All About the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound

The Styrian Hound is native to Austria where they were bred during the 1870s with an end goal being to create a medium-sized scent hound capable of working alongside hunters in challenging conditions and over rough terrains. The breed is also known as the Peinteinger Bracke which is the name of the man who created these handsome dogs. Although highly regarded in the field, the Styrian Hound is less well known in other parts of the world and are not often kept as companions or family pets although they are known to have affectionate and gentle natures.

A little background history

As previously mentioned, the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is often referred to as a Peintinger Bracke and was first bred during the 1870s. Hunters wanted to create a breed of scent hound capable of working alongside them in all sorts of weather and over many terrains. The breed was recognised in 1889 by the Austrian Kennel Club and finally gained recognition with North America's United Kennel Club under their Scent Hound classification in 2006.

There are those who believe that that these lovely scent hounds could be descendants of the ancient Celtic Hounds which were known to have existed in the Alpine regions of Europe during and since the Middle Ages. It is thought that Herr Peinteinger, an Austrian manufacturer in Styria used them to develop his breed and that he introduced Hanovarian Hounds and Istrian Wire-haired Hounds into the mix. The result of his work over 20 years was the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound which is thought of as being one of the larger Austrian Brackes and was developed

These handsome dogs have always been highly prized in the field, but are less well known in a domestic environment. However, for anyone wanting to share a home with a rare and more unusual canine companion, the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound could be worth considering although they are best suited to people who are familiar with the breed's very specific needs or a Styrian Coarse-haired Hound could show a more dominant side to their natures making them that much harder to handle.

Appearance

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is medium sized dog that stands at anything from 45 to 53 cm at the wither and weighing in at about 15 to 18 kg. They are handsome dogs with well-muscled bodies and a nice, serious expression about their eyes. The breed is well balanced having an athletic look about them and their coats are coarse and wiry offering dogs good protection from the elements.

Temperament

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is a robust looking scent hound and a dog that boasts having a tremendous amount of stamina. Active, hardy and capable of working in all sorts of weather and over harsh terrains, these hounds are tenacious by nature. They were bred to drive small game and to track animals over vast and rugged mountainous regions of Austria which in short means the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is happiest when they are working in the field.

Although tough, the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is known to be gentle and affectionate although not the best choice as either a companion or a family pet unless owners are familiar with their needs and spend a lot of time in the great outdoors and would like a dog capable of keeping pace with them.

Exercise needs

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound needs to be given a tremendous amount of exercise to be truly happy and they need to be handled firmly so they understand who is boss and what is expected of them. As such, they need a minimum of 2 hours exercise a day and ideally even more with as much off the lead time as possible so a dog can really express themselves.

Shedding

These handsome dogs shed copious amounts of hair all year round, but even more during the spring and then again in the autumn when their summer and winter coats grow through.

Training

A Styrian Coarse-haired Hound's training must start early and it must be consistent so that dogs understand what is expected of them. It's essential to pay particular attention to the recall"" command because these scent hounds boast an extremely strong scenting ability and if something takes their interest, they will take off after a scent rather than listen to a command. Because they are so intelligent, training sessions need to be kept short so that a dog remains focused otherwise boredom could set in making it more of a challenge to train a dog.

Children and Pets

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is known to have a gentle and affectionate nature, but they are not often found in a home environment being kept more as hunting and scenting hounds rather than companions and pets. With this said, they are rarely aggressive towards people or children they encounter.

Other dogs, pets and animals

Because they were bred to scent and drive out small game, the Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is known to be good around other dogs especially if they have been well socialised and trained from a young enough age. However, care should be taken when they are around smaller animals and pets.

Coat

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound has a rough, harsh coat that offers them a tremendous amount of protection against the elements. The hair on a dog's head is shorter than on the rest of their bodies, but their coats are never shaggy looking.

Coat colours

They come in a variety of colours which are as follows:

• Red
• Pale yellow
• Fawn

Dogs often have a white mark or spot on their chests.

Health

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is known to be a healthy and robust breed thanks to their careful and selective breeding.

Life expectancy

The average life span of a Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is anything from 10 to 12 when correctly cared for and fed an appropriate good quality diet to suit their ages.

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