Ibizan Hound: height, coat varieties and secure exercise
The Ibizan Hound has a slightly longer-than-high body and a long, straight, pliant back. Its coat needs careful comparison across guides: the FCI description includes smooth, rough and long hair, while the UK and AKC guides describe two forms.
Which coat are you looking at?
FCI smooth hair is strong and shiny rather than silky. Rough hair is hard and very dense, with a beard valued in the description; long hair is softer and at least 5 cm long. The UK description uses smooth and rough, while AKC care discusses smooth and wire coats. Ask about the actual coat rather than relying on a single short-coat category.
The earlier UK grooming category is weekly. AKC care advice separately recommends weekly ear checks and regular dental care. Ask a groomer for a brushing routine suited to the actual coat: the AKC coat-grooming sentence is incomplete.
Different height descriptions
FCI height is 66–72 cm for males and 60–67 cm for females. It allows dogs near those heights to be accepted when well proportioned and aesthetically pleasing, without defining a numeric tolerance.
The earlier UK description instead cites 56–74 cm in the country of origin, without separate male and female ranges, and gives priority to balance. It is a different description from the sex-specific FCI ranges. No numeric weight range is provided by the FCI standard.
Plan the exercise space
The UK guide lists more than two hours of exercise, a large house, large garden and country setting. AKC guidance describes long walks or vigorous daily shared play, with a tall, secure fence and a leash in uncontrolled settings.
Check where the dog can move safely rather than relying on a predicted jump height or recall training to make an open space secure. The choice of exercise area is part of daily planning, alongside the time spent walking and playing.
Related breeds with different proportions
The Pharaoh Hound has a short, glossy coat without feathering and a slightly longer-than-high body. The smaller Cirneco dell’Etna is square in the FCI description. These three breeds share FCI Group 5 and the earlier UK Hound category, but those group labels do not make their height ranges or coat descriptions equivalent.
Sources and further reading
Ibizan Hound at a glance
These earlier UK breed guides are starting points for comparison. Details may have changed, and individual dogs vary.
- Breed group
- Hound
- Size
- Large
- Daily exercise
- More than 2 hours per day
- Grooming frequency
- Once a week
- Coat length
- Short
- Sheds
- Yes
- Suggested home size
- Large house
- Town or country
- Country
- Garden recommendation
- Large garden
- Lifespan
- Over 10 years
FCI breed standard
Standard guidance describes the breed ideal; individual dogs vary.
- Origin
- Spain (Balearic Islands)
- Group
- 5 - Spitz and primitive types
- Section
- 7 - Primitive type -Hunting dogs
- Variety covered
- Smooth, rough or long hair in the FCI source
- Height
- Males: 66–72 cm; Females: 60–67 cm
- Weight
- Not specified in this standard
The FCI source covers smooth, rough and long hair. Dogs near the stated heights may be accepted when well proportioned and aesthetic; it gives no numeric allowance for that condition.
Official FCI standard (PDF)
Standard effective from 1982-05-26; checked 2026-10-15
