Does anyone have one? Or have any experience or knowledge of them?
I think they’re beautiful dogs. I don’t plan on acquiring a new dog anytime soon for a few reasons. When I do, though, I’d love to have an Ibizan.
I’ve read the breed profiles and whatnot but I can’t seem to find any good firsthand info from owners, etc.
The best thing you can do is go to a local dog show and talk to some owners. Having said that, depending on where you live, there may not be any being shown.
Second option is to go to the AKC website, look up the breed and go to the Parent club website to find some breeders to talk to.
I never owned one, but I know some breeders and handlers. They are a fun dog, and very sweet but they are sight hounds, meaning they will run forever!!! and not come on command… lovely clean dogs with a great sense of humor. very active. We used to say, that my friend was lucky if she could get her dog to gait with all 4 feet on the ground.:winkgrin: She did take her Ibizan to Korea with her and showed it over there as well!!!’
Neat dogs!
I’m a sighthound person, so I love that intelligent, independent, stong-willed type of dog, but if you’re more of a labrador, poodle, etc. person they’ll drive you NUTS.
Any good breeder would probably be happy to talk to you about the breed even if you’re not currently looking for a dog. They are usually thrilled to talk about their passion for their dogs like many of us are thrilled to talk about our horses. 
I have looked into it and it seems that in the next couple months there will be a couple conformation shows nearby where Ibizans have showed in years prior. I will plan to go and check it out.
I much prefer a high energy type of dog, so that is a positive thing.
Thanks for the info!
I have known several and they were nice dogs, about like a whippet in leaner and a tad bigger, but not as much as most greyhounds.
Ibizans tend to be sweet dogs, but very prey focused, so you have to manage them carefully if you have cats and keep them on leash, or they can be gone in a split second.
They were not bred for companions, but hunting dogs.
They are not that common, so if you can’t find some close, check whippets, those are easier to find and with about similar traits.
We had an italian greyhound and that was a more friendly, people oriented hound, when most hound breeds tend to be sweet but a bit standoffish.
If you get a hound, do check into lure coursing, it is a hoot.
When the dog’s instinct kicks in, it is wonderful to watch them run.
This is true! I have never owned an Ibizan, but I may someday - I absolutely fell in love with the breed a few years back when an absolute stunner showed at Westminster (did a ton of window shopping and research even though I couldn’t have a dog at the time). I’ve decided I really adore the sighthound breeds though.
I currently have a greyhound (who I’m absolutely completely in love with), and the sighthound type is definitely a very different one. They are quirky compared to the “usual suspects” like labs, goldens, dobermans, etc. Many show affection in a different way and may seem aloof, which is hard for some people to adjust to. They require a little more thinking outside of the box for training and a lot of patience at first. Many are VERY smart, but as most of the sighthounds were bred for independent hunting, they can be challenging at first in obedience type work and need some additional incentives compared to typical obedience breeds.
I think it’s definitely a good idea to go check them out at a show if there are any nearby and see what you think. I think a lot of people who get sighthounds find they enjoy their quirks (I swear my greyhound is a cat in a big slinky dog body, which I love), but there are some who find they really wished they had gotten a smiley, goofy lab type instead.
If you do go see some, maybe take some pics so we can all coo along with you = )
They are wonderful hounds. They are extremely adept at both high and broad jumps, so this is something to keep in mind if you get one. They are also sight hounds which means very prey driven.
I had one in the 60s
She was a good dog. Her name was Super Spot.
(her litter mates were one spot, two spot, heat spot and tail spot).
at least that was how the breeder called them and I kept the name.
Haven’t had Ibizans but
but have had borzoi’s. Have also had gun dogs, Great Danes, and herding dogs and the sight hounds are definitely different.
But mine were pretty good farm dogs. They were raised with cats and never really posed a threat to the barn cats – like all the other dogs occasionally gave chase if the cats ran but not viciously. They were not allowed free range on the farm unattended but we did walk them off leash on our trails just like the other dogs and though they would give chase to wildlife on occassion they did not run off and not come back. One of mine had a relatively good recall (she was very food motivated) and my mothers just didn’t wonder far from us.
In fact when I lived in Pennsylvania and used to hike and jog in the rural mountains on trails and dirt roads I would take my border collie and my borzoi off leash with me and never had a problem with either running off. The borzoi however did tangle with a raccoon once and she and one of the danes (on separate occasions) did away with a ground hog.
Ours also loved boating and swimming – but we just treated her like all the other dogs and though she was definitely ‘different’ she fit in pretty well.
I also haven’t had an Ibizan, but had a borzoi when I was a kid. My mother went to the shelter to look for a small dog, and came back with her, because she was on death row. She was beautiful, sweet, and dumb as a post. d; Very tolerant of me climbing all over her and attempting to ride her like a pony, but the one issue we had from her was escaping and running, and once she started going she had no recall… she really had too much energy for us, and was not meant to live in a trailer park. She’d slip out the door and go run laps around the block, while my dad loaded me into my carseat and followed her around slowly; when she got tired he’d open the back door and she’d jump in. This happened a couple times a week. When they sent her to a boarding kennel for a week, she jumped a 5’ fence and ran away there too. Eventually my parents rehomed her to a farm. Very, very sweet, but they really do need running space…
Once she had her daily run/escape though, she was a couch potato. (:
