Deutsche Bracke
Encyclopedia
The Deutsche Bracke is a breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
originating in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, a region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Deutsche Bracke is of the scenthound type
Dog type
Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....
, used for hunting both large and small game. The breed is normally referred to as the Deutsche Bracke in English, rather than by the translation of the name, German Hound.
Appearance
The Deutsche Bracke is a small hound, 40 - 53 cm (16 - 21 ins) at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
, with long drop ears and a long narrow tail. It is distinguished by a long, somewhat narrow head, and a rectangular body, described as "elegant".
The coat
Dog coat
Dog coat can refer to:*rug , jacket or blanket for a dog*coat , dog's fur or hair...
has hard, almost bristly, short fur, usually tricolor (red to yellow with a black mantle), with white markings called Bracken marks - a white muzzle, chest, legs, collar, and tip of the tail, and a blaze on the head.
History
The Bracke are an ancient type of hound. Their distinctive narrow heads and long ears set them apart from other types of hounds, and may show influence of the Greyhound or the ancient Celtic hounds. The St. Hubert's Hound (Bloodhound) may have contributed to the Bracke's voice, the distinctive call made by the dogs while chasing game. Over a very long period of time Bracke developed into a variety of regional forms.In 1896 the Deutschen Bracken Club, encompassing all of the local types of Bracke in northwest Germany, was formed in Olpe
Olpe, Germany
Olpe is situated in the foothills of the Ebbegebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia, roughly 60 km east of Cologne and 20 km northwest of Siegen. It is part of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg and is the seat of the district of Olpe.- Location :...
. The breeds were merged together in 1900 as one breed and were officially designated Deutsche Bracke. This breed was formerly called by a variety of old regional names such as "Olpe Bracke", "Sauerländer
Sauer
The Sauer or Sûre is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the river Moselle, its total length is 173 km....
Bracke" and "Westphalian
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
Bracke", and other local types now blended into one breed. The only breeds of Bracke in the area today are the Deutsche Bracke and the Westphalian Dachsbracke
Westphalian Dachsbracke
The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a small, short legged scenthound, a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The Westphalian Dachsbracke was used in Sweden to develop the Drever.-Appearance:...
. The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a short legged dog, possibly a cross of a Bracke with the Dachshund, the Westphalian Dachsbracke
Westphalian Dachsbracke
The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a small, short legged scenthound, a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The Westphalian Dachsbracke was used in Sweden to develop the Drever.-Appearance:...
.
Hunting with the Bracke in early times was done in mounted hunts, with hunters on horses following the hounds, as done by the ancient Celts chasing deer, and modern day fox hunters after fox. Another sport was developed in the 16th century, that did not require the expense of horses and big kennels, and made use of firearms, called Brackade. Hounds hunting this way tenaciously follow the game while voicing cries that communicate to the hunter as to where the dog is and what type of game the dog is following. Today, the Deutsche Bracke is usually used to hunt deer, but also rabbits and fox. Often it is hunted singly as a leash hound, in order to hunt on smaller areas. The space needed to hunt a pack of hounds is described by the breed club as a minimum area of 1,000 ha (2471 acres). Related to the hunting with Bracke is the use of horns to communicate with the dogs, a custom that is continued today.
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
Fédération Cynologique Internationale is an international federation of kennel clubs based in Thuin, Belgium. The English language translation, World Canine Organisation, is not often used.Its goals are described in Article 2 of their regulations:...
as breed number 299 in Group 6 (Scenthounds), Section 1.3 (Small hounds). Of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world, only the United Kennel Club
United Kennel Club
The United Kennel Club is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. According to the website, the club records 250,000 registrations annually. The UKC is not part of the International Canine Organisation, Fédération...
in the US recognises the Deutsche Bracke, in its Scenthound Group
Scenthound Group
Scenthound Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Dogs listed in a kennel club's Scenthound Group may not all be of the same type of dog.- Scenthound type :...
. The Deutsche Bracke also may be recognised by any of the many minor registries, rare breed groups, hunting clubs, and internet registry businesses under its original name, discarded antique names, translations of the name, or variations on the name. The Deutsche Bracke is strictly a hunting dog, and seldom seen outside its native country. Outside the home country, purchasers of dogs represented as Deutsche Bracke should research the dog's background, especially if it is registered with one of the minor clubs that require little to no documentation before accepting a dog or litter for registration.
Names
Historically, the term Bracke was used in German to mean the scenthounds. Brack is an old Low GermanLow German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
word for a coastal marsh periodically inundated by storm surges with salt water-the English word brackish. In Europe, scenthounds are usually separated into running hounds (free running packs, which either drive the game back to the hunter, or the hunter follows as they run, or the hunter waits until the dogs' cries communicate that game has been found and held, and then goes to that spot) or leash hounds (which follow the game or track wounded or dead game while being held on a leash by the hunter.) The Bracke are usually used as running hounds, in packs, to hunt rabbits or foxes in a type of hunt called Brackade.
Health and character
No specific diseases or claims of extraordinary health have been documented for this breed. According to the original German breed club, although it is a hunting dog it is affectionate and benefits from living with the family rather than in a kennel. It is a very persistent tracking dog with a good sense of direction.Related breeds
The Deutsche Bracke is related to the Westfälische Dachsbracke (Westphalian Dachsbracke, FCI No. 254) and the DreverDrever
The Drever is a breed of dog, a short-legged scenthound from Sweden used for hunting deer and other game. The Drever is descended from the Westphalian Dachsbracke, a type of German hound called Bracke...
, also called the Swedish Dachsbracke. The Finnenbracke (No. 51) is from Finland. The Alpenländische Dachsbracke (Alpine Dachsbracke, FCI No. 254) is from Tyrol, in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, as is the Tiroler Bracke or Tyrol Hound (FCI No. 68).