The Guicho or Quisquelo, also Can Guicho, is a traditional Spanish breed of small warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is recognised by the – the Spanish ministry of agriculture – and by the Xunta de Galicia, but not by the Real Sociedad Canina de España.
It is one of four traditional dog breeds of Galicia, the others being the Can de Palleiro, the Perdigueiro Galego and the Podengo Galego.
History
The Guicho is a traditional breed of warren hound from the autonomous community of Galicia. It was officially recognised by the Xunta de Galicia in April 2001; it received national recognition by royal decree in May the same year. A stud-book was established at the same time; it is maintained by the breed society, the .
The Guicho is distributed throughout Galicia, but mainly in the provinces of Ourense and Pontevedra.
Until its recognition in 2001 it was close to extinction. Its conservation status was described in 2009 as "in danger of extinction", but improving. A dog census in the comarcas of O Deza and Tabeirós – Terra de Montes in Pontevedra in 2024 found of the dogs, or about 2% of all dogs identified by breed in the census. In 2025 the Guicho was listed by the Real Sociedad Canina de España among the breeds in the process of recovery.
Characteristics
The Guicho is small dog: body weights range from for bitches and for dogs, and heights at the withers vary from for bitches and for dogs; bites are generally rather smaller and more slender than dogs. The coat may be solid-coloured, ranging from sand-coloured to chocolate or liver; or it may be bi-coloured, tri-coloured or sable.
Use
The Guicho is a warren hound and is used principally for hunting rabbit in the mountains of Galicia. It may also be used to hunt fox, or to detect the presence of wild boar.
References Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. .
Guicho ou Quisquelo (in Galician). Xunta de Galicia: Consellería do Medio Rural e do Mar. Archived 16 July 2013.
Guicho ou Quisquelo: Ficha técnica (in Galician). Xunta de Galicia: Consellería do Medio Rural e do Mar. Archived 16 August 2012.
Juan Miguel Diz Guedes (26 April 2001).Orde do 26 de abril de 2001 pola que se fai público o estándar racial do Guicho ou Quisquelo e se crea o libro xenealóxico da raza (in Galician). Diario Oficial de Galicia. 91: 6338–6343. Archived 16 August 2012.
Alfonso Loño (10 November 2024). Más de 34.000 ladridos (in Spanish). Vigo: Faro de Vigo. Archived 10 November 2024.
[Miguel Arias Cañete] (25 May 2001).Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Boletín Oficial de España. (142): 14 June 2001. Reference: BOE-A-2001-11347.
Razas Españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 11 July 2025.