Sloughi

Guides for your Sloughi

The story behind the Sloughi

The Sloughi is the smooth sighthound of North Africa, long associated with Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, where Berber and Arab communities used it to course hare, gazelle, fox and jackal across desert and semi-desert country. The dogs were highly valued, often kept close to their owners' households and traded carefully, and they were selected for endurance in heat and stamina over distance rather than for pure sprint speed. European visitors described the breed during the colonial period, and small numbers reached France and the Netherlands in the twentieth century, forming the basis of most Western populations. Morocco is regarded as the country of origin for standard purposes. The breed remains uncommon everywhere; it is still used for hunting in parts of North Africa and is kept for coursing, showing and companionship in Europe and North America.

Originally bred for: Gazelle and hare courser, desert hunting hound, camp guardian. You can trace how working roles shaped today’s breeds across our dog guides.

Feeding a Sloughi

Feed a quality complete diet with enough fat to hold weight on a naturally lean, low-body-fat frame; these hounds should look racy rather than thin. Two smaller meals suit the deep chest better than one large one, with rest before and after running.

Watch for: No breed-specific food intolerance is established. Lean sighthounds often react to abrupt changes with soft stools, so introduce new foods slowly. Persistent digestive problems or unexplained weight loss warrant veterinary assessment before any restrictive diet is attempted.

Not sure what to put in the bowl? See our picks for the best dog food for large breeds.

Mealtime extras: training treats worth keeping in your pocket, and a slow feeder bowl if your dog inhales dinner. Everything else lives in our dog nutrition and feeding hub.

Living with a Sloughi

Day to day, the basics matter most: how much exercise your dog needs, how often to get out for a walk, and how much sleep is normal.

For play and enrichment, browse chew toys built for strong jaws and interactive toys for rainy days.

Gear that fits the breed makes life easier: a well-sized dog bed, a properly sized crate.

Raising a puppy? Work through crate training and the teething timeline — or see how old your dog is in human years with our dog age calculator.