Page 124 - THE SLOUGHI REVIEW - ISSUE 13

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The Sloughi therefore needs a high degree of orientation. The Sloughi has a socially
strongly integrated nature, like all canids. The social abilities of the Sloughi are used to
protect the herd. He protects “his” family, which consists of humans and animals.

Humans use these strongly socially oriented characteristics of dogs to display their

defensiveness and skills in noticing other individuals not belonging to the “pack” or
“family” at an early stage and to drive them away if necessary.

In nomadic or transhumant people, the dog moves freely in the field, as we have seen
with the Azawakh, even in a wild or semi-wild manner. This allows free mate choice (see
Zimen; see also Sloughi Review 9), but we will return to this later. The protection of the
tent villages and the herds belonging to them corresponds to a quite natural situation.

This, however, must be explained in more detail.

Sloughi as a guard dog in western Algeria, 2010
© Mangelsdorf