Guicho
| Guicho | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Origin | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Distribution | Galicia, principally Ourense and Pontevedra[1]: 528 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Guicho or Quisquelo, also Can Guicho, is a traditional Spanish breed of small warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is recognised by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación – the Spanish ministry of agriculture – and by the Xunta de Galicia, but not by the Real Sociedad Canina de España.[3][4][5]
It is one of four traditional dog breeds of Galicia, the others being the Can de Palleiro, the Perdigueiro Galego and the Podengo Galego.[6]
History
[edit]The Guicho is a traditional breed of warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia. It was officially recognised by the Xunta de Galicia in April 2001;[4] it received national recognition by royal decree in May the same year.[3] A stud-book was established at the same time; it is maintained by the breed society, the Club de Raza do Can Guicho ou Quisquelo.[6]
The Guicho is distributed throughout Galicia, but mainly in the provinces of Ourense and Pontevedra.[1]: 528
Until its recognition in 2001 it was close to extinction. Its conservation status was described in 2009 as "in danger of extinction", but improving.[1]: 528 A dog census in the comarcas of O Deza and Tabeirós – Terra de Montes in Pontevedra in 2024 found 309 of the dogs, or about 2% of all dogs identified by breed in the census.[7] In 2025 the Guicho was listed by the Real Sociedad Canina de España among the breeds in the process of recovery.[5]
Characteristics
[edit]The Guicho is small dog: body weights range from 6 to 8 kg for bitches and 8 to 10 kg for dogs, and heights at the withers vary from 30 to 38 cm for bitches and 34 to 42 cm for dogs; bites are generally rather smaller and more slender than dogs.[2][6][3] The coat may be solid-coloured, ranging from sand-coloured to chocolate or liver; or it may be bi-coloured, tri-coloured or sable.[2]
Use
[edit]The Guicho is a warren hound and is used principally for hunting rabbit in the mountains of Galicia. It may also be used to hunt fox, or to detect the presence of wild boar.[1]: 527
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guicho ou Quisquelo: Ficha técnica (in Galician). Xunta de Galicia: Consellería do Medio Rural e do Mar. Archived 16 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 [Miguel Arias Cañete] (25 May 2001).Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Boletín Oficial de España. (142): 14 June 2001. Reference: BOE-A-2001-11347.
- 1 2 Juan Miguel Diz Guedes (26 April 2001).Orde do 26 de abril de 2001 pola que se fai público o estándar racial do Guicho ou Quisquelo e se crea o libro xenealóxico da raza (in Galician). Diario Oficial de Galicia. 91: 6338–6343. Archived 16 August 2012.
- 1 2 Razas Españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 11 July 2025.
- 1 2 3 Guicho ou Quisquelo (in Galician). Xunta de Galicia: Consellería do Medio Rural e do Mar. Archived 16 July 2013.
- ↑ Alfonso Loño (10 November 2024). Más de 34.000 ladridos (in Spanish). Vigo: Faro de Vigo. Archived 10 November 2024.