Smaland Hound

 

Briefly about the breed

• Hunting dog that looses when hunting hares and foxes, ideal for small game hunting
• Origin in Småland, Sweden, with different dog breeds such as German, Polish and Baltic origin
• Short and coarse coat, with variations in size, color and tail length
• Robust and noble exterior, with a friendly and faithful temperament
• Important proportions include an approximately square body and half the height at the withers as the depth of the chest

History

The Smaland Hound is an impressive hunting dog that specializes in loosing when hunting hares and foxes. It hunts alone and is not suitable for hunting deer game. Originally, there were various dusters in Småland in the 19th century, with varying origins and appearances. These dusters were partly of German, Polish and Baltic origin, brought by officers returning from Sweden’s Great Power era.Later, the mixed dusters were crossed with local spitz types and English driving dogs. Size, fur colors and tail length varied. At the beginning of the 20th century, an application was made to purebred the Smaland Hound, especially the variety with a blunt tail. In 1921, a standard was adopted that included both blunt-tailed and long-tailed dogs.The standard has been revised several times since then. The breed is known for being a hardy, versatile and loose on driven duster which is primarily used for hare and fox hunting. It is traditionally used for hunting various types of small game and should not hunt deer.

Temper

Smaland Hound is a robust dog with a noble exterior. It has a coarse coat and strong build without being heavy. The tail can be naturally long or congenitally blunt.The breed has an approximately square overall impression, where the depth of the chest is approximately half the height of the withers. In terms of temperament, the Smålandsstøveren is calm, friendly and faithful with an attentive temperament.

Characteristic head

The Smaland Hound has a medium-long and dry head. The distance from the nape of the neck to the stop is equal to the distance from the stop to the tip of the nose. The skull is widest between the ears and has a well-marked stop. The nasal cartilage is black with wide nostrils, while the muzzle is well developed without being too heavy or pointed.The lips are insignificant above the lower lip, and the jaws and teeth are powerful and well developed. The eyes are dark brown with a calm expression, and they can be lighter in brown dogs, preferably hazel. The ears are drooping, close to each other and somewhat shorter than the distance from the front part of the ear attachment to half of the muzzle.

Robust front and rear clamps

The Smaland Hound has a strong bone stock in harmony with the dog’s whole body. The shoulders are muscular with long and well laid back shoulder blades that lie close to the body. The upper arm is long and well-angled, while the elbow is well placed against the chest without appearing below the chest line.Seen from the front, the front legs should be straight and parallel. The middle hand is springy and slightly angled towards the forearm, and the paws are firm with well arched and closed toes.

Powerful body and agile hind limbs

Smaland Hound has a well-developed chest with well-arched ribs. The back is short and strong, and the loin is muscular and slightly arched. The cross is weakly ending, long and wide. The underline is slightly drawn up.The tail can either be long and set in the extension of the topline, carried straight or slightly saber-shaped and reaching almost down to the hock joint, or it can be congenitally blunt or bear-tail, including half the length of the tail. During movement, the tail should preferably not be carried above the backline.

Free Movements and Characteristic Fur

The Smaland Hound moves parallel and freely with good stride length. It has a medium-length coat with coarse and closely spaced cover hairs. The fur is coarser on the back and neck, short, dense and soft undercoat, and short and smooth on the head, ears and front of the legs. The fur on the back of the thighs and under the tail is longer than on the back.

The breed club

In general, it is recommended to contact the breed club for more information about the breed.Good luck!