Without going into the arguments that breeders might have in regards to what is correct Canaan Dog type, this page is to merely point out to new puppy buyers that there does tend to be two, somewhat different types of Canaan Dogs. "American Type", "Old Type", "Dugma Type" or "Classic Type" are terms sometimes heard to describe the first type and the other type is sometimes referred to as the "Israeli Type" or "Laish Type". Arguments can be made for and against both types and I will leave that to take place in some other forum.

The reason there tends to be two different styles of Canaan Dogs simply because there are two very fine dogs in the breeds' history that are considered a model for Canaan Dogs. Some breeders choose to model their breeding program primarily to re-produce the qualities of one of these dogs over the other. I personally think both have merit, and while I lean towards the first, I think the latter is very important to a progressive Canaan Dog breeding program. Variety in the appearance of Canaan Dogs is expected within our breed, and many breeders are careful to breed for sound health, temperament, and structure. Any variety in type is due to each individual's interpretation of what represents correct type based on their understanding of the breed's history. Thankfully, most of us can appreciate the qualities in both types, even if we prefer one over the other.

Dugma, whose name means 'model', was a wild caught Type III pariah dog chosen by the breeds' founders, the Drs. Menzel to be the type representative of their new breed, the Canaan Dog.

Laish was bred in by the Menzel's kennel and was considered by them to be a very fine example of a Canaan Dog. He was the first Israeli Champion.

Both styles of Canaan Dogs are correct. There is a range in which the Drs. Menzel indicated the Canaan Dog could lie.

To learn more about the range of styles and the Menzels' study of pariah dogs, please order a copy of the translated documentation, Pariahunde.