The Styrian Coarse-haired Hound (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Steirische Rauhhaarbracke'') 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 ...

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, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n province of

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

. It is bred as a scenthound, 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 Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

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 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 ...

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 is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any 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 (AKA velcro), ...

, 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 in animals Out ...

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 m ...

until a rough-coated, hardy

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

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 ani ...

, they are not generally kept as a

companion dog A companion dog is a dog which is not primarily a working dog but a pet. The primary function of a companion dog is not to perform a useful job but to provide companionship to humans. A companion dog can also be called an emotional support anima ...

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 (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

as a medium-sized scenthound, 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 indivi ...

in the Scenthound Group. In Austria, breeding is overseen and hunt testing done by the Österreichischer Verein Brack (hunt club).Breeding and hunt tests information
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 for those seeking an unusual pet.

Related breeds

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