Sloughi

Aloof with strangers, gentle at home, and keen to chase.
A Sloughi
Photo: Sabine.schlenkrich
Adult male
22–28 kg
49–62 lb
Adult female
18–24 kg
40–53 lb
Lifespan
12–16 yrs
Class · Companion
also Field

What it's like

In temperament the Sloughi is reserved, even aloof, with strangers but gentle and closely attached to its own people. It is sensitive and responds poorly to harsh handling. It keeps a strong instinct to chase and stays alert to anything unfamiliar.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Likes its own space
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a short coat. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on a brush once a week. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Sloughi is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever. Males end up clearly heavier than females.

It is lean and elegant, with visible bone structure, dry muscle, a long refined head and drooping ears that lie close to the skull. Dark eyes give it a gentle, rather melancholy expression. The fine, smooth coat ranges from light sand to mahogany red, sometimes with a black mask, a black mantle or brindling. Unlike most Salukis, it has no feathering on the ears or tail.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Sloughi puppy is already as heavy as a grown Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.8–6.1 kg 10.6–13.4 lb
4.3–5.8 kg 9.5–12.8 lb
3 months
7.1–9.0 kg 15.7–19.8 lb
6.1–8.2 kg 13.4–18.1 lb
4 months
10.2–13.0 kg 22.5–28.7 lb
8.8–11.7 kg 19.4–25.8 lb
5 months
13.2–16.7 kg 29.1–36.8 lb
11.1–14.8 kg 24.5–32.6 lb
6 months
15.7–20.0 kg 34.6–44.1 lb
13.0–17.3 kg 28.7–38.1 lb
7 months
17.6–22.4 kg 38.8–49.4 lb
14.4–19.2 kg 31.7–42.3 lb
8 months
19.0–24.2 kg 41.9–53.4 lb
15.4–20.5 kg 34.0–45.2 lb
9 months
19.9–25.4 kg 43.9–56.0 lb
16.1–21.5 kg 35.5–47.4 lb
10 months
20.5–26.2 kg 45.2–57.8 lb
16.6–22.2 kg 36.6–48.9 lb
11 months
21.0–26.7 kg 46.3–58.9 lb
17.0–22.6 kg 37.5–49.8 lb
12 months
21.3–27.1 kg 47.0–59.7 lb
17.2–23.0 kg 37.9–50.7 lb
15 months
21.9–27.8 kg 48.3–61.3 lb
17.8–23.7 kg 39.2–52.2 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Sloughis live yet. The 12–16 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Sloughi is a North African sighthound centuries old, and Morocco, home to most of the breed today, is the country responsible for its standard. Hounds of its type coursed game across the desert for nomad chiefs, Berber kings and Egyptian nobles. Every Sloughi is short-haired4,8.

The Sloughi was once known in Europe as the Arabian greyhound. French colonial contact with the Maghreb brought hounds to France and neighbouring countries from the late nineteenth century. In North Africa the breed declined during the twentieth century as hunting was restricted and nomadic life changed. Dedicated breeders in Morocco and Europe helped secure its survival. It was bred to hunt hare, fox, jackal and gazelle by sight. In a region where dogs were often regarded as unclean, the Sloughi is said to have been valued as part of the household.

Breed standard

The Sloughi is judged against standard no. 188, in group 10, Sighthounds4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Sloughi figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Greyhound
Sighthounds · Large
Afghan Hound
Sighthounds · Medium
Saluki
Sighthounds · Medium
Azawakh
Sighthounds · Medium
Or compare the Sloughi with any breed you choose
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Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·