Canaan

It is claimed that the Canaan dog originated during biblical times in the land of Canaan, where it was known as kalef K’naani. Drawings of dogs with a similar look to the Canaan dog were also said to be found in Beni-Hasan’s tombs, dating back to 2200 BC. During these years, dogs of the breed were used by Israelites to guard the camps and herd flocks. Apparently, these dogs were left to take care of themselves in areas such as the Sebulon coastal plain and Negev desert (a natural reservoir for wildlife in the area) when the Israelites fled their homeland upon the arrival of the Romans nearly 20 centuries ago. It is thought that the breed’s wild, male pups were captured by the Bedouins, who raised them and put them to work as guard dogs or livestock dogs. When, in the 1930’s it was found that the traditional European service dog was unable to handle the harsh climate to work for the Israeli Defense Force, Dr. Rudolphina Menzel looked for and caught feral dogs native to the area and started a program to train and breed them. Through her efforts, the breed was further developed to offer protection to isolated Jewish settlements and to grow the reserve of war dogs for the War of Independence. The breed successfully served in detecting mines as well as working as a sentry and messenger dog. Dogs of the breed also worked as helpers to the Red Cross in their efforts to locate injured soldiers during the second World War. After the war, many of the breed became guide dogs to the blind. In 1965 the first Canaan dog arrived in the U.S., where over time the breed began to attract attention. In 1997 it was accepted to the AKC as a member of the herding group.