Back to 2200 B.C., drawings of a dog similar to the Canaan Dog were found on graves, but this dog was first bred in the 1930's in Israel from wild dogs. The Canaan dog is well-adapted to the rough conditions of the deserts.
This breed is still used by Bedouins to guard and herd sheep, but it has first been used as a war messenger, a tracker a rescue dog, a mine detector and also to guide blind people. The breed was first brought to the United-States in 1965.