Mudhol Hound
Encyclopedia
The Mudhol Hound is an India
n breed
of dog
of the sight hound type. The breed is also known as Caravan Hound and the feathered variety is commonly referred to as a Pashmi. In the villages he is known as the Karwani. It is a common companion
amongst village folk in India's Deccan Plateau
, who use the dog for hunting
and guarding
.
The Kennel Club of India
(KCI) and Indian National Kennel Club (INKC) recognize the breed under different breed names. The KCI registers it as a Caravan Hound while the INKC goes with the name Mudhol Hound.
and the females are 64–68 cm tall. The back is long, broad and well-muscled. The loins are wide and deep. The chest is strong and deep with well sprung ribs. The abdomen is tucked in. The hind quarters appear wide and well-muscled. The tail is strong at the base, not too long, set low and carried in a natural curve. The gait is high-footed, flexing all four legs, but should not be hackneyed. There are two coat varieties—one with an entirely smooth coat and the other with silky featherings on the ears, legs, and tail. All colours and combinations of colours are acceptable.
, capable of providing an excellent performance in the field on a consistent basis, under gruelling conditions that would decimate most other dogs. It is therefore elegant, graceful and courageous. Its physical strength couples with great speed and plenty of stamina to allow it to catch and kill several types of game, from hare
to blackbuck
, over rough country. It is not an ideal dog for the apartment dweller, as it needs a great deal of space to exercise, although if arrangements are made to exercise the dog regularly in a sufficiently large, safely fenced area, it may do well in a flat or any other dwelling.
The breed, if treated with kindness and respect, can be exceptionally loyal. They are not very friendly, and do not like to be touched by strangers. However, a Caravan should never be aggressive, as this sort of temperament
is not ideal for a hunting dog, which must tolerate other dogs and human beings, especially when they are not intruding on his territory. It makes a reasonable watch dog, and can protect that which he holds dear, should the need arise. He should always be treated in a kind, consistent, fair, and respectful manner, otherwise he may develop a nervous or vicious nature -- either of which are difficult to live with.
, Maharashtra
, and, to a lesser degree, Andhra Pradesh
. The name, Karwani, endures to this day in the villages, but it was anglicized to Caravan Hound when the Kennel Club of India recognized the breed.
Many hound dog varieties like the Saluki
and the Afghan Hound
were brought by the Pathans, Arabs, Persians
and Afghans
when they came to India through the Khyber Pass
. The Karwani is probably descended from these dogs. They followed their nomad
masters in caravan
s from place to place, hence the name - Caravan Hound. It is said that the Afghans were given lands to act as a buffer between Aurangazeb's Deccan kingdom and the Maratha Empire
, therefore the dogs are also found in the same area. They were bred for their functional qualities like the ability to withstand the harsh weather, hunting skills, speed and endurance, among others, rather than for aesthetic qualities.
In Karnataka
, the breed is also known as the Mudhol Hound, after a small town in Bagalkot District
. A former ruler of Mudhol
, Sri Srimanth Raja Malojirao Gorphade (Maloji Rao Ghorpade), is said to have presented a pair of hound puppies to King George V
of England. Upon inspecting these curiosities, the monarch found them true to sighthound
conformation and dubbed them “the Hounds of Mudhol”.
It is found not only in Mudhol, but is widely kept throughout the Deccan; however, the Indian National Kennel Club uses the Mudhol Hound name.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
of the sight hound type. The breed is also known as Caravan Hound and the feathered variety is commonly referred to as a Pashmi. In the villages he is known as the Karwani. It is a common companion
Companion
Companion may refer to:* A friend or acquaintance you associate yourself with* Companion , a nurse assistant or similar professional who assists a patient one-on-one* Companion , an architectural feature of ships...
amongst village folk in India's Deccan Plateau
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
, who use the dog for hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and guarding
Guard dog
A guard dog, an attack dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals. The dog is discriminating so that it does not annoy or attack familiar people.-Barking:...
.
The Kennel Club of India
Kennel Club of India
The Kennel Club of India is a registry of Purebred Dogs in India. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including Annual Dog Shows and Speciality Shows...
(KCI) and Indian National Kennel Club (INKC) recognize the breed under different breed names. The KCI registers it as a Caravan Hound while the INKC goes with the name Mudhol Hound.
Appearance
The Mudhol/Caravan of today has well-defined characteristics. The head is long and narrow, broad between the ears with a tapering muzzle. The jaws are long and powerful, with a scissors bite. The nose is large, and may be black, liver, or flesh coloured. The ears are medium sized, very slightly rounded at the tips, and hang close to the skull. The eyes are large and oval in shape, and may be dark or light in colour. The expression is a piercing gaze. The neck is long, clean, and muscular, and fits well into the shoulders. The forelegs are long, straight and well-boned. The males are 68–72 cm in height at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
and the females are 64–68 cm tall. The back is long, broad and well-muscled. The loins are wide and deep. The chest is strong and deep with well sprung ribs. The abdomen is tucked in. The hind quarters appear wide and well-muscled. The tail is strong at the base, not too long, set low and carried in a natural curve. The gait is high-footed, flexing all four legs, but should not be hackneyed. There are two coat varieties—one with an entirely smooth coat and the other with silky featherings on the ears, legs, and tail. All colours and combinations of colours are acceptable.
Temperament
The breed is above all a working houndWorking dog
A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...
, capable of providing an excellent performance in the field on a consistent basis, under gruelling conditions that would decimate most other dogs. It is therefore elegant, graceful and courageous. Its physical strength couples with great speed and plenty of stamina to allow it to catch and kill several types of game, from hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
to blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....
, over rough country. It is not an ideal dog for the apartment dweller, as it needs a great deal of space to exercise, although if arrangements are made to exercise the dog regularly in a sufficiently large, safely fenced area, it may do well in a flat or any other dwelling.
The breed, if treated with kindness and respect, can be exceptionally loyal. They are not very friendly, and do not like to be touched by strangers. However, a Caravan should never be aggressive, as this sort of temperament
Temperament
In psychology, temperament refers to those aspects of an individual's personality, such as introversion or extroversion, that are often regarded as innate rather than learned...
is not ideal for a hunting dog, which must tolerate other dogs and human beings, especially when they are not intruding on his territory. It makes a reasonable watch dog, and can protect that which he holds dear, should the need arise. He should always be treated in a kind, consistent, fair, and respectful manner, otherwise he may develop a nervous or vicious nature -- either of which are difficult to live with.
History
The Mudhol/Caravan is an ancient breed, native to the Deccan Plateau of western India. This region covers parts of the states of KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, and, to a lesser degree, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. The name, Karwani, endures to this day in the villages, but it was anglicized to Caravan Hound when the Kennel Club of India recognized the breed.
Many hound dog varieties like the Saluki
Saluki
The Saluki, also known as the Royal Dog of Egypt and Persian Greyhound is one of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dog. From the period of the Middle Kingdom onwards, Saluki-like animals appear on the ancient Egyptian tombs of 2134 BC. They have connections both to the Bible and Imperial...
and the Afghan Hound
Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest sighthound dog breeds. Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan, where it was originally used to hunt hares and gazelles by coursing them....
were brought by the Pathans, Arabs, Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Afghans
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
when they came to India through the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
. The Karwani is probably descended from these dogs. They followed their nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
masters in caravan
Caravan (travellers)
A caravan is a group of people traveling together, often on a trade expedition. Caravans were used mainly in desert areas and throughout the Silk Road, where traveling in groups aided in defence against bandits as well as helped to improve economies of scale in trade.In historical times, caravans...
s from place to place, hence the name - Caravan Hound. It is said that the Afghans were given lands to act as a buffer between Aurangazeb's Deccan kingdom and the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
, therefore the dogs are also found in the same area. They were bred for their functional qualities like the ability to withstand the harsh weather, hunting skills, speed and endurance, among others, rather than for aesthetic qualities.
In Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, the breed is also known as the Mudhol Hound, after a small town in Bagalkot District
Bagalkot district
Bāgalkot district is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The district headquarters is located in the town of Bagalkot. The district is located in northern Karnataka and borders Belgaum, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur and Bijapur...
. A former ruler of Mudhol
Mudhol
Mudhol is a town in the Bagalkot District in the Northern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is about 60 km from the district headquarters of Bagalkot town on the left bank of the Ghataprabha River...
, Sri Srimanth Raja Malojirao Gorphade (Maloji Rao Ghorpade), is said to have presented a pair of hound puppies to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
of England. Upon inspecting these curiosities, the monarch found them true to sighthound
Sighthound
Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are hounds that primarily hunt by speed and sight, instead of by scent and endurance as scent hounds do.-Appearance:...
conformation and dubbed them “the Hounds of Mudhol”.
It is found not only in Mudhol, but is widely kept throughout the Deccan; however, the Indian National Kennel Club uses the Mudhol Hound name.