The Keeping

The real Tazi enthusiasts did everything to keep the breed pure. This breed was never crossed with another breed. This tradition is still followed today.

In the cities of Iran this dog is hard to find or not to be seen at all. In some smaller cities there are dogs that look almost like a Tazi. But these dogs are not pure breeds. Mostly they live on the streets and no one takes care of them.

After the first immigrants (foreign workers that came to Europe for employment) left Germany and went back to their home country, they told stories about the ownership of Sighthounds in Europe. Iranian farmers only want a fast dog for the fox hunt, they do not care about maintaining purity. They crossed the Tazi with other Sighthounds, but these dogs are not Tazi at all, they are mixed breeds. A few times a year, Kurdistan hunters come together to celebrate a big hunting venue. During the hunt the dogs are watched for the best performance. After the hunt, around the evening campfire, the owners talk about matching the dogs for the future generation.

Only the best, strongest, most beautiful, and fastest dogs will be bred. They do not breed as we do in Europe. And they don't even have a studbook. But the owners of the dogs know exactly which dog can be bred to which dog without producing inbreeds. They bred only for their own use. After the puppies were born everyone who wanted a puppy got one. If the bitch had a big litter, the owner would kill the leftovers.

If you want to see a real Tazi, you have to take a long journey. Far out into the countryside people who use them only for hunting own them. The Tazi is one of the oldest breeds. The dog is the most valuable possession of the owner. Even the poorest owner takes very good care for his dog so that nothing bad happens to them. The dog also contributes to the family income by being used for hunting. The fur of the fox or other animal can be sold; the meat of the prey fills the stomach. But of course the Tazi is a must for the rich farmer. The dog makes the farmer look even richer. If a dog that is owned by a real Tazi lover is crossed with another breed, it is considered shameful.

For us Europeans it is probably very strange to see how a Tazi lives in its country of origin. in a fenced-in property the dog moves around completely free. During the summers, when it gets very hot, the dogs sleep on the roofs of the houses. These roofs are covered with hay. In the winter the dogs go into the stables or barns where it is warmer. Or they find a place in the piles of dried cow dung that the people in Kurdistan use as fuel.

The training of the dog is very gentle and without pressure.

In order to acquire a real Tazi one must have connections. The dogs are the pride of their owner.The Tazi is a very elegant dog. To get an idea of the dog's strength, you need only to look at its structure.

The Tazi comes in colors like black and tan, red, and grey to silver-grey and beige to white, and don't forget the parti color. They come in different types with more or less hair on their ears, hind legs and tail. But a real Tazi always has hair!! They also vary in height. Some are bigger, some smaller so they can be used for different hunting practices. They hunt fox, hare, gazelle, mountain goat, and ram. When the dog is six months old he joins the hunters to learn by watching. When the dog is one year old, after he has learned the technique, he starts to hunt.