dog breed
A dog breed is a particular strain of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing around 450 globall ...
. It is a
scent hound
Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785
Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...
and is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a
Vulnerable Native Breed
There were only 37 Skye Terrier puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2010
Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club (KC) as having annual registration ...
with around 600 animals worldwide.native dog breeds 'at risk of extinction' BBC News
Ancestry
The first recorded Otterhounds known to resemble the current breed are in the North-West of England in the first half of the 19th century – for example, the Hawkstone Otter Hunt and Squire Lomax's Otterhounds. In the second half of the 19th century, French Griffons were outcrossed, including one-eighth Wolf cross/ Griffon Vendéen from the Comte de Canteleu in Normandy.Lee, Rawdon B, 1893, History and Description of the Modern Dogs of Great Britain and Ireland, Sporting Division In the early 20th century the
Griffon Nivernais
The Griffon Nivernais is a breed of dog of the scenthound type, originating in France. It is a versatile hunting dog, used on small and large game, in packs or individually. Today's breed is a reconstruction of an ancient type of dog from the ...
was crossed into the breed, and one particular dog, ''Boatman'', a Grand Griffon Vendéen/
Bloodhound
The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ...
cross, became an ancestor for several kennels.Cunliffe, J, 2003, ''Otterhound: Special Rare Breed Edition'', Kennel Club Books
Appearance
The Otterhound is a large, rough-coated
hound
A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey.
Description
Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...
with an imposing head. Originally bred for
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
, it has great strength and a strong body with long striding steps. This makes it able to perform prolonged hard work. The Otterhound hunts its quarry both on land and in water and it has a combination of characteristics unique among hounds; most notably an oily, rough,
double coat
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. Dogs demonstrate a wide range of coat colors, patterns, textures, and lengths.
As with other mammals, a dog's fur has many uses, including thermoregulation and protection fr ...
and substantial webbed feet. They have a nose that can track in the mud and water for over 72 hours
Otterhounds generally weigh between . They have extremely sensitive noses, which make them inquisitive and perseverant in investigating scents. Consequently, they need particular supervision when outdoors. They are friendly dogs with a unique bass voice which they use frequently.
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
period, with references to it found as early as 1360. The otterhound, however, can only be traced back as a distinct breed as far as the early 1800s.
The otter is one of the largest and most intelligent carnivorous mammals in Europe. To be equal to the otter, an Otterhound was said to need "''a
Bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Newfoundland's strength in water, a Pointer's nose, a
Retriever
A retriever is a type of gun dog that retrieves game for a hunter. Generally gun dogs are divided into three major classifications: retrievers, flushing spaniels, and pointing breeds. Retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other ...
's sagacity, the stamina of a
Foxhound
A foxhound is a Dog type, type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usuall ...
, the patience of a
Beagle
The beagle is a breed of small scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, th ...
, and the intelligence of a
Collie
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Man ...
Leighton, R, 1910, Dogs and All About Them, Cassel and Company Ltd, London''".
In 1978, due to the dramatic decline in otter numbers, the otter was placed on the list of protected species in Britain, and otter hunting therefore ceased. It was never banned in Britain, the otter hunts stopped hunting voluntarily, as it was they who realised that otter numbers were dropping dramatically and brought it to the attention of the authorities. By 1977, nine registered packs of otterhounds were still in existence. A few hunts switched to hunting mink or
coypu
The nutria (''Myocastor coypus''), also known as the coypu, is a large, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent.
Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' is now included within Echimyidae, the family of t ...
, but many of the original otterhound packs ceased to exist altogether. Hounds were often passed to newly founded minkhound packs. The Pembroke and Carmarthenshire Minkhounds are the only pack today with a pure otterhound pack. As the dogs had been selectively bred for their hunting capabilities, only a few of the bloodlines were suitable for breeding into companion animals.
Health
The average lifespan of the breed is a little over 10 years. A quarter will live 12 to 15 years. At least one hound is known to have lived to be 16 years old.
The Otterhound enjoys considerable exercise, but can also be a couch potato. They can be good family dogs but need to be kept in a secure property since they can jump fences up to 5 feet high, but rarely try.
In spite of the small gene pool, the Otterhound is generally a healthy breed, but is subject to many of the same complaints as all large, rapidly growing dogs.
Common problems that can occur are elbow and
hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. Hip dysplasia may occur at birth or develop in early life. Regardless, it doe ...
, a malformation of the elbow and hip joints. These are not always painful, but can cause lameness and impair mobility, and result in arthritis. Badly affected hounds should not be bred from, but most Otterhounds have a poor hip and elbow score. The problem can be reduced by making sure that young Otterhounds do not jump down from high places, go up and down the stairs or walk too much on very hard surfaces while bones are still growing. This enables the muscles around the sockets to strengthen and develop, providing more support.
Otterhounds have a predisposition to ear problems (as can any breed with this type of ear) and a predisposition to
gastric dilatation volvulus
Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), also known as gastric dilation, twisted stomach, or gastric torsion, is a medical condition that affects dogs in which the stomach becomes overstretched and rotated by excessive gas content. The word bloat is o ...
(bloat), due to their deep chest.
Epilepsy and seizures are also known to affect the breed, and can be hereditary. There is ongoing research into the causes of epilepsy in Otterhounds. For reasons currently unknown, epilepsy in Otterhounds in the United States does not appear to be fatal, while epilepsy found Otterhounds from the United Kingdom is frequently untreatable, and is usually fatal.
Endangered breed
In 2012 it was estimated there were around 600 otterhounds in the world. It is considered to be the most endangered native breed in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, with only 41 new registrations in 2016. This is partly because otterhounds have never been numerous, and even in the early 20th century, when otter hunting as a sport was at the height of its popularity, the number of dogs was still small. They are on the list of
Vulnerable Native Breeds
There were only 37 Skye Terrier puppies registered with the Kennel Club in 2010
Vulnerable Native Breeds are a group of dog breeds originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and identified by The Kennel Club (KC) as having annual registration ...
as identified by the UK Kennel Club, and great efforts are being made to save the breed."The puppies rarer than giant pandas",
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
, 5 March 2007, page 9
070. Otterhound.JPG, An Otterhound, published in 1859
1879 Otterhound.jpg, Otterhound 1879
Otterhound by Frances C. Fairman.jpg, ''Otterhound'' by Frances C. Fairman, circa 1900
_with_his_otterhound..jpg.html){kind=link}