The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound (FCI

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:...

 No. 62), (German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

: Steirische Rauhhaarbracke) 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 medium-sized hound

Hound

A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry...

 dog originated in the 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...

n province of Styria. It is bred as a scenthound, for hunting boar

Boar

Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...

 in mountainous terrain. The breed is one of the large Austrian Bracke.

Appearance

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is a medium sized hound, with height at the withers

Withers

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...

 of 45-53 cm (17.5-21 in), and weight between 15-18 kg (33-40 lbs) with a well muscled body and a serious expression.

The breed name refers to the coat

Coat (dog)

The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...

, which is harsh and rough (although not shaggy). Coat colours are red and fawn; a white mark on the chest may be present. The breed tolerates extremes of temperature well, and has remained a healthy breed through "refresher breeding" (Auffrischungszucht, outcrossing

Outcrossing

Outcrossing is the practice of introducing unrelated genetic material into a breeding line. It increases genetic diversity, thus reducing the probability of all individuals being subject to disease or reducing genetic abnormalities...

).

History

The breed was created in the 1870s by Karl Peintinger, an industrialist from Styria. Peintinger crossed

Crossbreed

A crossbreed or crossbred usually refers to an animal with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. Crossbreeding refers to the process of breeding such an animal, often with the intention to create offspring that share the traits of both parent lineages, or producing...

 his "Hela 1", from an old type of Hanoverian scent hound, with an Istrian Hound

Istrian Hound

Istrian Hound can refer to:* Istrian Coarse-haired Hound* Istrian Shorthaired Hound...

, and continued selective breeding

Selective breeding

Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...

 until a rough-coated, hardy hunting

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

 dog was achieved. The breed is used by Austrians and Slovenians to hunt wild boar

Boar

Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...

. It can also be used to track wounded animals through rough terrain and in high altitudes.

As with many breeds bred for work

Working dog

A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...

, they are not generally kept as a companion dog

Companion dog

Companion dog usually describes a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers...

 and do not make good pets; they require a lot of space and exercise, and can be dominant and destructive.

Recognition

The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound is sometimes called the Peintinger Bracke after the creator of the breed in the 1870s. The breed was first recognised in 1889. It is recognised in its home country by the Österreichische Kynologenverband (Australian Kennel Club) and internationally by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale

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 a medium-sized scenthound, breed number 62. The breed is also recognised in North America by 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 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 :...

. In Austria, breeding is overseen and hunt testing done by the Österreichischer Verein Brack (hunt club). The breed may also be listed by various minor kennel clubs and organisations under its original name, the English translation, alternate names, or various combinations of those, and promoted as a rare breed

Rare breed (dog)

Rare breed is any breed of dog that is small in number. Since dogs have greater genetic variability than other domesticated animals the number of possible breeds is vast...

 for those seeking an unusual pet.

Related breeds

The Brandlbracke

Austrian black and tan hound

The Austrian Black and Tan Hound is a breed of dog originating in Austria.It is thought to be the true descendant of the original Celtic Hound, although there is no known history of the Austrian Black and Tan Hound until after the middle of the 19th century...

 (Australian Short Haired Bracke, or Vieräugl) (FCI 63), and the Tiroler Bracke

Tyrolean Hound

- Appearance :This medium sized hound has broad flat ears set high on the head. They have a thick double coat including a coarse undercoat and the rear legs are well feathered...

 (FCI 68) are short-haired breeds of large Austrian Bracke, descended from the same ancient types

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....

of hounds.

External links

• http://www.dmoz.org/Recreation/Pets/Dogs/Breeds Search the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) links for clubs and information for the Steirische Rauhhaarbracke