Hound · Small (9-13 lbs) · 12-15 years
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
Lively, playful, hardy; small rustic rabbit hunter, Portugal's national dog (small variety).
9–13 lb
At a glance
Kid-friendly
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
First-time owners
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Energy
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Shedding
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Good with cats
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Alone time
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Apartment OK
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Trainability
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
What this is
What they’re great at
✓ Handles alone time better than most breeds
✓ Adapts beautifully to smaller spaces
✓ Quiet by nature
✓ A gentle couch companion between sprints
Why it matters
Honest challenges
Prey drive is hardwired
Small fast animals flip an ancient switch - this is wiring, not disobedience.
What helps: ['Management IS the training: never unsupervised with small pets, period', 'Secure fencing plus leash or long line outdoors for life', 'Feed the drive legally: flirt pole and lure-chase games']
Small fast animals flip an ancient switch - this is wiring, not disobedience.
What helps: ['Management IS the training: never unsupervised with small pets, period', 'Secure fencing plus leash or long line outdoors for life', 'Feed the drive legally: flirt pole and lure-chase games']
What you can do
Exercise & training
Exercise: Moderate - 45-60 min/day
Training profile — Sighthound: The 40-mph couch potato pattern: brief intense exercise, then 20 hours of professional napping. Respect the sprint/rest rhythm.
Sports and outlets that suit them: Lure coursing small division · Barn Hunt · Agility
What you can do
Grooming & coat
Grooming: Very low (smooth) to low (wire).
Shedding: Light.
Good to know
Health to know about
Patellar luxation, Legg-Calve-Perthes; very healthy
Breed-typical tendencies, not a diagnosis. Individual dogs vary enormously — your veterinarian screens for what matters for your dog.
Why it matters
Emergency red flags
Poisoning (chocolate, xylitol, grapes, medications, rodenticide)
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Vomiting, drooling, tremors, collapse, or known ingestion
→ Call ASPCA Poison Control 888-426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 immediately; do NOT induce vomiting unless instructed
Know your ER
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
→ Save your nearest 24-hour emergency vet's address and phone in your phone TODAY, not during a crisis
This page never carries product links in the emergency section. ASPCA Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661.
Good to know
The numbers
Typical ranges for planning, not promises — costs vary by region, breeder and individual dog.
| Group | Hound |
| Size | Small (9-13 lbs) |
| Lifespan | 12-15 years |
| Healthy adult weight | 9–13 lb |
| Original purpose | Rabbit hunting and shipboard vermin control. |
| Monthly care | $50-$90 |
| Typical puppy price | $1,000-$2,000 |
Similar breeds
Coming soon
Be there when Rosette opens.
One email when it launches. Nothing else, ever.