The Istrian Short-haired Hound () is a

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

from

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, descended from a very old

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

scenthound Canton_of_Bern.html" ;"title="Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Canton of Bern">Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of h ...

. This hound is the slightly smaller counterpart to the longer-coated

Istrian Coarse-haired Hound The Istrian Coarse-haired Hound (, ) is a dog breed from Croatia. It is a rough-coated scent hound still kept primarily as a hunting dog rather than as a pet. Description Appearance Dogs of this breed can vary considerably in size, as the do ...

from the same region.

Appearance

The Istrian Short-haired Hound has a short, smooth, glossy, hard coat, primarily white with sparse patches of orange. The breed has a typical well-muscled hound body, with long legs and a long tail. The head is fairly broad and flat (not domed on top) with short (for a hound) triangular drop ears that hang close to the head, a type typically called East European. The ideal height for an adult dog is 50 cm (19.5 in) at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

and weight is about 18 kg (40 lb); females are slightly smaller. The cry or baying while hunting (important for a scenthound) is described as persistent and sharp.

History

Although the name indicates Istria as the place of origin, place of formation is also

Croatian Littoral Croatian Littoral () is a historical name for the region of Croatia comprising mostly the coastal areas between traditional Dalmatia to the south, Mountainous Croatia to the north, Istria and the Kvarner Gulf of the Adriatic Sea to the west. T ...

and

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. A description was given by the

Bishop of Đakovo A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

Petar Bakić in 1719. The old type is seen in the

Posavaz Hound The Posavac Hound (FCI No. 154) ( Croatian: ''posavski gonič'') is a breed of dog, originating as a hunting dog of the scenthound type. Croatia is the home country for the breed. The name translates into English as the ''Scenthound From The Sav ...

and the Istrian Coarse-haired Hound, as well. The smooth- and coarse-haired hounds were used for hunting in Istria (see the article on

Motovun Motovun (, or ''Montona d'Istria'') is a village and a municipality in central Istria, Croatia. In ancient times, both Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses at the location of present-day Motovun. The name of the village is also of Celtic or ...

for photographs of the sort of mountainous terrain they were bred to hunt) while the Posavaz Hound is from the

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

Valley. The Istrian hounds are thought to be the oldest of the hound breeds in the Balkan region. A stud book was established in 1924 to document which hounds were considered of this breed. The FCI accepted the breed in 1949, but the first breed standard was not published until 1973 (the FCI does not write the breed standard, it is written in the breed's country of origin and published by the FCI to be used internationally, so that other countries will also describe the breed in the same manner as the breed's home country, and not change it to suit themselves.) It is recognised in the scenthound group 6. It is also recognised in the scenthound group in North America by the United Kennel Club. It also is recognised under its original name, the standard English translations, other translations or combinations of the translation and Croatian name by minor kennel clubs and other organisations. It also may be promoted as a rare breed for those seeking an unusual pet. The Istrian Short-haired Hound is still kept in its homeland and in nearby areas for hunting, not as a pet, and is especially valued for hunting fox and rabbit.

Health and temperament

No specific health problems or claims of extraordinary health have been documented for this breed. The ideal temperament according to the

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

is docile and calm, and lively and enthusiastic when hunting.

References

Dog breeds originating in Croatia FCI breeds Rare dog breeds Scent hounds {{Commons category, Istrian Shorthaired Hound

Appearance

History

Health and temperament

See also

References