# Sloughi Also known as: Arabian Greyhound, Berber Greyhound, Moroccan Sloughi - **Group:** Sighthound (FCI group 10) - **Size:** Medium - **Origin:** North Africa - **Height:** 61โ€“72 cm - **Weight:** 20โ€“32 kg - **Life expectancy:** 10โ€“15 years - **Temperament:** Noble, Reserved, Loyal, Sensitive, Alert The Sloughi is an elegant North African sighthound, built for speed and endurance. Reserved with strangers yet deeply attached to its family, it is also unusually alert and watchful for a sighthound. ## Overview The Sloughi is a slender, racy sighthound from North Africa, long treasured by Berber and Bedouin people as a hunter and guardian. It carries itself with a noble, slightly aloof air, and its dark eyes have a gentle, thoughtful expression. At home it is a quiet, sensitive companion that bonds closely with its people. It needs room to gallop, gentle handling and careful early socialisation to grow into a confident, well-balanced adult. ## History The Sloughi has lived in North Africa for centuries, mainly in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Its name is a variant of the Arabic word for Saluki, and the two breeds probably share a distant ancestor. Ancient rock paintings and Egyptian tomb art show slim, drop-eared dogs that look much like it. It is still used to course hare, fox, gazelle and other game, and to guard the camp. The FCI accepted the breed in 1998, and the American Kennel Club recognised it in 2016. ## Appearance The Sloughi is a lean, elegant sighthound with a long, refined head and drooping ears. Its muscles are strong and clearly defined, the topline is nearly level, and the tail is long and carried low with a slight upward curve at the tip. It looks a little like a shorter, sturdier Greyhound. The dark eyes give it a gentle, somewhat melancholy look. In its homeland, appearance can vary a little by region and local conditions. ## Temperament The Sloughi bonds very closely with its family and can be tender, loving and sensitive. With strangers it is reserved and slow to warm up, and it expects polite distance from visitors. Unlike most sighthounds it is alert and territorial, which makes it a capable watchdog. It is usually excellent with children it grew up with. Its prey drive is very high, so small pets are safe only if introduced early. Training should be kind and patient, because harsh methods do real harm to its character. ## Care and exercise A Sloughi needs plenty of daily exercise, including the chance to run flat out in a safe, fenced space. It is not well suited to apartment life without a firm exercise routine. Keep it on a lead in open areas, as it will chase anything that moves. Grooming is easy: an occasional rub-down is enough for the short coat. Early, broad socialisation to people, places and other dogs is important. ## Health The Sloughi is generally healthy and often lives well into old age. Progressive retinal atrophy occurs, and a genetic test is available. Some autoimmune problems such as Addison's disease and inflammatory bowel disease are reported. Like other sighthounds it is sensitive to anaesthesia and may react to vaccines and medications, so tell your vet. ## Ratings (1 to 5) - Energy: 4 - Exercise needs: 4 - Grooming: 1 - Shedding: 2 - Trainability: 3 - Barking: 2 - Good with children: 3 - Good with other dogs: 3 Page: https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/sloughi Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloughi ยท https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37925 Photo: Denhulde (CC BY-SA 3.0), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sloughi_male.jpg Profile written by an AI model from the sources above.