Erbi Txakur

The Erbi Txakur is the Basque hare dog — its name means exactly that in Basque — a small hunting dog of the northern Spanish hills.

History

Basque hunters kept it to work hare and rabbit through gorse and bramble on the slopes of Biscay and Gipuzkoa, where a small agile dog gets into cover a larger one cannot. It is a regional working type rather than an internationally recognised breed, and Basque cynologists have worked to document it.

Temperament

The breed is known for being energetic, tenacious and attached to its own people, independent in cover and keen well beyond its size.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of exercise for a small dog, and a secure garden. The coat needs little.

Health

Generally robust; nothing is widely documented as specific to the breed. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.