Welsh Hound
Encyclopedia
The Welsh Hound is a breed of hunting dog
of the foxhound
type
, indigenous to Wales.
Since the outlawing of hunting with dogs in Great Britain, various clubs have been offering registration for the Welsh Hound as a rare breed
pet.
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 foxhound
Foxhound
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound. Foxhounds hunt in packs and, like all scent hounds, have a strong sense of smell. They are used in hunts for foxes, hence the name. When out hunting they are followed usually on horseback and will travel several miles to catch their target. These dogs...
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....
, indigenous to Wales.
History
The Welsh Hound is a native breed to the British Isles, and has descended from the Segussi breed of rough coated hound which existed in northern Europe in Roman times.From medieval times through the early part of the twentieth century,the bards, which always held a special place in Welsh society, sang odes to the hounds often naming individual hounds, all praising their qualities. "The ancient laws of Wales codified during the reign of Hywel Dda (942 – 948 AD) gives the value of the Welsh Hound as 240 pence trained, 120 pence untrained. By comparison a sound pack horse was valued at the same time as 120 pence."Temperament
The Welsh Hound has been kept as a hunting dog for many hundreds of years, living and hunting in packs. It is adapted to hunting in rocky and mountainous terrain in its native Wales. The different traits of the Welsh Hound make it unsuitable to hunt other parts of the United Kingdom due to the proximity to the road and railway line. A ban on hunting would have a catasrophic effect on the Welsh Hound since it has been bred to hunt the Welsh hills since the immemorial. Welsh Hounds tend to be slower than English hounds so they are not typically used for drag hunting. When trained, Welsh Hounds are very obedient and must be immediately responsive to the huntsmans commands. Because of its irrepressible hunting instincts, the Welsh Hound is completely unsuitable as a pet.Breed recognition
The Welsh Hound is registered with The Welsh Hound Association, which has been keeping the breed's stud book since 1922, and maintaining the breed as purebred since 1928. The association was formed "for the purpose of preserving and promoting the Welsh Fox Hound as a specific British breed."Since the outlawing of hunting with dogs in Great Britain, various clubs have been offering registration for the Welsh Hound 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...
pet.