Austrian Black and Tan Hound
- Origin
- Austria
- Type
- Scenthound
- Size
- Medium
- Height
- 48–56 cm (19–22 in)
- Weight
- 15–22 kg (33–49 lb)
- Coat
- Short, smooth and dense
- Colors
- Black with tan or fawn markings
- Life span
- 12–14 years
- Status
- Recognised by the FCI and UKC
The Austrian Black and Tan Hound is a medium-sized scenthound from Austria. Hunters use it to track wounded game, most often hare, at high altitude.
History
Hunting dogs have been bred in Austria since ancient times. The ancestors of this hound were probably crosses of various Celtic hounds, possibly with some blood from the Jura hounds of Switzerland.
In the 19th century Austrians began to call for written standards and registries for their hounds. The Austrian dog breeding club, the Österreichischer Hundezuchtverein, was founded in 1884, and the first dog it registered was an Austrian Black and Tan Hound named Bergmann. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale recognized the breed in 1954 and the United Kennel Club in 2006.
The breed has many names. Brandlbracke joins “Brand”, meaning fire, a reference to the fawn markings, and “Bracke”, a hound that tracks by scent. Vieräugl is an Austro-Bavarian word meaning “little four-eyes”, after the fawn spots above the eyes.
Appearance
Color matters a great deal in this breed. The coat is short, smooth, dense and black, with tan or fawn markings on the legs, chest and face. Two fawn marks above the eyes must be present. The dark coat protects the dog in harsh weather, and the tan markings help hunters pick it out in thick cover.
Males stand 50 to 56 cm (20 to 22 in) and females 48 to 54 cm (19 to 21 in). The weight is 15 to 22 kg (33 to 49 lb). The skull is large and the eyes are brown. The ears are of medium length and lie flat, with rounded tips, and the long tail is carried slightly bent.
Temperament
The Austrian Black and Tan Hound is an elegant runner with a pleasant voice, and it loves to work. It is affectionate and good-natured at home. It is not suited to city life and does best in the country, where it has room to run off the leash.
Its keen nose has found work beyond hunting: these hounds have been used to detect the emerald ash borer, an insect pest of ash trees.
Care and health
No breed-specific genetic diseases are known in the Austrian Black and Tan Hound. It is a fairly healthy breed that lives 12 to 14 years.
Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.