The Segugio Italiano is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 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...

 of the scenthound family. It comes in both short-haired and wire-haired varieties. It is thought to be an ancient breed, descended in pre-Roman eras from progenitor scenthounds in ancient Egypt.

The Segugio is a square dog, whose length should be equal to its height at the withers. It is fawn-coloured or black and tan. The dogs are 45–52 cm tall at the withers and roughly 20–23 kg in weight. Its determination to track a scent is similar to that of a Bloodhound

Bloodhound

The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...

, but unlike the Bloodhound

Bloodhound

The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...

 the Segugio is also interested in the capture and kill of its victim. In 2009 ENCI (the Italian Kennel Club) registered 4,500 specimens of the short-haired variety and 1,740 wire-haired specimens , making this one of the top ten breeds in Italy. Its popularity in Italy is due to its outstanding performance as a hunter of game. Although Italians also use other hound breeds, such as Ariegeois, Petit Gascon Santongeois, Porcelaine, Posavatz and Istrian Hounds, the Segugio Italiano has remained the choice of most Italian hunters due to its exceptional abilities. Hunters who hunt hare alone or in small groups find this dog to be ideal. The Segugio Italiano can also hunt larger game, such as wild boar (although it not considered a specialist for this quarry), wild sheep or goats or ungulates of the deer family. The Segugio Italiano works alone or in packs, depending on the quarry. This dog is first and foremost a working dog, and it is rarely kept as only a pet.

External links

• Short-haired, Wire-haired at the Italian federation (ENCI).
• Segugio Italiano Video
• Segugio Italiano video 2
• Segugio Italiano video 3
• Segugio Italiano Hunts Wild Boar in Piedmont