water and walks in the cool hours, and a blanket under the air conditioning.
At home
Two perfect sits, then a polite wander off on the third.
What's going onPharaoh Hounds are clever and funny, and they get bored of repetition fast. Short, varied sessions with good rewards work. Drilling the same thing does not.
At home
Up the stairs four at a time, and a hard landing at the bottom.
What's going onHip and kneecap problems can show from puppyhood in the breed. A skip in their step, or a hop in their back legs, is worth showing your vet.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their work
Built for: Hunting at night over walls and rock.
In Dubai: Life on a lead.
Their ground
Built for: Rocky, stone-walled Maltese fields.
In Dubai: A city with almost no open ground.
Their nose
Built for: Finding rabbits in the dark.
In Dubai: Very little to find.
Their nose has as little to do as their legs.
You cannot give them a Maltese hillside. You can give their nose and their chase real work, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Pharaoh Hound at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
A scent or a moving cat can take them off in a second.
Every age, from the first walk
Why
A scent or a moving cat can take them off in a second.
What to do
Use a martingale collar, which tightens just enough that they cannot back out, or a fitted harness, with a lead or a 10 to 15 metre line wherever it is not fully fenced. Keep training the recall, and never rely on it near a road.
They were bred for a hot island, and their thin, pink ears and nose can still burn.
Every age
Why
They were bred for a hot island, and their thin, pink ears and nose can still burn.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Keep them in the shade in the middle of the day, and use a dog-safe sunscreen your vet recommends on their ears and nose. Give them a blanket under the air conditioning.
Each chase makes the next one faster, and there are street cats on many walks here.
Every age, easiest to start as a puppy
Why
Each chase makes the next one faster, and there are street cats on many walks here.
What to do
Introduce cats and small dogs slowly, over weeks, on a lead. Do not give them the chance to chase anything alive. Teach a muzzle early, calmly and with treats, so it is never a shock if a vet visit or a busy walk needs one.
They are bright, sensitive and bored by repetition, and pressure makes them switch off.
Every age, most of all puppies and teenagers
Why
They are bright, sensitive and bored by repetition, and pressure makes them switch off.
What to do
Five-minute sessions, varied, with good rewards. Stop while they are still keen. No shouting, and nothing that hurts or frightens them.
Hip and kneecap problems can show from puppyhood in the breed.
Every age, most of all up to 4 years
Why
Hip and kneecap problems can show from puppyhood in the breed.
What to do
Once a week, watch them walk and trot away from you. Look for a skip, a hop or a stiff first few steps, and run your hands over their hips, knees and back. Film anything odd on your phone. While you are at it, give their coat a brush. Their teeth need one every day.
They use their nose far more than a Greyhound does, and sniffing tires them.
Every age
Why
They use their nose far more than a Greyhound does, and sniffing tires them.
What to do
Let half of every walk go at their pace, nose down, with them choosing the route. Twenty minutes like that beats an hour at your side.
They like a good lounge after a run, and they can clear walls other dogs cannot.
Every age
Why
They like a good lounge after a run, and they can clear walls other dogs cannot.
What to do
Put a padded bed where the family sits. In a villa, stay out in the garden with them. A wall that looks high enough often is not.
A chase needs an ending, or they are left wound up rather than tired.
Every age, gentler while growing and from 7 years
Why
A chase needs an ending, or they are left wound up rather than tired.
What to do
Use a flirt pole on grass or sand, three to five minutes, twice a week. Let them catch it at least twice, and stop while they still want more. Keep it low and slow while they are growing.
They hunted by scent and sight, so scent games give them real work.
Every age
Why
They hunted by scent and sight, so scent games give them real work.
What to do
Scatter part of their dinner on a rug or on grass, or hide treats around a room for them to find. Give them a window to watch from too.
A busy flat keeps them from the long rest a sprinter needs.
Every age
Why
A busy flat keeps them from the long rest a sprinter needs.
What to do
Give them a quiet spot they can take themselves off to, and naps nobody interrupts. If they are restless at night, look at their day first.
One of these is in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Maltese or show-bred
In Malta they still hunt rabbits as the Kelb tal-Fenek, the rabbit dog. Elsewhere most come from show lines, bred for the ring and for life at home.
Colours
Pharaoh Hounds come in warm shades from tan to a rich chestnut. A white tip on the tail is much loved, and some have a touch of white on the chest or toes.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Start lead and muzzle training early, with treats, while they are small, and keep games of chase low and slow while their joints grow.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put a padded bed where the family sits, somewhere quiet enough for a long nap. In a villa, never leave them alone in the garden: even a dog who has never tried the wall can clear it.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder about both parents' hips, kneecaps and eyes. Hip and kneecap problems and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (gradual loss of sight) can show from puppyhood in Pharaoh Hounds.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep hunting for their dinner. If they stop bothering to look for it, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
The story
The name was chosen for a likeness to the hounds painted in Egyptian tombs. It is a lovely story, and genetic studies do not support a direct line.
What they still carryA name, and a story people love.
Malta
In Malta they are the Kelb tal-Fenek. Hunters took them out at night, often with a ferret, across rocky, stone-walled fields, and some still do.
What they still carryA nose as keen as their eyes, and legs that clear a wall.
The 1960s and 1970s
Dogs brought from Malta to Britain were registered as Pharaoh Hounds, and The Kennel Club approved a breed standard in 1974. Malta made them its national dog in the same period.
What they still carryA Maltese working dog with an Egyptian name.
1983
The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1983.
What they still carryShow lines abroad, working dogs in Malta.
Today
In the UAE they are a very rare dog, living in a flat or a villa.
What they still carryA warm-climate hound, with a nose and a chase that need a job.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Pharaoh Hound suits you, so might these.
SalukiThe same kind of sighthound, just as ancient, and even better suited to Dubai's heat.
GreyhoundAnother sighthound made for speed, bigger, and less at home in hot weather.
BasenjiThe same playful, independent temperament, in a smaller, almost barkless hound from Central Africa.
VizslaA similar size and the same sleek, short coat, in a hunting dog that stays glued to their people.
