Alpine Dachsbracke

FCI-Standard N° 254 / 18. 06. 1996 / GB

ALPINE DACHSBRACKE

(Alpenländische Dachsbracke)

TRANSLATION : C. Seidler.

ORIGIN : Austria.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 10.10.1995.

UTILIZATION :           A robust, weather resistant working dog used by the mountain huntsman.  The Alpine Dachsbracke is used as a tracking hound for wounded deer and as scenthound for hare and fox.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 6 Scenthounds and related breeds.  Section  2 Leash (scent) hounds.  With working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Already in ancient times, a hunting/shooting dog was used which bore a remarkable resemblance in appearance to the Alpine Dachsbracke.  Crown Prince Rudolf of Habsburg in 1881 and 1885 made his gamekeepers from Mursteg and Ischl include Alpine Dachsbracken on his hunting trips to Turkey and to Egypt.  In 1932 the “Alpine- Erzgebirgs- Dachsbracke” was recognized by the top canine organisations in Austria as the third Scenthound breed.  In 1975 the name was altered to “Alpenländische Dachsbracke” and the F.C.I. declared Austria as the country of origin.  In 1991 the Alpenländische Dachsbracke was included in Section 2 of Scenthounds in the FCI nomenclature.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : A short legged, sturdy hunting dog with a robust, strong boned body structure, dense coat, firm muscles.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

Relation of height at shoulder to length of body = 2 : 3.

Relation of facial region to cranial region = 9 : 10.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Expression intelligent and friendly.  Fearless personality.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : Lightly arched.  Well defined furrow in fore-head, lightly emphasized occiput.

Stop : Pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Black.

Muzzle : Strong.

Lips : Close fitting with black pigment, moderately rounded curve of lips.

Jaws/Teeth : Strong complete teeth with scissor or pincer bite.  A complete set with 42 teeth is sought after; the absence of totally two PM1 or PM2 (premolar 1 or 2) is tolerated; the M3 (molar 3) are not taken into account.

Eye : With dark brown iris.  Eyelids close fitting to eyeballs with black pigment.

Leathers : Set on high without folds, hanging broad and smooth, medium length (should reach to the canines), well rounded at tips.

NECK : Muscular, not too long.

BODY : Trunk strong and well muscled, elongated.

Withers : Moderately emphasized.

Back : Straight.

Loins : Short and broad.

Croup : Barely sloping.

Chest : Deep and broad with pronounced forechest.  Depth of chest should be about half the height at shoulder.

Belly : Moderately tucked up.

TAIL : Set on high, thick at root.  Longer hair on underside (brush tail); reaching barely to ground, carried slightly downward.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Front legs are straight and strong; they appear short in relation to the body.

Shoulders : Shoulder blade close fitting, long, sloping and strongly muscled.

HINDQUARTERS : Muscular, strong and well angulated.  Seen from the rear, the axis of the legs is straight.

FEET : Front and hind feet strong, round, toes tight against each other.  Strong pads and black nails.

GAIT / MOVEMENT  : Movement is ground covering, not tripping.  Preferred gait : Trot.

SKIN :  Elastic and strong, without wrinkles.

COAT

HAIR : The double coat consists of very thick top coat and a dense undercoat, which covers the whole body and is close fitting.

COLOUR : The ideal colour is dark deer red with or without black hairs lightly interspersed.  Also black with clearly defined red-brown markings on head (Vieräugl), chest, legs, feet and underside of tail.  White star on chest permitted.

SIZE  :

Height at withers : 34-42 cm.

            Ideal height for dogs : 37-38 cm.

            Ideal height for bitches : 36-37 cm.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Weak bone.

Lack of muscle.

Too pointed, too short or too long in muzzle.

Too light eye, lids not close fitting.

Short or pointed leathers.

Loose shoulders.

Wrong stance of front or hind legs.

Coat too thin or too short.

Slight departure from correct colour.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

Aggresive or overly shy.

Any deviation which will hinder ability to hunt.

Lack of more than two premolars 1 or 2 (the M3 are not taken into account).

Height at withers less than 34 cm and more than 42 cm.

Weakness in temperament.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.