The Canaan is one of the oldest breeds in history, These dogs were originally found in the ancient Biblical land of Canaan. The ancient Israelites used them as herding dogs and guard dogs.

The Canaan was first brought to the United States in 1965 and to Canada in 1970. They were entered into the American Kennel Club in 1989 and registered with the AKC Stud Books in 1997.

They are considered a medium size dog that has a lot of strength, they have a deep chest, straight limbs and round paws with hard pads. There head is wedge-shaped, their eyes are almond-shaped and dark brown and their nose is slightly slanted. The base of the ears is broad and the tip is rounded. You will find that they have a dense outer coat that is straight, coarse and is short to medium length, usually ½ inch to 2 inches long that allows them to easily adapt to just about any climate. The colors can range from black to cream including shades of brown and red and usually have small white markings. You could also find them in white with color patches. The tail is bushy and curls over their back.

Their temperament and independent personality includes a strong survival instinct; they are very obedient and reliable. As they are wary of strangers but not aggressive they make a great watchdog by barking to alert that something is not right rather than attacking. They will alert their owners of anything out of the ordinary. Canaans do best in a pack environment. Regardless if the pack includes other dog companions or their human family makes little difference as long as they are not left alone for extended periods of time. They do best being indoors where their humans are and will happily sleep until someone takes them outside for a walk or play. They have a lot of energy but are not hyper-active.

They are a very intelligent breed of dog and are quick to learn. As a result they enjoy and excel at activities that require mental and physical challenges.

The Canaan breed is very good with children but keep in mind that they may become defensive when children are playing especially if it is your child that is playing with another child. You must keep an eye on your dog to ensure that he or she does not interfere negatively while the children play.

Canaan dogs are general one of the healthiest dogs. They have no known hereditaryissues and there have only been the occasional case of hypothyroidism, epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), cryptorchidism, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).

The Canaan dog breed is an active working breed that is known for their herding skills. They are not happy to sit around and require lots of exercise, they make great jogging companions. Because of their energy level, they excel at agility and herding trials. The combination of their intelligence and activity level requires a trained owner to keep them on track; they can quickly lose interest in repetitive commands and start to wander.