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Which of these is the common name for the Galgo Espanol?

Spanish Greyhound. The Spanish Greyhound is slightly shorter than the more common English Greyhound and also has a wire-haired form that is extremely rare. Although not generally used in the field as a pure bred, it still maintains an aloofness which is more on a par with working or Eastern sighthounds.

You should never throw sticks for your sighthound.

t. Sticks are notorious for being a health hazard to all dogs, especially sighthounds. Your sighthound's chest is very large, and the skin can be quite thin. The most common 'stick' problem here is when they snap and become embedded in the chest wall. These sticks can often end up puncturing a lung!

Who am I? I am a very regal breed who nearly died out in the 19th century along with my quarry. Contrary to my name, my roots are Roman and despite my size I love children.

Irish Wolfhound. The Irish Wolfhound did indeed stand on the brink of extinction when the wolf was wiped out in Ireland and the UK. It was saved by a British Army officer, Captain G.A Graham. Although Irish in name, it is thought to have been brought over by the Romans almost 2000 years ago. The Irish Wolfhound is well known for its gentleness with children regardless of it being the tallest breed of dog in the world today.

This breed is also known as the Tazi and was originally bred to hunt and guard. With its beautiful coat, it is arguably the most elegant of the sighthounds.

Afghan Hound. The Afghan Hound was originally bred to hunt wolves and foxes and also to guard sheep and goats, a job that it still does in its country of origin. Known in its homeland as the Tazi or Baluchi Hound, this very independent breed comes in three varieties: short haired, fringed and long haired (the most popular in the Western World.)

The Whippet is the smallest of the sighthounds.

f. The smallest sighthound is actually the Italian Greyhound, standing around 14 inches at the shoulder (a whippet stands above 17 ins.). Often regarded as a member of the toy group, this fine-boned breed dates back to ancient Greece and Egypt. Although its purpose was to be a companion, it is still classified as a sighthound and indeed shares many common sighthound personality traits (it likes to have it own sofa!), as well as physical attributes that are general to all sighthound breeds.

This American breed has Irish Wolfhound and Scottish Deerhound in its blood and was developed by early settlers to hunt all manner of quarry, including wolves. Today it is used mainly to hunt deer.

American Staghound. The American Staghound has been used in many capacities in its time, from hunting for the settlers' survival to hunting just for sport. Due to its very gentle temperament, it is now becoming much more of a companion and family dog.

Which of these breeds is also known as the Arabian Hound, Gazelle Hound or Persian Greyhound?

Saluki. The Saluki was developed by nomadic Bedouin tribesmen to hunt gazelle. Although the Islamic religion describes dogs as unclean, special dispensation was given to Salukis and other sighthounds, allowing them to live with "true believers".

This sighthound can come in varying degrees of red and white and can have a wire haired, long or smooth coat. Its origins are in and around the Mediterranean.

Ibizan Hound. The Sicilian Greyhound (Cirneco Dell'Etna) and the Pharoah Hound are only known to have smooth coats, as does the Sloughi. The Ibizan Hound tends not to be as well-respected in Spain as the Pharoah and Sicilian. This has led to many welfare issues regarding this breed in Spain (for more info see the Podenco Aid Foundation http://hem1.passagen.se/komhund/index.htm). The Ibizan loves children and makes an excellent family pet, although you will need a securely-fenced garden as this breed has been known to easily jump 7 feet from a standstill! This sighthound uses scent and sound to hunt, and because it has a soft mouth it is also used to point and retrieve!

Who am I? I am often referred to as one of Europe's lost breeds and am very endangered. I stand a few inches taller than the greyhound with a stronger build.

Chart Polski. The Chart Polski is native to Poland and nearly became extinct during World War II. This breed remained relatively unknown until the fall of the Iron Curtain, the first litter was not raised sucessfully outside of Poland until 1991. Good with children, this breed makes a loving family pet. Due to its still-strong working background, however, this dog is still very much unsuitable for urban living. For more info see http://members.aol.com/Houndski/

Which of these breeds is very rare, and native to Burkina Faso?

Azawakh. The Basenji is native to Zaire. The Rampur Greyhound is native to India, and the Chart Polski is native to Poland. The Azawakh is an extremely graceful breed that is sadly quite rare. Used as a hunting dog and a guard dog, the Azawakh still retains strong hunting and guarding instincts which can make it somewhat unpredictable. A breeding program has recently been set up in the United States to save this ancient sighthound. This has involved taking several breeding pairs from the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. The Azawakh needs a little refining in the temperament area before it becomes a suitable family pet. For more info on this breed visit http://www.azawakh.com/ieshome.htm

This breed has sometimes been the centre of arguments as to whether it is merely a short haired version of the Saluki.

Sloughi. The Sloughi is indeed a breed in its own right and not a form of the Saluki. At home in North Africa the Sloughi is used for guarding and hunting, its natural coat colours are generally sand or fawn derivatives which help it to blend in with desert sands when hunting. The Sloughi can be reserved with strangers and may not suitable for families with young children due to its retention of strong guarding instincts.

Who am I? I am often referred to as one of Europes lost breeds and am very endangered. I stand a few inches taller than the greyhound with a stronger build.

Chart Polski. The Chart Polski is native to Poland and nearly became extinct during World War II and remained relatively unknown until the fall of the iron curtain. The first litter was born in the US in 1991. Good with children this breed makes a loving family pet but due to its still strong working background (similiar to the greyhound) this dog is still very much unsuitable for urban living. For more info see http://members.aol.com/Houndski/

You should never throw sticks for your sighthound.

t. Sticks are notorious for being a health hazard to all dogs especially sighthounds. Your sighthounds chest is very large and the skin can be quite thin, the most common stick problem here is when they snap and become embedded in the chest wall. They can often end up puncturing a lung!

Which of these breeds is thought to most resemble the Eygptian god Anubis?

Pharoah Hound. Although alot of the Mediterranean sighthounds look similar to one another there are subtle differences which render the Pharoah Hound as the breed which most strongly resembles Anubis. The Pharoah Hound is thought to have descended from the "Eygptian Hound" more than 5000 years ago. Unlike other sighthounds and similar to the other Mediterranean breeds the Pharoah hunts by sight, sound and smell.

This breed is native to India and is one of three distinct Indian breeds that are very rare.

Rampur Greyhound. The Rampur, Banjara and Mahratta Greyhounds are all native to India and are all rare. Fulfilling the same role as the English Greyhound they also share much the same temperament being good with children and making an excellent family pet. Like other rare breeds, however, that are still very close to their working roots this breed is unsuited to urban life.

Which of these breeds strongly resembles the Irish Wolfhound and American Staghound?

Scottish Deerhound. The Scottish Deerhound shares coat type and size with the Irish Wolfhound and American Staghound. Once only reserved for Scottish nobility the Deerhound is now quite popular with all classes! A great family dog this breed does have a tendency to chase livestock which makes it necessary to be kept on a lead in farming areas.

Greyhounds and other short coated sighthounds are capable of withstanding cold conditions.

f. If you own one of these breeds it is strongly recommended that the dog wears a special dog coat when going outside on wet or cold days as even when the coat is fully grown it still affords little protection against the elements.

Who am I? I am quite small compared to my cousins but am still very fast. I am used mostly for racing and although I look delicate I am robust and fearless.

Whippet. The Whippet is indeed still used for coursing and racing. Like other sighthounds it enjoys the comforts of the sofa but is equally happy when at work. This little dog can reach speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph) but is still an excellent family dog and is well suited to urban living.

Now an easy one! Which of these breeds is native to Hungary?

Hungarian Greyhound. The Hungarian Greyhound is similiar in looks and temperament to the English Greyhound although it is, perhaps, a little stockier. Also known as the Magyar Agar this breed is still used for coursing hares in its home country and is rarely seen outside of Hungary and Romania.

The Lurcher is a breed in its own right.

f. The lurcher is produced by cossing a greyhound or similar sighthound with either a collie or terrier. The confusion comes when a cross of two different breeds of sighthound is also called a Lurcher. Native to Ireland the lurcher does not necessarily breed true and is not bred to a specific standard which means it is not a breed in its own right rather than a common name given to a particular type of cross breed or mongrel.

This breed is easily identifiable by is large ears and lean, muscular body.

Podenco Canario. The Podengo Portugueso Medio is not actually a sighthound. The Podenco Canario or Canary Islands Hound has really large ears in relation to its head and it uses these as much as its eyes when hunting. Like the Ibizan Hound it can also point and retrieve but even more unusually for a sighthound it hunts in packs. A good family pet it tends to be reserved with strangers.

Ok, another easy one. The eyes are the organs that sighthounds NORMALLY use to hunt with.

t. All sighthounds have narrow, tapered heads that allow them to see more efficiently. Their large eyes can easily detect movement and can see this some distance away. This is why some of the breeds with stronger instincts can be unreliable off the lead!

This breed is one of great antiquity and has remained unchanged for thousands of years. As such it has been used to save many other breeds from extinction.

English Greyhound. Although it is true for the other breeds that they have remained unchanged and they do date back to ancient times, it is the Greyhound that has been used to save other breeds from extinction such as the Irish Wolfhound, Chart Polski and Rampur Greyhound.

Who am I? I am the shortest of the Mediterranean breeds and am native to one of the Italian islands.

Sicilian Greyhound. The Sicilian Greyhound or Cirneco Dell'Etna is about half the size of the other Meditteranean breeds but otherwise similar in appearance. This breed is not, however, an amenable family pet being unpredictable with both children and other dogs and somewhat hard to train. It is not suited to urban life due to its strong working roots. This breed also uses scent and sound to hunt aswell as sight and has been around for 2000 years.

All sighthounds use sight to hunt.

f. If you have read the information given with the above answers you will probably be kicking yourself right now. As before, the Meditteranean sighthounds are known for using scent and sound to hunt with aswell as sight.