Many people have purebred dogs but most of their owners do not know the origin or history of their pet’s breed. It is a pity that this happens since it is very important because in addition to helping us understand the character of our dog, it is also very interesting to see how dogs throughout history have suffered a number of migratory movements that ended up influencing them as well as it happened with people.
In this article we want to focus on the breeds of dogs originating in Spain, which is a country that has had an important relevance in the formation of many of the canine breeds that we know today thanks to the orography of the Iberian Peninsula along with its archipelagos.
The Spanish breeds (and also the Portuguese ones) were very influential in dogs from other countries since on infinite occasions Spanish specimens have been exported that would end up mixing with the autochthonous breeds from other areas of the world. The Majorcan Bulldog, for example, was a dog in high demand by countries such as Japan or the United States during 1990. These crosses gave rise to new dogs that with the passage of time were modifying their characteristics.
The Spanish breeds, on the other hand, have been maintaining their own characteristics and originality. Did you know that there are highly valued breeds of Spanish dogs outside of Spain? For example the Spanish greyhound, a dog that is very loved.
Another curious fact is that most of the Spanish dog breeds have always been used for hunting , to be herd guard dogs or to work in the field. Currently this continues to occur but many of these animals such as the Spanish spaniel or the Ibizan Hound are kept in homes as pets.
Does your dog’s breed come from Spain? How many races do it? What are the breeds of Spanish dogs? Spain has almost forty autochthonous dog breeds that differ between official breeds and unofficial breeds. The official breeds are the majority and are collected by the International Canine Federation.
Below you will see some of the best known Spanish specimens and discover their most relevant characteristics.
