Canaan Dogs

I have a herding friend with two.  They are very independent and work for themselves more than as a team.  They are quite stand offish with unfamilar people.  These two really demonstrate the word aloof.  Her two (she has had others, I just never knew them) are well socialized and behave civily around people and dogs.  They have titles at both ends.  I would expect they are a challenge to train in any endeavor based on what I have seen in the herding venue.

Caoilta.co.uk has a lot of GREAT articles about the breed.

Canaans kind of come under the herding group, and supposedly they can be taught to think of other animals they live with as part of the family, but no one is very sure if this would extend to small, furry, prey animals. The breeder said they speak in whispers and then get really offended and cross when other dogs don't notice their whispers. They're very territorial and not very fond of dogs they don't know, although there are always exceptions.

The breeder said they did need a firm hand with solid boundaries, but that they would be quite happy with their social status if given those things. Still really interested, but it turns out the only Canaan breeder in the country is leaving the country again. Oh well. My mother liked the basenji idea I was courting a couple of years ago better. Realistically, though, I'm not sure there will ever be room in my life for a dog with a strong prey drive.