Alpine Daschbracke

The Alpine Dachsbracke is relatively new to the world of dogs having been first developed during the late 19th Century in Austria where they have always been highly prized not only in the hunting field, but in a home environment too. The breed is not so well known outside of Austria which includes the UK which can make finding a reputable breeder more challenging. As such anyone wanting to share a home with a delightful and charming Alpine Daschbracke might need to spend time finding one with the good news being the effort would be well worth it.

A little background history

As previously mentioned, the Alpine Daschbracke is one of the relatively newer breeds to appear on the scene having been first created during the late nineteenth century. However, very similar looking dogs have been around for centuries particularly in the Alpine regions of Europe. The breed was developed by careful and selective breeding using Austrian Black and Tan Hounds along with other hound types with the end goal being to create a hound capable of working alongside man in the field where they were always highly prized.

The breed was a firm favourite with German royals who took their dogs with them on hunting trips to Turkey and Egypt during the late eighteen hundreds. Today, these charming little dogs are still highly prized in Europe although less well known in many countries of the world including the UK although they are renowned for being wonderful companions and family pets.

Appearance

The charming, small Alpine Daschbracke has short legs and strong, powerful, well-boned bodies. They have nicely defined stops with the bridge of their noses being straight. The tops of their heads are well domed adding to a dog's unique and endearing looks. Muzzles are strong and well pronounced furrows. They have black noses and lips with a perfect scissor or pincer bite. They have muscular necks and their withers are nicely emphasised. Backs are straight and dogs have short, broad loins. Chests are deep and broad with dogs having nicely pronounced forechests.

The Alpine Daschbracke has a moderately tucked up belly and their tails are thicker at the root before tapering to the tip being set high. The hair on the underside of a dog's tail is slightly longer than on the upper side. Their legs are short and close with shoulders being long and sloping being powerful and muscular. Their hindquarters are strong, well angulated and muscular. Their feet are strong with dogs having close fitting toes and strong paw pads. Nails are black in colour.

They have double coats that consist of a dense and thick close lying top coat and a softer, dense undercoat. They are typically a dark red in colour with some dogs having black hairs interspersed throughout their coats. They have very clearly defined markings on their heads, chests, legs feet and on the underside of their tails with some dogs having a small white mark on their chests.

Temperament

Friendly, intelligent, fearless and confident, the Alpine Daschbracke is known to be a charming little dog that does just as well in a home environment as they do in the field. They form incredibly strong ties with their families which sees dogs becoming totally devoted and loyal to their owners are the ideal canine companion for people who lead active outdoor lives although they are also suited to people who lead more sedentary lives too. However, they are known to turn into couch potatoes a little too easily which means care should be taken on how much exercise they are given so they don't plough on too many pounds.

They have a high prey drive which is a trait that's deeply embedded in a dog's psyche and being so intelligent, these little dogs need to be given the right amount of stimulation to prevent boredom from setting in. A bored dog turns into a naughty dog and one that develops many unwanted and destructive behaviours around the home which includes excessive barking. They remain very puppy-like throughout their lives which is another reason why they make such lovely companions and family pets.

Shedding

The Alpine Daschbracke sheds hair throughout the year and like other breeds this tends to be more evident during the spring when they summer coats grow through and then again in the autumn when their winter coats start to come through. As such they are considered being moderate shedders.

Training

Training needs to start early paying particular attention to the recall command because an Alpine Dachsbracke is quick to take off after an interesting scent if ever they get the chance. Their training has to be consistent and always fair so that dogs understand what is expected of them and who is the alpha dog in a household. Keeping training session short and interesting will help keep a dog focused on what is being asked of them and prevents boredom from setting in which could make their training more challenging. It's also important to socialise a Daschbracke from a young age so they grow up to be well-balanced, happy mature dogs in all sorts of situations.

Exercise

Daschbrackes have an amazing amount of stamina and energy which means they need to be given the right amount of daily exercise. As such they need a minimum of 1 hours’ daily exercise with as much off the lead time as possible, but only in places where it is safe to let dogs run free. They also need a ton of mental stimulation to prevent boredom from setting in.

Children and Pets

Affectionate and loyal, the Alpine Daschbracke is known to be a great choice both as a companion and family pet. They love interacting with older children and are therefore better suited to families where the kids are slightly older rather than where there are toddlers around. Providing they have grown up with a family cat and other smaller pets, they generally get on well together. However, thanks to their high prey drive, care should be taken when they are around any other small animals and pets.

What about health issues?

The Alpine Daschbracke is known to be a healthy and robust breed although much like their Dachshund counterparts, they too can suffer from spinal issues which includes the following condition:

• Intervertebral Disk Disease

Life expectancy

The average life span of an Alpine Daschbracke is between 12 and 14 years when correctly cared for and fed a good quality diet to suit the different stages of their lives.

Finding a Breeder

Because the Alpine Daschbracke is so rarely found outside of Europe, finding a reputable breeder often proves challenging. With this said, the breed is finding a fan base in many countries of the world which includes the UK so more breed enthusiasts are showing an interest in breeding these charming short-legged dogs. With this said, it's important to contact reputable Alpine Daschbracke breeders who make sure they only use healthy dogs in their breeding programmes.