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Cirneco Dell'Etna breeders

The Cirneco dell’Etna (roughly “cheer-NAY-ko”) is a hunting hound from Sicily, where it hunted rabbits on the volcanic ground around Mount Etna.

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Advertise your Cirneco Dell'Etna puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed the Cirneco dell'Etna? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so that buyers looking for Cirneco dell'Etna puppies for sale, and breeders searching for a Cirneco dell'Etna stud dog, can find you. You can advertise Cirneco dell'Etna puppies for sale, planned litters and stud dogs, and explain how you plan matings in a breed with a small UK gene pool. A basic listing shows your kennel name, location, website, social media and categories, and paid plans unlock more showcase features. Add your listing or see pricing.

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In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

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About the Cirneco Dell'Etna

The Cirneco dell'Etna (roughly "cheer-NAY-ko") is a hunting hound from Sicily, where it hunted rabbits on the volcanic ground around Mount Etna. The Royal Kennel Club places it in the Hound group and describes an athletic hunter that works by scent, sight and hearing. It probably shares some ancestry with the Pharaoh Hound and has a similar outline, although it is much smaller. The Cirneco dell'Etna Club says the breed has been shaped far more by natural selection for work than by human design. According to the club, the first Cirneco was imported to the UK in 2001, the first Kennel Club registered litter was born in 2003, an interim breed standard was accepted in 2007, and in 2015 the breed moved from the Imported Breed Register to the Breed Register. Numbers here remain small: the RKC registered eight in 2025. Browse other hound breeders or read about rare and preservation breeds.

Size and build. The RKC classes the Cirneco as a medium breed. The breed standard gives an ideal shoulder height of 46–50 cm for dogs and 44–48 cm for bitches. It is long-legged, lightly built and square in outline, yet strong, with high-set upright ears.

Coat and grooming. The coat is short on the head, ears and legs and a little longer on the body, about 2.5 cm, where it lies sleek and close with no feathering. The standard accepts only self-coloured tan, from light to dark, with white permitted on the chest, toes, head, foreface and tail tip. The RKC suggests grooming once a week, and the breed does shed.

Exercise. The RKC recommends up to an hour of exercise a day. The club adds that this lively breed needs mental stimulation and family involvement as well as regular exercise.

Temperament and suitability. The standard asks for a strong, lively and independent dog that is also gentle and affectionate. The club says a well-socialised Cirneco adapts well to family life and enjoys home comforts, but it keeps its natural hunting instincts, so secure fencing and patient recall training are sensible. The RKC rates it as suitable for a small house with a small to medium garden, in town or country, and gives a lifespan of over ten years; the club says most live to around 13 to 15.

Cirneco Dell'Etna health tests

The Royal Kennel Club lists no screening schemes or DNA tests for the Cirneco dell'Etna. Its only Good Practice recommendation for breeders of this breed is prioritising genetic diversity, which makes the coefficient of inbreeding for each mating especially relevant in a small UK population. The RKC does not offer a breed-specific DNA test package, although individual tests are available, and it has no extra breed-specific breeding restrictions. The breed is in Breed Watch Category 1, meaning no breed-specific points of concern have been flagged for show judges beyond the breed standard.

The Cirneco dell'Etna Club health page says there is no supporting veterinary evidence of any hereditary condition in the breed, and that the club monitors reports from owners and overseas breed clubs for any emerging trends. It surveyed UK owners about breed health in 2021 and has a breed health co-ordinator who answers health questions. None of this guarantees the health of an individual dog, so ask breeders about the health and lifespan of related dogs.

  • RKC Good Practice: prioritising genetic diversity (no screening schemes or DNA tests listed)
  • Coefficient of inbreeding for the mating, checked with the RKC inbreeding calculator
  • No breed-specific RKC DNA test package; individual DNA tests available
  • Breed Watch: Category 1
  • No additional breed-specific RKC breeding restrictions
  • Cirneco dell'Etna Club health monitoring and 2021 owner health survey

Choosing a Cirneco Dell'Etna breeder

The UK Cirneco population is small, so you may need to wait for a litter and travel to see it. The Cirneco dell'Etna Club has a puppy co-ordinator who deals with enquiries about puppies and litters, which makes the club a sensible first contact. A good breeder will explain why they chose the pairing and share the coefficient of inbreeding for the mating, since prioritising genetic diversity is the RKC's Good Practice advice for this breed. They should let you see the puppies with their mother, keep them until at least eight weeks old, and hand over RKC registration papers, a diet sheet and worming, vaccination and microchip records. Expect questions about your home, your fencing and your experience with hounds. In England, a council licence is needed by anyone who breeds three or more litters in any 12-month period and sells any of the puppies, or who runs a business breeding and advertising dogs for sale. Read our buyer safety guide before paying a deposit.

  • What is the coefficient of inbreeding for this litter, and how does it compare with the breed average?
  • Are both parents RKC registered, and will the puppy's registration papers come with it?
  • Have the parents or their close relatives had any health problems, and how long did older relatives live?
  • Can I meet the mother, and the father if he is available?
  • Will you take the dog back or help to rehome it at any point in its life?

Cirneco Dell'Etna questions

Is the Cirneco dell'Etna a sighthound?

The Royal Kennel Club places it in the Hound group and says it hunts by scent, sight and hearing. The Cirneco dell'Etna Club says it relies mainly on scent while also using sight and hearing. It has a similar outline to the Pharaoh Hound but is much smaller.

How big does a Cirneco dell'Etna get?

The breed standard gives an ideal shoulder height of 46 to 50 cm for dogs and 44 to 48 cm for bitches, and the RKC classes it as a medium breed. The RKC gives a lifespan of over ten years, and the breed club says most live to around 13 to 15.

How much exercise does a Cirneco dell'Etna need?

The RKC suggests up to an hour a day. The breed club says mental stimulation and time with the family matter as well as regular exercise. It keeps strong hunting instincts, so secure fencing and steady recall training are worth planning for.

What health tests should Cirneco dell'Etna parents have?

The RKC lists no screening schemes or DNA tests for this breed. Its Good Practice advice is to prioritise genetic diversity, so ask for the coefficient of inbreeding for the mating. The breed is in Breed Watch Category 1, and the breed club monitors health reports and surveyed UK owners in 2021.

More for Cirneco Dell'Etna owners and breeders

Official sources