Otterhound

The Otterhound is an old British dog breed. The origins are not known. It is a scent hound, and was developed to hunt otters. It is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a Vulnerable Native Breed, with around 1000 animals worldwide.

Appearance

The Otterhound is a large, rough-coated hound with an imposing head. Originally bred for hunting, 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 and substantial webbed feet.

Otterhounds generally weigh between 80 and 120 pounds (36 and 54 kg). 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.

Hunting

A mink hunter with an otterhound

Otter hunting dates back to the early medieval period, with references it is 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's courage, aNewfoundland's strength in water, a Pointer's nose, a Retriever's sagacity, the stamina of a Foxhound, the patience of a Beagle, and the intelligence of a Collie

In 1978, due to the dramatic decline in otter numbers, the otter was placed on the list of protected species in the UK and otterhunting therefore ceased. By 1977, nine registered packs of otterhounds were still in existence. A few hunts switched to hunting mink or coypu, but many of the original otterhound packs hunts 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.

Endangered breed

An Otterhound, published in 1859

There are an estimated 1000 Otterhounds in the world. It is considered to be the most endangered native breed in Britain, with only 15 new registrations in 2011. This is partially because Otterhounds have never been numerous, and even in the early 20th century, when otter hunting was at the height of its popularity as a sport, the number of dogs was still small. They are on the list of Vulnerable Native Breeds as identified by the UK Kennel Club, and great efforts are being made to save the breed.

Otterhound

Kingstree Chieftain and Ch. Actaeons Precocious with Kingstree
Country of origin	United Kingdom
[hide]Traits Weight Male 95-111 lb (41-50 kg) Female 65-90 lb (29-41 kg) Height Male 69 cm (27 in) Female 61 cm (24 in) Coat Double, with a soft undercoat and longer harsher outer coat. Both coats are slightly oily. Color Whole coloured, grizzle, sandy, red, wheaten, blue; in combination with slight white markings on extremities. White in combination with slight lemon, blue or badger pied markings. Black and tan, blue and tan, black and cream, occasional liver, tan and liver, tan and white. Litter size 2–14 puppies Life span 10-13 years
[show]Classification and standards