Its history goes back into the mists of time. Today it is found in
the Deccan and especially in the Osmanabad district. When the
Emperor Aurangzeb invaded the Deccan in the 16th century and had to
confront the Marathas, specialist guerilla fighters, he understood
that his army would not be able to contain them, so he established
a series of villages along his borders
which he populated with warrior tribes from the North-West Frontier
and Afghanistan. They brought their hounds which are still to be
found in the same village.
The smooth Saluki should be among its ancestors, if not in a
straight line at least directly. Perhaps it is even quite simply a
variant of this breed which is after all found from Afghanistan to
the Sahara, via Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia,
Anatolia and Persia. Of course the types differ more or less from
one region to another.
The Caravan Hound of today has well defined characteristics. Nature
itself has brought about selection not on the basis of scientific
reasoning but by choosing subjects which answer best the criteria
required for carrying out their allotted task. The Caravan Hound is
not spoilt, its life is hard and it is essentially a question of
the survival of the fittest. It does not
know veterinary care and the food supply is meagre. The hound is
charged with hunting but it receives only very little of what it
brings back. Its usual diet is dry millet bread. Yet it is strong
and resistant.
The Caravan Hound is above all a working hound, capable of bearing
without harm the rigours of an Indian winter. the heat of summer
and the difficult terrain on which it works. These qualities are
extremely important when it comes to judging at shows.
How is it judged? First it is a matter of "proportions". The best
are not necessarily the most perfect specimens but always those
which possess the characteristics of the breed to such a point that
neither great fault nor great merit is shown. These specimens
invariable have an air of distinction and of quality, immediately
recognised by the experts and yet impossible to
define. We should note however among other qualities that it
concerns here symmetry, balance, gracefulness, health and the
absence of coarseness.
The Caravan Hound is therefore elegant, graceful, and courageous.
Its physical strength combines with great speed and lots of stamina
to allow it to catch and kill the game. Its expression must be
dignified, even cold, and its eyes piercing.
Its height is 69-74 cms for dogs and 61-69 for bitches. Its colour
should preferably blend with that of its hunting territory: beige,
fawn, red, cream or any of these colours mixed with
whit
