Size
The Canaan Dog is a pariah dog in appearance. They have a sturdy, medium build with natural upright ears and a bushy tail carried curled over the back. On average they weigh between 35 and 55 pounds and stand 19 to 24 inches high.
Coat and Color
The Canaan Dog has a short to medium double coat, with a harsh, flat outercoat and soft undercoat. Their coloration ranges from black to cream and all shades of brown and red between, usually with small white markings, or all white with color patches. Spotting of all kinds is permitted, as well as white or black masks. Boston Terrier markings are frequent. It almost looks like a dingo.
Dr. Rudolphina Menzel, having studied the desert pariah dogs and the variations in appearances, classified these canines into four types:
- heavy, sheepdog appearance
- dingo-like
- noble, aristocratic collie appearance
- greyhound appearance
Dr. Menzel concluded that the Canaan Dog is a derivative of the Type III pariah dog - the noble, aristocratic collie type.
In writing the first official standard for the Canaan Dog, Dr. Rudolphina Menzel wrote: "Special importance must be placed on the points that differentiate the Canaan-Dog from the German Shepard Dog, whose highly bred form he sometimes resembles. The Canaan-Dog is square, the loin region short, the forequarters highly erect, the hindquarters less angulated, the neck as noble as possible, the tail curled over the back when excited, the trot is short".