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The SLOUGHI
100 years running

Reproduced with permission from "The Performance Sighthound Journal" in which this article was first published.

BISS IABCA International & Veteran Ch. Fahel Shi'Rayân, FCC, SORC, SGRC5 © Standerford 2003

“In the keenness of the chase, it is transformed: the pure and generous blood that flows in its veins galvanizes it; its disdain and nonchalance disappear; it becomes all fire, all flame, with a courage and endurance that are only equaled by the speed of its race to seize and put to death the game on which it was set.”
H .Seville, about the Sloughi, in La Vie a la Campagne, January 15 1911(translation Susan Bamford)

Although well known if not very common in Europe since the 1800s, the Sloughi is a relatively “new” and rare breed in America. When being asked about the breed, here are answers to some of the questions Sloughi owners are often asked.

What is a Sloughi, and where does it comes from?
The geographical origin of the Sloughi breed is the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The Sloughi is originally the lop-eared smooth Sighthound of the Berber people, and later on also of the Arab. The breed is often thought to belong to the group of lop-eared oriental Sighthounds, and there has been considerable speculation about the relationship of the Sloughi with the Saluki – the Sloughi being seen as a smooth Saluki- in the English speaking countries. However, recent mitochondrial DNA studies by Dr. Savolainen in Sweden, show that the Sloughi has an ancient origin imbedded in North Africa, with little relationship to other middle eastern Sighthounds such as the Saluki, the Afghan hound and the Tazi. How the breed exactly evolved over centuries in North Africa, to become what it is today is lost in time and at best a matter of speculation. The Berber people have inhabited North Africa since the dawn of time, and their countries were invaded over the centuries by various people from other cultures, including the Romans, the Vandals, and the Arabs, who brought their dogs with them. How the invaders’ dogs interacted with the local hunting dogs and vice-versa is unknown. Lop-eared Sighthounds were also depicted in Ancient Egypt artifacts thousands of years ago. They were often offered as part of tributes to the Pharaohs by Nubia, South of Egypt, and are thought to be the ancestors of today’s lop-eared Sighthounds. However, how the Sloughi relates to the smooth lop-eared Sighthound of Ancient Egypt remains unresolved in the absence of any genetic study of these ancient hunters.

How does a Sloughi look like?
The Sloughi is a medium-sized lop-eared Sighthound. Its coat is always smooth. The colors are in all nuances of pale sand (cream) to red (red fawn, mahogany), with or without black mask, black ears, brindling, black mantel and dark overlay. Coats with invasive white patches, and dilutes (blue) are not accepted in the breed. A white patch on the chest and a few white hairs at the tip of the toes are tolerated in otherwise outstanding specimen of the breed, and in darker coats – such patches being easily overlooked in light colored coats. Square in proportions (from wither to hips, to hind feet to front feet), the Sloughi is both lean and strong. Bitches are typically smaller and more refined than their male counterparts. In general, the Sloughi gives the impression of being more lightly built than the Greyhound, and the male Sloughis look sturdier than Salukis. The typical expression of the breed is somewhat sad and melancholy, the eyes, dark brown to amber, are lined in black as if with eyeliner.

Uddah, first Sloughi racing in Switzerland, the typical looks of the breed © de Caprona 1972

What is the role played by the Sloughi in North Africa
In the old days the Sloughi hunted gazelle, desert hare, antelope, fennec (desert fox), hyena and ostrich, sometimes boar, and jackals. Today the breed is used to hunt gazelle, desert hare and fennec; its main role in some areas being to control the jackal populations which attack goat or sheep herds and poultry. In Tunisia, the traditional hunt represents a Berber rider galloping behind his Sloughi chasing prey. In Morocco, Sloughis on a coupler accompany riders for jackal hunting.

Moroccan Caid with 2 Sloughis on a coupler, © Schritt

The Sloughi is also a reliable guard dog, with a keen sense of its own turf, who they know and do not know, who is welcome and not welcome -in other words, an all around working dog that has survived the tough conditions in North Africa.
The Général Daumas writes in 1850 that the Sloughi is the only dog treated as family and allowed into the tent. A Bedouin would go without his own blanket to provide his Sloughi with warmth in the cold desert nights and puppies were often breast-fed by Bedouin women to help nursing bitches. At the end of his owner's life the Sloughi is, like the horse, part of the precious inheritance his owner leaves behind. At the end of his life the Sloughi is mourned like family.
Of course a great part of the admiration the Berbers and Arabs have for their Sloughis relies heavily on the dogs’ prowess in hunting, because they brought food to the family, and many traditions surround hunting with Sloughis and the training of the young Sloughi for hunting.
Because it is thought so very valuable, several traditions evolved to protect the Sloughi .In General Daumas’ own words "Pleasure is taken in adorning him, in putting shell collars on him. He is protected against the evil eye by the talismans put on him". The feet of the Sloughi are also dipped in Henna to bring good luck.
Both in Algeria and Tunisia, the ears of the Sloughi are cropped up allegedly to prevent them from being torn to pieces when hunting jackals - a cornered jackal throws himself on the back and defends himself thrashing with his front paws. The front legs are also brand- marked when the Sloughi is 6 months old, by using a heated " cerpette" applied in a slanted position on the inside of the front leg. Not only are such brand-markings specific for each tribe, they are also thought to keep the legs straight, preventing malformation of the joints, thus improving running. The few pictures of Libyan Sloughis show that they do not have cropped-up ears, nor any marks on their front legs. This tradition does not seem to be widespread in Morocco either.

Tunisian Sloughia with cropped up ears and her pups © de Caprona 1999

An organized Sloughi breeding of the highest sophistication existed in Morocco in the 1920s-1930s. In this country, the secret of breeding Sloughis was transmitted from father to son. Such families have had Sloughis for many generations. El Glaoui, the Pacha of Marrakesch, and many princesses also contributed to the high quality of the Moroccan Sloughis. Sadly, political upheavals brought an end to all of this.
According to Durel (Algeria,1942) the Arab and the Berber take the breeding of their Sloughis very seriously. The owner of a great dam will ride on horse or camel miles across the desert to take her to a sire well known for his beauty and hunting ability. The selection of breeding Sloughis is severe and it preserved intact this fascinating breed .
A sentence to Armin Schmid by an old Patriarche at the Casablanca 1989 Dog show : "Quand on rêve d'un Sloughi, on rêve d'un ami" or "When you dream of a Sloughi, you dream of a friend" shows this special relationship of the Berber to his Sloughi. The very good Sloughi is never sold but given as a precious gift to the best friends .

What were the beginnings of the Sloughi breed in the Western World?
France and Holland were first to import this breed in the late 1800s. In fact the Sloughi was imported and well known there at a time when the Saluki and the Afghan hound were not yet well identified. The Sloughi was already admired as a driven hunting Sighthound breed and old engravings can be found in hunting books of the time. Litters were born, bred in the Netherlands by the artist Auguste le Gras in Holland (kennel Beit es Sleq) and Michel La Fontijn (kennel Sahara), in France by the artist Mrs Simeon-Lavallart (kennel du Simoun), and in Germany by Mrs Ellen Windecker-Castan (kennel von der Burg Windeck). In the Netherlands a Dutch “Sloeqi club” was created in 1903 and the first brief Sloughi standard written by Auguste LeGras, and Sloughis were racing as early as 1926 – there was no coursing then.
Sloughis in those days were also brought back by French cavalry officers who had been stationed in North Africa and who had discovered the hunting prowess of the Sloughi there - and soon the breed was described as one of the best coursing hounds in French canine literature. A “Club Français du Sloughi” was founded in 1928 to sponsor the breed, shortly after the first standard for the breed was put together in 1925 by the French Sighthound Club (Club Français des Lévriers), and recognized by the Society for the Betterment of Dog Breeds in France ( Société Centrale pour l'Amélioration des Races de Chiens en France). From then on the Sloughi was a French Sighthound breed, until Morocco took over as the country representing the breed in the 1970s.
Some enthusiastic reports show us how much the breed had impressed its Fancy. H. Seville in January 15 of 1911, in the Journal Country Life (La Vie a la Campagne) describes the Sloughi as a proud, disdainful and laid back breed that turns into an incredibly fast, courageous and resilient hunter once it is set loose on game. He predicts that, should Coursing and Racing in France become well established, the Sloughi would no doubt shine up front.

" The Sloughi Incomparable Runner and Jumper” La Vie a la Campagne 1911

A few years later, O. Malescot, secretary general of the Club Français du Sloughi tells in 1929 of his experience with running his untrained Sloughis for the first time. In his own words:
"One Sloughi, followed closely by the others, completed the 500m circuit in 31” (58.064 km per hour) while the top Greyhound bitch, imported from England, extensively trained on the lure, did the circuit in 29” (62.069 km per hour).”
He goes on describing the astonishment of the Greyhound trainers exposed for the first time to the Sloughi’s intensity and drive in racing in the absence of prior training.

Mr.O.Malescot and his Sloughis, La Vie a la Campagne1929

However, as with many other things, all these endeavors came to an end with World War 2. Breeding stopped or was destroyed, such as the tragic end of Mrs Ellen Windecker-Castan’s kennel von der Burg Windeck in Germany, as she witnessed the Russians gunning down all her Salukis, Afghans and Sloughis.

What happened to the Sloughi breed after World War II?
Limited breeding resumed in France during the 1950s with two kennels working together: the “des Barines” kennel of Mrs. Patricia Sigaux and the “d’Ymauville” kennel of Mrs. Françoise Stacul. Miraculously, some the bloodlines of the d’Ymauville kennel survived through the Kahloul de la Treille breeding of Mrs. E. Rohde-Goudineau in France, and are some of the roots of some of the top racers and coursers in the USA today. The foundation dogs of the d’Ymauville kennel came from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Some were bred by Xavier Przezdziecki, who was then breeding Sloughis in Algeria and organized Sloughi racing in Algiers at the time. Lt. Colonel Gaston also bred Sloughis in the 1960s, but, it wasn’t before the 1970s that the renaissance of the Sloughi breed took place in Europe. This was the time when the French returned with their Sloughis to France, after the end of the war in Algeria. Breeding in France, Germany and Holland took on new proportions then, and many of the bloodlines show the international cooperation between the breeders of the time.
The Sloughi was recognized for racing in Germany in 1973. The first race took place in Hessen, Germany, with an entry of 5 Sloughis won by Arabeya Schuru-esch-Schams. In 1974 the Sloughi became an official breed in international racing. The first American bred Sloughi to win Coursing and Racing events in Germany was Ghada Shi'Rayân, daughter of A’Ssissa Shi’Rayan (pioneer of the breed in the USA) and owned by Brigitte Noack.
In 1980 in France Malik, Mandane, Ô Kaline, Naiade, Jenna and Nitouche du Montouchet de la Horde d'Or were the first 6 Sloughis which were recognized for racing. At the end of 1980, they received their "working booklets", then in 1981, those of the "Union Internationale de Courses de Lévriers" and in 1984 the booklets of the "Fédération des Sociétés de Courses de Lévriers". These dogs ran distances of up to 900 meters.
In Holland, the Dutch Club for Oriental Sighthounds, (NVOW, Nederlandse Vereniging voor Oosterse Windhonden) which replaced the Sloeqi Club, designed in 1989 a dual champion title which combined conformation and performance results. The first dog and bitch to win this title were Beldi (3 times 1989-1990-1992) and Barud Kamar al Akbar (5 times,1989-1993), owned by Els Siebel. In 2004 for the first time a Sloughi is the all breeds winner of the 3 day triathlon event organized by the Coursing Club Nienoord Leek (May 22-23). Her name is Bashira Sheik el Arab owned by H.& A. Duncan, bred by Patricia Lauer in Germany- the first successful AI litter in Germany with frozen semen of North African import to the USA Tarfa with the German bitch Aljana Sheik el Arab

Bashira Sheik el Arab, the Netherlands, running the triathlon © Els Siebel 2004

In Switzerland probably the first Sloughi to have completed a racing license was Uddah in 1972 (owned and bred by the author) on the racing track of Versoix. From the records available, she was followed by other dogs in 1979-1980. Uddah also participated at the International Race in Geneva (on the track of Versoix) in 1973, and thus must have been the first Sloughi to do so in Switzerland. Sloughis participated later again at a National race, the Züri-Meisterschaft, Rifferswil, on Mai 18 1980. The next international race, the Eurocup, on Mai 22 1980, was also on the track of Rifferswil
In Finland American-bred Jaraa Shi'Rayân owned by Tarja Matikainen became the first Coursing Champion and Syringa Harmony owned by Anna-Marie Roenkkoe the first Derby winner in 2001. In Sweden, Syringa Headline owned by R.Wilson, became the first Swedish and Norwegian Coursing Champion. Headline and Harmony are littermates of Syringa Happiness at Shi'Rayân in America.

What is the story of the Sloughi in the American racing and coursing venues?
In the United States of America, the Sloughi Fanciers Association of America (SFAA) was founded in January 1 1988,. SFAA is the premier and oldest American Sloughi Club and has the oldest Stud book. Six years later after it was created, its members succeeded in getting the breed recognized by the National Oval Track Racing Association (NOTRA, 1994), after a demonstration run in Colorado in August 1994 with the Rocky Mountain Sporting Whippets Club, and with its president’s Jack William Lewis enthusiastic support .In 1995 the Sloughi became a foundation breed of the Large Gazehound Racing Association (LGRA), created by Jack William Lewis (Rheata Whippets), to satisfy the request of Sloughi owners to enable their breed to compete in sprint racing.

Jack William Lewis and the first 2 SGRCs for the breed Ch. A’Ssissa and Ch. Aswad Shi'Rayân © de Caprona

In 1996, the American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA, lure coursing) created the miscellaneous stake for rare breeds of Sighthounds which include the Sloughi, and recognizes the breed in 2001.
In 2004, SFAA provided the American Kennel club with a folder documenting the coursing and racing talent of the Sloughi, and the AKC enabled the breed to participate in AKC Coursing events.

What is the running style of a Sloughi?
Although capable of tremendous starting power in sprint, the Sloughi is typically a long distance runner. Because of its square proportions, it cannot flex its back as much as the Greyhound, but can take much sharper turns. The general style of a Sloughi racing is that of a tight and smooth runner with tremendous leaping power.

FCI International, Puerto Rican, Latin American Ch. Mathal Shi'Rayân, Leaping forward, Shot on Site 2004

IABCA International Ch. I’Saar Shi'Rayân, ORC, SGRC. Double suspension gallop © Shot On Site 2004

Munya Shi'Rayân, GRC, extended phase of the gallop, Shot on Site 2004

In lure coursing, Sloughis typically work the lure together, changing places as the lure turns, hunting the lure more than simply chasing it. Sloughis always keep track of their bearings as they run: they often turn their heads to check where the other Sloughis racing are and sometimes to see where the owner is, or check the judges. This is not to be confused with interference, as such behavior is not accompanied by other behaviors hampering or interrupting the course of another Sloughi.
This turning of the head is also seen in young Sloughis during their first oval or straight races, and should not be confused with a DQ. A Sloughi simply checks things out all the time, and turning the head to see what is going on around him is an intelligent way on keeping track of things.
At all times the Sloughi is aware of everything happening in its field of vision, and although a coursing Sloughi can be very focused on the lure, it can be distracted by another piece of plastic floating in the wind, a horse riding near the field, a commotion of dogs barking, or other fun furry things to chase. Sometimes, in courses which comprise a loop within a loop, some individuals will stop as the first loop comes close to the starting point, probably thinking this is the end of the course as they come close to their owner -and everything else which identifies the start and end of a course, namely people and lure-coursing equipment - not realizing that the course is not yet completed. Sloughi owners (which includes the author) are sometimes the comic relief when they flatten on the ground or hide behind trees when their dogs are coursing, hoping their dogs will not spot them on the field.

Ferda Kamar al Akbar, steeple chase, the Netherlands © Els Siebel 2004

The leaping skills of Sloughis are documented in steeple chase coursing events in Europe. In the USA, sometimes the oval, straight or coursing tracks will provide for such opportunities. There is nothing more impressive than a heat of Sloughis leaping in unison over a big puddle of water in their way, and resuming the race without missing a beat.
In general the breed is not prone to injuries, provided the dogs have been properly conditioned for the sport.

What are the bloodlines behind the top racing and coursing Sloughis in the USA?
Aswad Shi'Rayân, Amir Shi’Rayan and A’ssissa Shi’Rayan, pioneer Sloughis in American coursing and racing, were littermates of a litter of 4 puppies, the first litter born at Shi'Rayân, April 5 1993. They were the result of an outcross between a German dog bred by Mr. Wandel, Damir el Tahiri, whose pedigree revealed top performance German Sloughis of Schuru-esch-Schams (bred by I. & E. Schritt) and French Fehda Fayrouz Kahloul de la Treille (bed by E. Rhode-Goudineau). Aswad and A’ssissa are behind most of the top racers and coursers to date (2004) in America and in some Scandinavian lines as well. Sloughis imported from Europe and countries of origin in North Africa to the USA also contributed to the American and European coursing and racing Sloughi bloodlines. Names that come to mind are German Chamisa Schuru-esch-Schams, Tunisian Tarfa, Algerian Ramla, Swedish Syringa Happiness at Shi'Rayân, French Farissa Fediha Kahloul de la Treille.

Which canine organizations recognize the Sloughi breed?
The Sloughi is an official breed of the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) since 1935, the International All Breeds Canine Association (IABCA), the United Kennel Club (UKC), and various rare breed registries in the USA. In 2004 the American Kennel Club welcomes the breed in Agility, Tracking, Obedience and Lure Coursing events. The Sloughi is also represented in the British Kennel Club with, still, limited privileges.

How many Sloughis are there?
There are some 4000 Sloughis registered worldwide, starting in the early 1900s. There are some 900 Sloughis registered in Holland, combining the pre- and the post- World War 2 Studbooks. Germany is the country with the largest registry for Sloughis with over 1200 dogs, most of them bred since the 1970s. There are roughly 300 Sloughis currently registered with the Foundation Stock Service of the American Kennel Club in the USA.

The next generation, 7 weeks old Shi'Rayân puppies, playing with the lure © de Caprona 2004

Sloughi at work

Hannun Shi'Rayan skijoring with Alaskan Huski friend Marley, owners Kathy Pickett & Dominique C. de Caprona, photo Cynthia Curtis 1999	Shi'Rayan's Iswaar at Mazoe herding, owners Annie Chamberlain & Dominique C. de Caprona
Najeeb Strom Shi'Rayan "indicating"	Strom tracking with owner Ellen Brady

Sloughi in Competition (Agility)

V'Ifricija Nuri al Baida, from top clockwise, balancing, going through tire, climbing wall and finally descending. Owner and photographer Eve Schwender, Germany
	Azali Dau al Gamar, owner Marietta Heil, photo Oliver Eberhardt

Sloughi in Competition (Lure Coursing)

Fahel Shi'Rayân running the lure. Owner Dominique C. de Caprona, photographer Shot On Site	Fahel and Mathal Shi'Rayân. Owner Dominique C. de Caprona, photographer Shot On Site

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