Rajapalayam Dog Breed - Facts and Information

Apperance

The Rajapalayam has the typical sighthound body, which means that it is an athletic and slim, yet muscular body. They tend to be little bit heavier boned and have broader muzzles than other sighthounds. The Rajapalayam also has pretty big head, deep chest, very long legs and narrow waist.

Rajapalayam height is typically between 65-75 cm which 25-30 inch and weight should be between 30-35 kg, which is 66-77 pounds.

These dogs are most common in pure milk white color with pink nose, pale skin and brown or blue eyes. Especially in the past, this was the most prized color variation, which is why mostly these dogs were further bred and that is the reason why they are the most common these days. The coat is fairly short and fine.


Temperament
The Rajapayalam is both – skilled hunter and great companion. They are known for their loyaly and strong bonds with the owner. This is also a reason why it is quite hard to rehome this breed. The Rajapalayam is bonding closely to older kids and they are amazing playful partners for them, but i would not leave them unsupervised with yougner kids. But that is a case with all the dog breeds.

In the first place, the Rajapalayam is a hunter. They were bred to hunt smaller prey, but also wild boars. To become good hunters, they must be intelligent and hard working dogs, but also couragous, brave and they must have high prey drive, which is a reason why they might try to hunt other smaller household pets, like hamsters or guinea pigs.

Rajapalayam can also be trained to be amazing guard and protector. They are naturally suspicious and aloof with strangers and because of their big loyalty to its owners, they are not afraid to stand against any intruder. This is mostly one person dog, but they would guard the whole family, if needed.

The last important characteristic of Rajapalayam is their higher energy level. This breed has an abundant of energy and will need regular exercise to be happy and healthy. It can be longer walks, jogs, hikes or vigorous playtime. This is also fairly easily trainable breed, so regular training sessions will occupy their mind and body as well. But keep the training sessions shorter and more regular, so they do not loose their interest for training. The Rajapalayam can be distracted easily.


Interesting fact
This is very elegant and graceful breed and of the reason is their gait. The Rajapalayam has a gait similar to the trotting of a thoroughbred horse.


History
This is a very old dog breed and it is belived that they have been developed by Nayak Dynasty in the area of Tamil Nadu. It was probably in 16th or 17th century. In the past the Rajapalayam was very popular among the royalty and it was bred as a symbol of status. If you owned this breed, you were probably someone important.

As i already mentioned earlier in this video, they were first bred as hunters, especially wild boar hunters. But thanks to their agile, fast and strong body, they were also used in Carnatic and Polygar wars against Brittish cavalry.

As the hunting became less and less popular, the Rajapalayam lost one of their main purpose, their numbers started to decline. In the 1980s, it was estimated that there is only something around 200 purebred dogs, and even these days, they are still on the verge of extinction. But there are big efforts to save this breed. After all, ithis is an amazing breed and a part of the Tamil Nadu cultural heritage, so i believe, that they must be saved.

We are not sure what is the ancestry of the Rajapalayam, but there is a debate, that they were later used in the development of the famous Dalmatian.


Health and Grooming
As i already mentione earlier, to have a healthy and happy Rajapalayam, daily proper exercise is a must. Without it, the dog can develop some unwanted behaviour like destruction. Other than that, the maintenance is not hard. Their coat do shed, but since it is pretty short, it is nothing terrible. If you want to minimize the shedding, weekly brushing is recommended. Other than that, regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

This is generally healthy and hardy dog breed. Ocassionaly they can suffer from skin problems, demodectic mange or congenital eye defects. Just like majority of all white dogs, they also suffer from deafness more often than other dogs.