Ibizan Hounds

Bevo is in the sighthound group at daycare, & there are two beezers in his group.  I've became friends with their owner, & gotten to know both dogs pretty well.  I love them, but could probably never own one.  They are very sweet, & once they have gotten to know me, they are quite personable. 

I am not sure that I would be happy with a sighthound.  I love being able to let my dogs off leash, & know that they aren't going to try to take off.  I'm also not sure that I can handle their prey drive.  The two dogs that I know have killed their owner's cat.  They were both raised, from puppyhood, around the cat.  They come over from time to time to play with our dogs.  We keep the doxies, & Angel inside because the beezers are much too interested in them.

 Same, same. Looooove the sighthounds (obviously). I don't think I could own a big one, though. I love my little dogs, and would be devastated if the prey drive overrode the thinking part of the dog.

Thank you both!

Yes, I see the prey-drive as the biggest drawback.  I was hoping, like with greyhounds, that there may be some odd-balls with very low preydrive.  I think the fear of it would always be a worry.

I think I may have to admire from afar.

Oh, there are individuals with lower prey drive, and many breeders of Ibizans live happily with small dogs and cats. Aza hounds (www.azahounds.com) has italian greyhounds, a podenco andaluz and cats.. with beezers that are active in lure coursing. However they are a risk. Most will tell you that while fine with their pack, outside other animals are not safe. It's very important to keep them separate when home alone should a cat or a small dog start running.

 Beezers are also very skilled jumpers and can easily sail over a 5 and even 6 foot fence quite easily. So you need a high fence or the dog needs to be constantly supervised. It's for the purpose of hunting, because in their native land the bush is very thick and they can lose sight of the prey so they jump to get a better view of things. They are very deerlike. They're really nice dogs... Have a great sense of humor and they are one of the prettiest breeds, imho.

 I cannot imagine a big sighthound leaping! Little Jewel takes these HUGE flying leaps, so effortlessly. I have seen all 13 lbs of her leap over 5 feet high, and not even look like it was an effort.

There is a great photo on Aza hounds website of one of her dogs jumping over a 5 foot fence.. and looking very happy while doing it. LOL

 But one year at a Superdogs show there was a "guest appearance" from a Ibizan Hound from Toronto and they did a height jumping contest. The highest the dog, Leap, (bred by Paradise Ibizans, I think) managed was 6 feet.

 With sighthounds of all sorts, they can usually get along with small dogs and cats in the house but when outdoors it is a different story. I have known Greys who killed cats outside that they had lived peacefully with in the house. I don't think I'd ever trust a sighthound loose in a yard with a small dog. Of course, I wouldn't trust a small dog loose in a yard with any large, prey driven type dogs - why take a chance?