HISTORY OF DOMESTICATED CANAAN DOGS

In 1935, Drs. Rudolf and Rudophina Menzel migrated to Israel from Vienna, Austria, accompanied by the words of cynologist Dr. Hauck, their mentor:  "Concern yourselves with the pariah dogs before it is too late," he wrote.  The Menzels took his warning to heart, engaged in scientific studies and observations of the native pariah dogs, and soon found themselves loving those neglected, unappreciated, yet unique creatures whose desire for human companionship beat so strongly in their hearts that even a first generation pariah dog could often turn into a housedog almost overnight.

The Menzels entered the first Canaan Dog, Dugma, in the Israeli Studbook, drew up a temporary breed standard approved by the FCI, and selected breeding quality dogs from those with beauty of form and ideal character traits.  The Canaan Dog breed was born with the entry of "Dugma," whose name means "model," "sample," or "example" in Hebrew, into the Israeli Studbook.  Many dogs bred today trace their ancestry to "Dugma," who represented the Pariah Dog Type III, the "Light Middle Type, noble and refined, collie-like* in structure."

*  The collie of the 1930's is different in head proportions and structure from today's breed.