Although the Pharaoh makes a wonderful pet, don't ever make the mistake of believing this dog is perfect, because he has his share of faults. There are, in fact, many things the prospective Pharaoh owner must realize before getting a Pharaoh as a family pet.

The Pharaoh is a very special dog known for its intelligence, speed and great perceptiveness. They are not the right dog for everyone, however. They require an owner with a lot of understanding of the breed. The Pharaoh is so intelligent that sometimes they are like a human. In many ways, they actually believe they are on the same level as humans and will often try to outsmart their owners. Because of their high level of intelligence, they are easy to train, but only on something that the dog feels they want to learn. If the Pharaoh feels something is "beneath him", he will disagree about doing it, often becoming very stubborn. They are always looking for ways to outsmart them. They also have a few bad habits worth mentioning.

Barking is one habit that the Pharaoh has that can annoy the most patient of owners. When the Pharaoh is hunting, this barking is referred to as "giving tongue". When they are not hunting, it's just an annoying kind of barking to indicate that they are bored and need some attention or something to do. Training may help with some of this nuisance barking. Almost anyone will tell you that there is no barking quite as annoying as the barking that comes from hounds.

Another bad habit the Pharaoh occasionally has is coprophagia, which is stool eating. Do not get the wrong idea and think it's because the dog is hungry and needs more to eat. Before the Pharaoh became a domestic dog (which hasn't been that long), they would hide their trails so they and their young couldn't be found by other animals. Their way of doing this was by eating their droppings so the other animals wouldn't be able to track them. This habit has stayed with many of these dogs through the years. Although it is very annoying, there really isn't a lot that can be done about this habit.

Another bad habit they possess is their desire to run and chase every small animal they see. This is in their blood from their days as hunting dogs. They are not trying to be disobedient, but they should never be left loose in the yard. It's important that the dog be given lots of exercise to avoid the dog having so much excess energy that they get into mischief. They love spending time with the family, but will try to be in charge if given the opportunity.

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