Is the Bavarian mountain hound a good choice of pet?

The Bavarian mountain hound is a German breed of scent hound, which has been extant since the middle ages, and was historically widely used to hunt and track injured prey and game. Originally formed from the crossing of the Hanover hound and the Bavarian hound, the Bavarian mountain hound is a medium sized working dog breed with short, shiny fur and an active, tenacious personality.

The breed is still widely owned in Germany as primarily a working dog, and they are only recently becoming particularly popular as pets. However, their attractive appearance, calm natures and affection for their family means that today, their popularity is on the rise.

If you are wondering if a Bavarian mountain hound is the right choice of pet for you, in this article we will look at the core traits of the breed in more detail. Read on to learn more.

What are their temperaments like?

The Bavarian mountain hound is one breed that is renowned for forming very strong bonds with their families, and being highly devoted to the human members of their pack. They very much like being around people and suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for too long, and they are very quick to show affection with cuddles, wagging tails and lots of licking! They are not considered to be at all aggressive, and make for poor guard dogs, although they can potentially be shy around strangers.

Do they need a lot of exercise?

The Bavarian mountain hound is a very active, outdoors-y dog that will not thrive within a sedentary lifestyle or with low levels of exercise. They are used to working and having a role to fulfil, and need plenty of both physical and mental stimulation. They like to be able to run around freely, and while on the lead walks are important, they also need access to safe, enclosed spaces where they can run and stretch their legs.

Ideally, the Bavarian mountain hound should be able to spend several hours each day running and being exercised.

Are they easy to train?

The Bavarian mountain hound is at their best when they have a job to do, and like being able to work or play in simulated working roles. They are tenacious and good at solving problems, but they can also tend towards stubbornness, and suffering from selective deafness!

They require an experienced trainer and clear direction, and someone who knows how to keep training interesting and varied, to avoid boredom. As a scent hound breed, they do have something of a tendency to take off after a trail, and can be hard to train for reliable recall.

Do they have a strong prey drive?

The breed has been kept and bred for many centuries as a working hunting dog, and of course this in its turn manifests as a strong prey drive. As mentioned, this can manifest as them finding scents and trailing other animals, which poses some potential problems when walking off the lead. It is important to work on the dog’s recall skills, and muzzle them when outside of safe enclosed running spaces, for the protection of wildlife and smaller domestic pets such as cats.

How well do they get on with other animals?

The Bavarian mountain hound is not a pack dog like most other scent hound breeds are, and they are not particularly dog oriented in their temperaments. This makes early socialisation with other dogs vitally important, and when this is achieved, they can play and socialise well with others.

They can also live successfully with other dogs, but introductions should be managed carefully, and ideally, the dogs should be introduced while they are still young.

It can be challenging to house the breed with smaller pets such as cats, due to their propensity to chase, but when carefully managed while the dog is young, it is far from impossible providing that you ae able to take the time to manage the early stages of the relationship.

Are they good with children?

The breed as a whole is reputed to bond strongly with every member of their family, and will tend to be very affectionate and loving with children of all ages. However they can be wary of strangers, which means that if your children have visitors over, their interactions with the dog should remain supervised.

It is important that any children in the family are introduced to the dog properly and taught the correct way to treat and handle the dog, and that of course the dog is also trained to behave properly around children. The Bavarian mountain dog likes to play and be involved in games with children, and will often find plenty of entertainment playing catch and running around with older children.