The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Steirische Rauhhaarbracke'') is a breed of medium-sized

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. ...

dog originated in the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n province of

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

. It is bred as a

scenthound 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 ...

, for hunting

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

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

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 A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles ...

, 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 Out-crossing or out-breeding is the technique of crossing between different breeds. This is the practice of introducing distantly related genetic material into a breeding line, thereby increasing genetic diversity. Outcrossing can be a useful ...

History

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

. Peintinger crossed his "Hela 1", from an old type of Hanoverian scent hound, with an Istrian Hound, and continued

selective breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant ma ...

until a rough-coated, hardy

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/ a ...

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

. It can also be used to track wounded animals through rough terrain and in high altitudes. As with many breeds bred for

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an anim ...

, they are not generally kept as a

companion dog A companion dog is 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. Any dog can be a co ...

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 (Austrian Kennel Club) and internationally by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The Fédération cynologique internationale (FCI) ( English: International Canine Federation) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs. It is based in Thuin, Belgium. History The FCI was founded in 1911 under the auspice ...

as a medium-sized

, breed number 62. The breed is also recognised in North America by the

United Kennel Club The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individ ...

in the

Scenthound Group 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 ...

. In Austria, breeding is overseen and hunt testing done by the Österreichischer Verein Brack (hunt club).Breeding and hunt tests information
/ref> 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 In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation statu ...

for those seeking an unusual pet.

Related breeds

The

Brandlbracke The Austrian Black and Tan Hound is a breed of dog originating in Austria. History There is no known history of the Austrian Black and Tan Hound until after the middle of the 19th century. This large sized hound was used for tracking woun ...

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

Tiroler Bracke The Tyrolean Hound is a breed of dog that originated in Tyrol also called the Tiroler Bracke or Tyroler Bracke. They are scent hounds that descended from the Celtic hounds in the late 1800s, mainly for their hunting skills. They are hardworking ...

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

types 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. * Ty ...

of hounds.

References

External links