Appearance

The Sloughi is a medium-sized member of the Sighthound family. It should be strong, lean and racy in appearance with a smooth coat and long legs. The lean muscles and bony structure should be apparent. The Sloughi’s build is squarish to very slightly higher than long, although bitches may be longer than dogs. The ideal proportions for a Sloughi’s height to length are 0.96:1.0. The Sloughi is featherlight when moving and capable of great speed.



The head is long wedge-shaped with small dropped ears, and a nearly straight topline from the base of the neck to the loin, where it arches very slightly and blends into a bony, sloping croup. The underline of the Sloughi is important to correct breed type. The brisket is deep but does not reach the elbow. The long sternum forms a straight line, parallel to the ground, which rises sharply into the tuckup. The tail is long and carried low (not higher than the back) with an upward curve at the end. The Sloughi’s attitude is noble and somewhat aloof, and the expression of the large brown eyes gentle and melancholy, sometimes described as sad looking.

Dogs are typically taller and more substantial than bitches, which should be smaller, more lightly built and feminine. Bitches may be longer than dogs.

The Sloughi’s prowess at hunting define the breed. A Sloughi must have speed, agility and endurance over long distances as well as the requisite power to bring down its game (hares, gazelles, desert fox, ostriches, hyenas and jackals). For this reason, it should give the general appearance of a short-coupled, well-balanced animal with no exaggeration of length of body or limbs, muscle development, nor curve of loin.

Temperament

The Sloughi is an alert and intelligent sighthound with a sensitive nature. The Sloughi loves its home but also loves variety, walking on the leash, romping in the countryside, free coursing and racing. Exceptionally close and bonded to its owners, Sloughis like to be part of the family and will not be happy relegated to the solitude of kennel life. Sloughis are easy to bring up and to train, if done intelligently and sensitively. Like all sighthounds, its training shouldn't be oppressive, overbearing or heavy-handed. Positive and consistent reinforcement are much more effective with this breed.

Sloughis require good socialization from an early age and should be introduced to new places, new people and new situations as puppies and throughout their lives. They are excellent with children if both the Sloughi and the children are taught how to respect one another. They can also live with cats and small dogs, but only if introduced at an early age. The Sloughi's prey drive is very high and care must be taken with smaller animals so that the Sloughi's natural hunting instinct does not cause it to view smaller animals as prey.

In unsecured areas, a Sloughi must be leashed. Even a well trained Sloughi, if sighted on a rabbit, can run for a very long time before returning to its owner, and a Sloughi owner must be vigilant for dangers such as automobiles.