KENAI
Pharaoh Hound

The breeds · sighthound · sighthound

AKC Hound · UKC Sighthound & Pariah · FCI standard 248

Pharaoh Hound.

FCI 248: an alert, keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close. AKC standard: a marked keenness for hunting, both by sight and scent. UKC: though a sighthound, able to use both scent and sight. AKC history article: on Malta the Kelb tal-Fenek ('dog of the rabbit') still plays an important role for hunters and farmers and was named national hound of Malta in 1979. RKC: rabbit hunter of Malta with ancient roots..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10YRMedian lifespan6.9 to 13.3, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
45–55LBWeight, all linesbreed 45 to 55 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC: more than 2 hours per day; large house and large garden; country. AKC page energy level 4 of 5 (AKC band, not mapped).. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 22 to 25 in · bitches 20.9 to 24 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1983

No standard prints an ideal; low is the FCI floor.

Weight

45 to 55 lb

Breed clubAKC

Weight comes only from the AKC breed page header, which is a summary, not the standard.

Coat

AKC: short and glossy, fine and close to slightly harsh, no feathering. Color tan to rich tan or chestnut; white tip on the tail strongly desired, white on the chest ('the Star'), toes and a slim blaze permissible, flecking undesirable; a solid white spot on the back, neck, shoulder or sides disqualifies (AKC). UKC: albinism disqualifies. FCI 248: tan or rich tan with the same permitted white markings; any other color unacceptable. Skin has no black pigment: AKC's history article says nose and ears blush rosy when the dog is excited.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1983

Color rules differ by source.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · AKC: short and glossy, ranging from fine and close to slightly harsh, no feathering. FCI: short and glossy. No undercoat is described.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1983

Derived from the standard's coat description (short single coat, no feathering = 5). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10 years (6.9 to 13.3)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. Very small n and a wide interval. UK population. AKC page life expectancy band (12 to 14 years) is not used here.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day; large house and large garden; country. AKC page energy level 4 of 5 (AKC band, not mapped).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.

Energy

4 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · RKC: grooming once a week; short coat; sheds. AKC page: coat grooming frequency 2 of 5 and shedding level 3 of 5 (AKC bands, not mapped).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 248: an alert, keen hunter, hunting by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close. AKC standard: a marked keenness for hunting, both by sight and scent. UKC: though a sighthound, able to use both scent and sight. AKC history article: on Malta the Kelb tal-Fenek ('dog of the rabbit') still plays an important role for hunters and farmers and was named national hound of Malta in 1979. RKC: rabbit hunter of Malta with ancient roots.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 248

FCI, AKC, UKC and RKC wording; the Malta details are AKC editorial.

Primary game

Rabbit. AKC history article: the quarry on Malta is rabbit. RKC: rabbit hunter of Malta. On the sister island of Gozo they are sometimes also used to herd goats and sheep and to retrieve birds (AKC article).

EditorialAKC, 2022

Also used on

AKC history article: on Gozo, sometimes used to herd goats and sheep and to retrieve birds. No registry standard names other quarry.

EditorialAKC, 2022

Search pattern

AKC history article: used in teams to chase and corner rabbits across rocky terrain and farmers' fields divided by stone walls. When the dogs find a rabbit it runs to a den or a wall hole; all exits are netted, all but one dog are put aside, and a ferret wearing a small bell is sent in to bolt the rabbit; the remaining dog follows the ferret's bell through tunnels and walls, so the hound needs acute hearing. Hunting usually takes place at night and the dogs chase for hours. FCI 248: hunts by scent and sight, using his ears to a marked degree when working close. Voice on the line is not stated in any source read.

EditorialAKC, 2022

Single editorial source for the Maltese method; FCI for the senses.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

2.9% · 720 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 2.9% dysplastic (mild 2.5, moderate 0.4, severe 0.0), 96.3% normal (excellent 16.0, good 67.9, fair 12.4)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 204). OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented.

Elbow dysplasia

4.2% · 240 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 4.2% abnormal (grade 1 3.8, grade 2 0.4, grade 3 0.0), 95.8% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 92). Small n and breeding-stock skew: owners submit selectively, so normal results are over-represented.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

No KENAI kennel lists the Pharaoh Hound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 7 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Kelb tal-Fenek, Maltese Rabbit Hound

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

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