HUNTING WITH THE ALANO

	The Alano is an animal of great valor and a powerful attack dog. The method used to hunt the wild boar is a type of circle patrol. It consists of hunting boars at night with the sole aid of a horse, the dogs and a hunting knife.
This really puts to test the bravery of the hunter and the powerful grip ofthe Alano. The patrol begins when night falls. The hunters mount their horses and, with the dogs loose, begin a silent advance through trails and clearings searching for boars. The Alanos usually stay close to the horses and only enter the brush when one of the hounds encounters a boar and calls a halt.
At that moment the Alanos rush in a throng to where the hound is urgently calling for their help. The boar almost always receives the Alano with its snout, throwing it back a considerable length at times. But the dog doesn't take long to recover and whether unharmed or injured or even half-dead, charges again.
I have seen some return to attack with their bodies open almost from top to bottom. Sometimes, the boar and Alano come together rising on their hind legs and upright, attack each other without pity, each trying to down its adversary.
	Narration of Manuel C. Jarén.

The Alano in Spanish Hunting: Its Traditional Use

The daring knife-wielding hunters have always trusted in what they have called, "Alano power" for hunting the wild boar.

The ability of the Alano to seize, to hold continuously and tenaciously to the death, defines an effectiveness impossible to equal. In the Spanish Alano the grip of the bite takes effect as soon as it reaches the boar or animal. This is not a dog that waits to find the best position for capturing its prey (which almost always results in greater danger for the dog,) thanks to its refined technique of seizing.

[ Principal-Home ] [ Arriba-Up ] [ Little Background ] [ Situacion Today ] [ Character, Utilization ] [ Hunting ] [ Standard ] [ Breeders ] [ Painting and Alano ] [ Behavior by Javier Parra ] [ Links ] [ Photos 1 B&W ] [ Photos 2 (Colour) ] [ About animals ] [ E-mail ] [ Photos from ... alanos ] [ Finish received photos ]