As expected, different dogs have their histories dated back to different countries of origin.
Spanish dog breeds are known to be quite popular among hunters, ranch owners, and families who love to have these pet dogs around.
These canines come in various sizes (small, medium-sized, and large) and have different personalities.
The Royal Canine Society of Spain officially recognizes 24 Spanish dog breeds, some of which are not recognized by the FCI.
However, other canine federations recognize up to 30 dog breeds that trace their origins to Spain.
On this note, we have compiled a list of 29 Spanish dogs that you may find adorable and exciting depending on what you’re looking out for in a dog.
Top Spanish Dog Breeds List
1. Spanish Greyhound
This breed’s appearance may signal a lean and pale canine with a long head.
However, they make good dogs to inactive and inexperienced owners as they do not mind lying on the sofa all day, unlike most sigh hounds that may enjoy being active.
They are calm, gentle and can get along with other dogs, cats, and kids without posing a threat to harming little children with an overly exciting lifestyle.
This does not mean they have to be left alone as a healthy breed must get exercised once in a while, at least, as they were originally bred for hunting small prey.
2. Spanish Mastiff
This breed traditionally used in guarding livestock is a gentle and intelligent giant with a weight that ranges between 88 to 176 pounds.
Spanish mastiffs may need to be introduced to early training and socialization to make them reliable pups that act friendly around strangers.
They can as well make excellent and courageous guard dogs to the home.
This mastiff is one of the large Spanish dog breeds that many may see as less pleasing for a home pet.
However, it is a unique breed with an adorable personality, depending on your dog breed choice.
3. Podenco Canario
They are slender looking but very active with muscular built and fierce eyes that make them seem frightening at first sight.
The breed has been recognized by the United Kennel Club and is often used in packs for rabbit hunting from when they were bred to date.
Podenco Canario is a loyal and enthusiastic dog that suffers fewer health issues and is more likely to get injured during a hunt.
They come in two different sizes and are used in various hunting areas according to their size.
4. Basque Shepherd Dog
Basque herder is primarily used to herd and guard sheep, goats, cattle, and farmhouses.
This ancient working dog breed is intelligent and less difficult to train with their love for kids and hyperactive nature that makes regular exercise necessary.
The Basque Shepherd Dog is an adorable Spanish dog breed that possesses a long hairy coat that would be fit for cuddling.
This Spanish herding dog is also a loyal and cheerful dog that can make an excellent companion to active families, other dogs, and pets.
5. Andalusian Hound
The Andalusian Hound is a medium-sized breed with excellent skill in using its sense of sight, scent, and hearing to hunt rabbits.
Although they are quite an ancient breed, they have not been recognized by any leading Kennel Club.
However, they were classified as a spitz and ancient hunting dog in group five under the Real Sociedad Canina de Espana in April 1992.
Andalusian hounds may appear shabby with their upright ear and short coat, but they still make an excellent breed that does well at what they were bred for.
6. Canary Mastiff (Perro De Presa Canario)
Their broad head and heavy-built body may not pass them as one adorable breed.
But they can be gentle and trained to be good family companions with less aggressive behavior.
This breed looks quite dreadful when seen for the first time, but this look only helps them scare off unwanted strangers in the home or farmhouses for sheep and cattle.
However, De Presa Canarios are lovable, intelligent, enthusiastic, and these traits would be fully harnessed by an experienced dog owner.
The Canary Mastiff dog breed may be the perfect large-size guard dog you’ve been seeking.
7. Alano Espanol (Spanish Bulldog)
Also known as Spanish Bulldog, Alano Espanol is similar to the Bulldog in size and features, although without the body folds.
History has it that the Alano Espanol was employed as a war dog centuries ago but was later used as a guard and hunting dog.
With its weighty and muscular nature like the English Bulldog, this breed is headstrong, obedient, and socializes pretty well.
It is used alongside other pack dogs during hunting escapades.
8. Ibizan Hound
Like most sighthound breeds, the Ibizan Hound is a fast racing pup that can be used in a pack to hunt rabbits and other tiny games.
They possess an athletic build and come in two coat variants, one of which is soft textured and the other rough.
Ibizan Hounds are active, cheerful, and sometimes act independent and tough.
But with proper and early training, they will learn fast and be of best behavior.
With their barking skills, they are good guards and loyal dogs who can alert their owners when any stranger presents a threat-looking situation.
9. Pyrenean Mastiff
With a weight of up to 240 pounds, a minimum height of up to 31 inches, and looks, the Pyrenean Mastiff is one of the most adorable large Spanish dog breeds.
Its fluffy long silky hair that is evenly distributed around its body is something to admire.
Its original use was to safeguard livestock from predators such as wolves.
Around the 1940s, its population began to drop as they were no longer needed to chase wolves in the Pirineos region due to a decline in wolf attacks.
They are chubby, calm, playful, and may not require a regular workout.
Early training and socialization are necessary to help them blend well with other dogs and pets.
10. Spanish Water Dog
The Spanish Water Dog is skilled as a water retrieval canine and as a watchdog or sheepdog.
They are a medium-sized breed covered with coat hairs in a woolly nature with their dark nose and expressive eyes.
It is a hardworking breed, intelligent, and committed to carrying out a series of tasks, including being a guarding dog to the home.
Early socialization makes them exceptionally social with children and less hostile or cautious of strangers.
11. Ca De Bou (Majorca Bulldog)
The Ca De Bou (Majorca Bulldog) is a variant under the class of bulldogs with a short and shabby coat.
They come as a medium-sized breed with the length of their body comparably longer than their legs.
Their huge head size and jaw allow for better gripping of a bull or other dogs during a fight.
They can appear fierce but have been carefully bred to be a bit soft, loving and calm over the years.
However, their instinct of being very much alert like their ancestors remains.
12. Catalan Sheepdog
The Catalan Sheepdog is a hairy medium-sized Spanish dog breed, although there is a less hairy variant.
Their wavy hair is distributed around their bodies, and one would even begin to wonder how they can comfortably see-through with the hair hanging down their faces.
This intelligent sheepdog does good at training and may require early socialization to tone down its guarding instincts, especially when you want to have them around children.
However, they make great house pets and easily get attached to their human owners.
13. Ratonero Bodeguero Andaluz
Also named the Rat Hunting Dog, this breed has been employed to hunt down rodents in wineries.
The Ratonero Bodeguero Andaluz got recognition as a Spanish indigenous dog breed and was accepted by the Spain Kennel Club in 2000.
It is a medium-sized breed with a slender but muscular body known to be very active.
They are also classified as a Spanish hunting dog breed with an active and intense hunting intuition.
It is also an intelligent breed that is usually friendly around kids.
14. Majorca Shepherd Dog
As the name implies, the Majorca Shepherd is a medium-size dog used primarily as a guard for sheep and farm dogs.
This Spanish herding dog can have long hair on its coat or short hair variation.
They are tall, possess dark hairs, and are heavyweight with a craggy-looking appearance.
These pups are brave and can do well in protecting their home or territory with their hostile nature towards strangers who appear to be a threat.
The history surrounding the origin of this breed remains a mystery.
15. Spanish Pointer (Burgos Pointer)
They are robust and square looking, with a short and fine coat.
Burgos is calm, gentle, do not easily get scared, and would fit better in a rural setting where they can freely explore and show off the excellent hunting skills that they were originally bred for.
This breed adapts easily to any setting but necessarily requires a large terrain for frequent running and other forms of exercise.
Burgos Pointers are fast and intelligent learners and may not need too much attention and care to keep up.
Pachon Navarro is a large-size breed that faced extinction around the 1970s but made a comeback a few years later.
Due to several notable efforts, it has been recognized as a standard breed by the government of Spain.
One notable feature of this dog breed is its double nose.
They possess a short tail, serious-minded facial expression, a short coat and have been used to hunt down games.
There are only about 700 to 1,000 of this breed recorded in the 2009 breed census, which signifies how scarce they might be.
Nevertheless, many may perceive “rare” as unique.
17. Can De Palleiro
The Can De Palleiro is a muscular medium-sized Spanish breed of shepherd dog that comes in colors like brown, black, cinnamon brown, etc.
This breed is good as watchdogs, hunting dogs, and herding dogs, making them very important to hunters and farmers.
When given access to a large yard for regular exercise and other activities, they can do well living with their human companion, giving them the benefits of guarding the home.
18. Carea Leones
Carea Leones were bred as sheepdogs and have been used to herd a flock of sheep in mountain regions.
You’d likely find them to possess either blue or yellow eyes with their soft coat that may be short or average.
This breed is intelligent, and as a working breed for sheep, they respond well to training just like most other sheepdogs.
They are active and enjoy living in the wild or as farm dogs but can make good house dogs.
They can do well around kids if they are socialized early.
19. Perro Majorero
The Perro Majorero dog breed has been originally utilized as a watchdog for their human family and sheep.
They have an average length of coat hair that comes as wavy black, or blonde.
Perro loves to play and may do a lot of fighting in the yard. Their active nature makes exercise a necessity.
20. Villano De Las Encartaciones
Villano is a working dog breed born from crossbreeding the Spanish Bulldog.
But this variant is more active, less weighty, and runs faster during its hunting spree to catch boars.
Traditionally, this breed has been used to herd cattle.
Both the cattle and the Villano breed have been said to have a close union that they may find it challenging to exist independently of each other.
They are not very popular, and their hunting instinct makes them less suitable to be around kids and may not be good house dogs.
21. Garafian Shepherd
The Garafian Shepherd is a medium to large-size canine with strong legs, a black nose, almond eyes, and a triangular upright ear.
Their puppies are born possessing a brown coat, which changes as they become adults.
This breed shows off a friendly attitude towards family and strangers with a usual wagging tail, barking, and holding of ears reaction.
They are peaceful and do not have a problem lying about until they engage in a task to make it agile and active.
This Spanish sheepdog has been recognized by the Real Sociedad Canina de Espana since the year 2003.
22. Majorca Ratter
The Majorca Ratter weighs about 7 to 11 pounds with a short and fine coat.
They are often used for hunting rabbits and rats on Mallorca island.
It’s social around the people it knows, including children, and are good companions.
However, it has a hostile attitude towards trespassers, making it a good guard dog.
23. Cantabrian Water Dog
With its hairy and woolly coat, this breed has recognition with clubs like the Royal Canine Society of Spain and the Breed Committee of the Spanish Ministry of Environment.
Although classified as a variant of the Spanish Water Dog by these societies, it has not yet been recognized by any main Kennel Club.
As their name implies, they are water dogs that assist fishers in retrieving fish that fell into the water.
They also act as guard dogs and lifeguards during the fishing mission.
This breed is not so easy to handle, but they can be very obedient with early training.
24. Maneto
Maneto is one of the Spanish dog breeds native to Andalusia and employed in hunting down rabbits and retrieving water birds.
They possess a shorter leg when compared to the size of their body, triangle shape ears, and sharp eyes.
Their name signifies a deformity in legs or hands, and they have been accepted into the Real Sociedad Canina de Espana club.
Manetos are intelligent family dogs that portray a cautious and hesitant attitude towards strangers but become very open and curious afterward.
Spending quality time with your Maneto breed helps build a better relationship with them.
25. Podenco Valenciano
Also known as Xarnego Valenciano, Podenco Valenciano is one of Spanish hound dog breeds, which originates in the Valencian Community.
This breed has three coat variants, which can either be soft and straight, bumpy and dense, or lengthy and fluffy.
They are medium-sized breeds possessing a weight ranging from 39 to 40 pounds and a height ranging from 19 to 24 inches.
The breed was originally bred to hunt rabbits in different areas with their high ability to adapt to different environments and have been identified by the Real Sociedad Canina de Espana since the year 2017.
26. Spanish Hound
This medium-sized scent hound is one of the popular Spanish hunting dog breeds.
It has a bigger body compared to its legs, which are pretty short for its size.
They have been in the business of hunting small, big, and wild games for hundreds of years.
If the physical appearance of this breed is not convincing, then its loyal, loving, and caring personality, which makes it suitable for family living inclusive of children, is a good trait many persons would find convincing when looking out for a pet dog.
They are nonaggressive and get along well with other dogs, but their prey drive can affect their living with other pets in the home.
27. Ratonero Valenciano (Gos Rater Valencia)
Also known as Gos Rater Valencia, Ratonero Valencianos are small-sized dogs that come with little or no tail, fewer coat hairs with a well-built body, and a cautious attitude.
They possess almond-shaped eyes, which are usually dark, tough jaws, and upright triangle ears.
The breed is known to be an excellent hunter for small games like ducks and rabbits.
On the other hand, they make great house companions with their cheerful, loyal, and affectionate temperament.
However, they can be quite aloof to strangers and this makes them good watchdogs to the home.
Early training as socialization may help them socialize better with other small pets else their intense prey drive may set in.
28. Lobito Herreno
Also known as the Hierran Wolfdog, Lobito Herreno is not a very popular breed and is yet to be recognized by any of the prominent Kennel Clubs.
They were traditionally bred as pastoral dogs to assist herders in leading and managing their flock of sheep.
Over the years, they have been adopted as companion dogs as pastoral farming isn’t much in practice these days.
This Spanish herding dog breed is very obedient, loyal to its owners, easy to train but can be wary of strangers due to its guarding instinct.
They belong to the Asociacion para la recuperacion del Perro lobo herreno.
29. Great Pyrenees
The Great Pyrenees is one of the strongest dog breeds in the world, with its origin traced to the border between France and Spain, in a place known as Pyrenees Mountains.
Although closely linked to the Pyrenean Mastiff, this mountain dog breed is classified as distinct.
They possess a hairy, fluffy, and large-sized physical appearance that is quite admirable at first sight.
Their double-layer coat makes them cope well during the harsh cold weather.
They are an independent breed that may require very early obedience training to keep them on track before they become grown.
It makes a great companion dog to the home and is playful, protective of children and their human families in general.
Their great guarding instinct makes them cautious of strangers.
Wrap Up
All canines are unique and adorable in various ways, notwithstanding their origins.
On the other hand, different people may have their specifications when considering a dog.
While some Spanish dog breeds on this list are great at hunting, others make great watchdogs and house pets with excellent relationships with other pets or kids.
This list of Spanish dogs is sure to not only acquaint you with the names of some of these dogs you may never have heard of but would assist you in knowing some vital dog breed information so you can quickly get the right canine that suits your lifestyle.
Reference: RSCE
