Villano De Las Encartaciones Dog Breed

Below are details and specs for the Villano De Las Encartaciones dog breed.

A medium-sized breed; weight is estimated at 65-85 pounds, and height is estimated at 22-26 inches.

Villanos are obedient, overall even-tempered "outdoor" dogs that are extremely loyal to their owners. This breed is affectionate to those it knows, but suspicious of those it doesn't, and may require some training to learn good manners around unknown people and animals.

As a low-maintenance breed, the Villano will require little care. Minimal grooming and training are needed, but the breed will require plenty of exercise.

The Villano is believed to have originated in the Las Encartaciones region in Northern Spain in the 1800s, when Spanish ranchers sought to create a more agile working dog to use for hunting and catching Monchina cattle, which existed in the area in feral conditions, and for hunting boar. This they did by crossbreeding Spanish Bulldogs with a variety of sheepdogs and hounds, eventually developing a shorter, more muscular predecessor of the modern Villano. This early breed was rumored to have the ability to latch onto a rowdy cow's head and hold on without injuring the cow, allowing the ranchers to gain control over it.

Supposedly, this breed nearly became extinct during World Wars I and II, but during the 1950s and 60s, Villano fanciers fought to revive its existence by crossbreeding the remaining Villanos – of which there were only a few dozen – with local hunting dogs, then using selective breeding techniques to refine the bloodline. This resulted in the taller, more athletic Villano de las Encartaciones that is known today. Even now, this breed allegedly exists only in Spain, and its number there is estimated at less than 100.

The Villano's coat is short-haired, flat, and sleek. This breed is athletic, lithe, and muscular, and its body is about equal in length and height. The head is wedge-shaped, jaws muscular, eyes almond-shaped and amber in color, and ears medium-sized, triangular, and pointing upward; the ears are traditionally cropped when the dog is a puppy. The chest is deep and broad, the legs long and muscular, and the tail is of medium length and straight.

Balanced, obedient, cheerful, and devoted to its owner, a Villano is a "working-class" breed that is protective with its family and highly intuitive, especially when dealing with large animals. This breed is easily trained and extremely obedient. As its nature is to be suspicious of and possibly aggressive towards strange people and animals, early socialization is recommended.

Life expectancy is unknown. No health issues are found.