KENAI
Saluki

The breeds · sighthound · sighthound

AKC Hound · UKC Sighthound & Pariah · FCI standard 269

Saluki.

FCI 269: hunting and coursing hound (Group 10, Section 1, long-haired or fringed sighthounds, without working trial); the type varies with the terrain and climate of each tribe, as the Saluki was used as a hound of the chase across the Middle East for thousands of years and, by tradition, was presented as a mark of honour, not sold. AKC: built "to kill gazelle or other quarry over deep sand or rocky mountains," with speed and endurance. UKC: bred and owned by Arab tribesmen for their sighthound abilities; never sold but given as an honoured gift. Britannica: kept by Bedouin nomads to hunt hare and other prey for sustenance; the Egyptians used it on gazelle; saluki races and coursing events are still held in the Middle East..

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.

13.3YRMedian lifespan12.3 to 14, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightall null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
40–65LBWeight, all linesbreed 40 to 65 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC: more than 2 hours per day.. 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

22.8 to 28 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard

No standard prints a bitch figure or an ideal, so one both-sex row; the female range is not given. Salukis vary in type by design (FCI and RKC), so a wide range is correct.

Weight

40 to 65 lb

Breed clubAKC

Weight comes only from the AKC page header and Wikipedia, which are summaries, not the standard.

Coat

AKC: smooth and silky, slight feather on the legs, at the back of the thighs, sometimes slight woolly feather on thigh and shoulder; a Smooth variety has the same points but no feathering. UKC and FCI 269 say the same, with feathering on the throat in adults and woolly feathering on puppies. Colour: AKC lists white, cream, fawn, golden, red, grizzle and tan, tricolor and black and tan; UKC and FCI allow any colour or combination, brindles undesirable.

Breed clubAKC breed standard

Three registries agree on the coat; colour wording differs and is stated by source.

Shedding

Shedding 2 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

4 of 5 · AKC: smooth coat of silky texture with slight feathering on the legs and back of thighs; the smooth variety has no feathering. Britannica: does well in warm climates but can adapt to cold, may need a jacket in very cold climates.

DerivedAKC breed standard

Derived from the standard coat description (short, silky, lightly feathered single coat = 4; the smooth variety would be 5). Britannica is editorial and agrees in direction.

How long they live, and what they cost

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

Median lifespan

13.3 years (12.3 to 14)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population. Teng et al. 2022 includes no sighthound.

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.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

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

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day; large house and large garden suggested, country. AKC breed page: energy level band 4 of 5. Wikipedia: prone to chasing moving objects such as cats, birds and squirrels.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC and AKC bands; Wikipedia is editorial.

Energy

AKC breed page: energy level 4 of 5 (AKC band); mental stimulation needs 5 of 5; trainability level 3 of 5.

Breed clubAKC

AKC trait bands, not a study.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · RKC: grooming once a week; short coat; sheds. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency band 1 of 5 (not mapped).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule. AKC trait bands are a different scale and are shown, not mapped.

Grooming

RKC: grooming once a week. AKC breed page: coat grooming frequency band 1 of 5, shedding level 2 of 5.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

AKC bands are the AKC page trait scores.

The work

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

Role

FCI 269: hunting and coursing hound (Group 10, Section 1, long-haired or fringed sighthounds, without working trial); the type varies with the terrain and climate of each tribe, as the Saluki was used as a hound of the chase across the Middle East for thousands of years and, by tradition, was presented as a mark of honour, not sold. AKC: built "to kill gazelle or other quarry over deep sand or rocky mountains," with speed and endurance. UKC: bred and owned by Arab tribesmen for their sighthound abilities; never sold but given as an honoured gift. Britannica: kept by Bedouin nomads to hunt hare and other prey for sustenance; the Egyptians used it on gazelle; saluki races and coursing events are still held in the Middle East.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 269

FCI, AKC and UKC wording; Britannica is editorial.

Primary game

RKC: hare, fox and gazelle. AKC: gazelle or other quarry over deep sand or rocky mountains. FCI 269: each tribe kept Salukis suited to the game of its own area. Britannica: hare (for sustenance) and gazelle. Wikipedia: gazelle, hare, fox and jackal.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC "About this breed," AKC standard, FCI, Britannica and Wikipedia agree on gazelle and hare.

Also used on

Wikipedia: jackal (a British officer and his wife coursed jackal and Dorcas gazelle with a pack of Salukis and terriers while stationed in the desert).

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source. Fox and jackal are also in the RKC and Wikipedia quarry lists.

Search pattern

RKC: hunting often took place on horseback, the riders using hooded falcons in combination with the hounds. Wikipedia: gazelle hunters have used hawks or falcons to attack the head of the prey so the dogs could bring it down; Bedouin hunters sometimes rode close to a hare on a camel, holding the dog, and threw it toward the prey at speed; the British example above ran a pack. Britannica: sighthound (chases by sight); quiet and seldom barks. Wikipedia: given its hunting instincts, prone to chasing moving objects.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC for the falconry pairing; Wikipedia and Britannica are editorial. Voice on the line in the field is not stated for the hunt itself (Britannica says seldom barks as a household dog).

Field trial standard

AKC Lure Coursing (breed eligible; dogs one year or older): tests are non-competitive pass/fail checks of coursing instinct, trials are competitive. In a trial hounds run in packs of three, each in a coloured blanket, behind a mechanical white-plastic lure on a 600+ yard course; judges score a maximum 50 points: overall ability, follow, speed, agility and endurance, 10 each. Stakes: Open (non-titled dogs), Specials (Field Champions) and Veteran. Titles: JC Junior Courser (two solo qualifying runs under two judges), QC Qualified Courser (a judge certifies a clean run with another hound), SC Senior Courser (qualifying scores at four trials under three judges), MC Master Courser (SC plus 25 more qualifying scores), FC Field Champion (15 championship points including two majors, under two judges; FC goes before the name). FCI 269 lists the Saluki without a working trial. Britannica: Saluki races and coursing events are still held in the Middle East.

Breed clubAKC

AKC lure coursing Get Started and Eligible Breeds pages. The AKC lure coursing rulebook, the ASFA rules (asfa.org was blocked from this environment) and the Schedule of Points by Breed were not read.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

1.7% · 299 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 1.7% dysplastic (mild 0.7, moderate 0.7, severe 0.3), 98.0% normal (excellent 41.8, good 53.2, fair 3.0). Wikipedia: hip dysplasia is uncommon in Salukis (a British Veterinary Association 2003 survey scored the breed among the lowest).

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA breed statistics. Small n, and OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock: owners submit selectively, so normal results are over-represented. OFA rank 213. No OFA elbow row for the Saluki.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia, citing a 2006 Kennel Club / BSAVA breed survey: cancer was the primary cause of death (35.6% of deaths; most often liver cancer or lymphoma), cardiac conditions second (cardiomyopathy, murmur and other cardiac issues in 17.2% of responses), dermatological conditions (dermatitis, alopecia) in 10.8% of responses; old age third.

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source, second-hand: the 2006 Kennel Club survey itself was not read. Survey figures are of respondents, not a measured prevalence.

More

akc bands

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

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Saluki 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. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Persian Greyhound, Gazelle Hound, Arabian Hound

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