History
The first Ibizans came from Ancient Egypt and Africa.
There are records on papyrus, rocks, stone, tombs and
pyramids, including sculptures from the Saqara Temple,
as early as 3,000 BC. More conclusively, bone discovery
from the Proto-Dynastic period of Ancient Egyptian
history date them to 4,770 BC, however, prehistoric
drawings on walls of the ‘Tassili’ caves at Hoggar, in
the Sahara desert, date back to 8,000 BC. They feature
primitive, spear-bearing hunters and clearly depict
trained, domesticated, lean and agile, ‘prick-eared’
hounds, pursuing and seemingly entrapping Mountain
Sheep.
When the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Moors traded
around the Mediterranean, these hounds were bought to
the Balearic Islands were they bred in isolation and
reportedly, even refused to mate with other canines.
The breed was refined there for several thousand years
and can still be located today on the islands of
Formentera and Mallorca but in particular, on the
island of Ibiza, approximately 250 kms from Valencia,
located off the mid-western coast of Spain.
Early, famous UK dogs were SOL - from first U.K.
litter, bred by Mrs. Isobel D G Holt, LEO the BRAVE -
imported from Ibiza by Archeologist, John West IVICEN
CLEOPATRA - bred by Ms. Diana Berry (UK ‘standard’
based on her)
The first litter in Australia was born in 1985.
Character
This breed is very kind, is loved by children and has
to be hard pressed to fight. He has a lovely ‘Peter
Pan’ nature but can be easily crushed by rough handling
or shouting, due to his acute hearing and sensitive
nature. They have great stamina and can work all day,
and even by night. Extremely alert and curious, they
are usually very cautious with strangers. They are an
agile, tall hound, usually between twenty-three and
twenty-nine inches tall at the shoulder, lightly built
with erect ears and a long tail. They can be smooth or
rough coated and must have NO black anywhere. Colours
are White, Chestnut, Lion or any mixture of these.
Alert and determined, they are able to leap eight feet
high from a standing position. They are very versatile
hounds; able to free hunt, to lure course, to flush out
and pick-up on shoots, to track race, in the show ring,
for obedience and also as a household pet and
companion. Text courtesy of
Colin Sarantis
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