GENERAL INFORMATION

Brief description:
The Cretan hound is a primitive hunting breed used for small and medium-sized game. It has also been used for other uses to serve humans and due to its increased intelligence, it responds quite well. Its use mainly concerns the hunting of hares, searching in small to medium distances to the hunter, using all its senses to find and pursue it. They are cooperative dogs and work very well alone, in pairs or in a group.

Search speed and distance:
The distance during the search between dog and hunter is short to medium depending on the place and conditions. During the hunt with a Cretan hound there is a relationship of interaction and mutual guidance between hunter and dog until the game is found. The speed of the search varies depending on the presence or absence of traces of prey, their intensity, the morphology of the ground and the weather conditions. Its speed decreases noticeably and it becomes more meticulous when finding the intense scent. This feature proves to be particularly useful in the hot and dry environment of Crete, where the traces of prey are not intense and easily detectable and the hare often exhibits a characteristic behavior, refusing to leave its hiding place.

Method:
The Cretan hound quickly distinguishes the “type” and the “intensity” of the smell, as well as how quickly it will lead to the prey. With the movements of the body and tail it indicates the type of smell as well as the type of prey (hare, other prey). It may show increased enthusiasm when finding the first traces, and changes behavior according to the situation. It remains silent throughout the search. If it realizes that the smell will quickly lead it to the prey, it becomes more enthusiastic, persistent, and impressive in the search. Otherwise, it indicates the existence of the smell without being indifferent but with less enthusiasm, moving relatively quickly from this stage searching for the trace that will lead it to the prey faster. In this phase, there are two possible behaviors.
The first is to persist in the trace, acting as a scent hound until the scent leading to the hiding place is clear.
The second is to abandon the scent from the ground and make circles around the initial smell in order to cover the ground and quickly check the possible points that will lead it to the prey.
As the distance between the dog and the prey decreases, the dog becomes more expressive, with more intensity in its movement, but also constant attention to locate it. The prey can be reached with a mixed method that is based on following the scent from the ground, in order to find the most intense scent. It also follows the smell from the air and checks the possible points even when the quality of the smell is not good or there is no scent at all on the ground.
Due to the population, the behavior of the prey, the geographical distribution of the hunting grounds and the hunting method used by local hunters in Crete, a method of research and approach has been forged and prevailed that focuses on the last tracks of the prey and not on unraveling the entire scent line (like classic scent hounds) where in many cases is not so clear.

When CH finds the prey, it makes a primitive stop, motionless or circles around it, or immediately flushes it out by attacking at it. To find the prey, the Cretan hound will not hesitate to enter dense bushy places, but it performs exceptionally well in sparse, rocky areas and any other ground. In case of unfavorable conditions, the CH can find the prey by falling on the smell its body and the search that has preceded does not have any scenting sign. Its behavior is the same anyway when finding the prey by scent or directly by the prey’s body smell.
During the evaluation, special attention should be given to the above parameters, as well as weight on the correctness-quality of the search, or luck during a “sudden” flush.
In case the prey has moved from its hiding place, the dog should show it by finding the place it was hidden, reacting strongly, raising its head to locate the prey by sight or sound, or by finding the escape scent. If the prey is close, it will locate it and pursue it. If the prey has moved far enough, it may follow the escape scent relatively quickly and for a short distance, returning quickly to search again. Also at this phase, the dog does not bark at all or may bark few times only if the prey is close. When the prey runs away from the hiding spot, the CH hunts it mainly by sight, with great agility. It is the only phase during the hunt where the dog uses sight more than scent. During the sight pursuit, it gives a thin, sharp bark, rather low in intensity. If its distance from the prey is short, it may give bark even when it loses visual contact, while in some cases it may not give bark at all. If the prey is lost from sight and cannot be found again, it makes a rather short scent chase usually without, or few barks, or returns immediately.

Style:
When searching for tracks, the dog holds its head at a medium height, often tending to lower its muzzle close to the ground. Its ears are usually pointed forward or turned back, folding them on the neck when it enters denser bushes. Its tail is always held high in a semicircle or circle and never lowered during the search. Depending on the phase of the hunt and the “intensity” of the scent, it moves it from light to strong, unfurling it completely, moving it up to the same line as the line of the back (not lower), to show exactly the intensity of the scent and its distance from the prey. It shows similar signs with its body and head, which it raises to check the position and phase of the rest of the dogs in the pack as well as the hunter. The whole movement is characterized by grace, dexterity, and stability, culminating in the detection and pursuit of the prey, where the animal’s reactions are very fast.

Special evaluation criteria:
The halting stance when locating the prey is not perfectly performed by all Cretan hounds. Also, some animals may give a voice when locating the prey just before flushing it. Some dogs may not bark at all when chasing the prey. The retrieval of the prey is perfectly performed by some Cretan hounds, most of the time instinctively, while in some cases the dogs circle the prey or simply shake it to relieve tension. Some animals perform some of the above excellently. Each of the above behaviors is correct, it is not decisive for the evaluation but it is a point of particular value. The rate at which the CH follows the scent from the ground or air, the duration as well as the method of pursuit are significantly affected by the hunting ground and weather conditions. The same behaviors are acceptable to exhibit in partridge, quail, and woodcock. It is not acceptable for the Cretan hound to hunt small birds, mice, or any ‘’unwanted prey’’.