Page 2 - Sloughi Magazine Test

About The Sloughi

By the beginning of the 20th century, the Sloughi was
almost extinct. Political upheavals had disrupted
highly sophisticated breeding by leading families. A
French law introduced during French occupation
which prohibited hunting with Sighthounds had
resulted in the shooting on sight of these dogs.
Epidemic rabies had further decimated the Sloughi
population. In spite of dedicated efforts which started

at the end of the 1960’s in Europe, North Africa and
the USA, the Sloughi is still not very common, and its
breeders have an important responsibility in the
conservation of this ancient breed.

The Sloughi’s native countries are Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia and Libya. It is the hound of the Berber and
Bedouin who have always highly treasured the
Sloughi’s tremendous hunting skills, beauty and
loyalty and treated him like family.

In the old days, the Sloughi used to hunt desert hare,
fennec (desert fox), gazelle, large mountain gazelle,
hyena, ostrich, and jackal. Today it hunts mainly

desert hare, fennec, rarely gazelle, and protects the
goat and sheep herds by hunting their predator the
jackal. Like all Sighthounds, Sloughis are open space
hunters which rely on excellent vision, speed and
stamina to catch their prey. They chase on sight
anything that moves, however far away. Although the
breed hunts mainly by sight, it also relies on scent and
sound to do so.

The Sloughi is also an alert watch dog, which remains
aloof and cautious with people it does not know.
Sloughis take time to warm up to strangers allowed to
enter the house, and it is always best to let them do it
at their own pace. With its owner the Sloughi is
gentle, affectionate and very loyal. Once it has
bonded with someone, the Sloughi does not always
change owner with ease. Bedouins treasure this
attitude and have bred their Sloughis accordingly.

International Sloughi Magazine