26/04/2024
Breed Priorities – Otterhound
By Nikki Riggsbee
The Otterhound traces its roots back to medieval England. They were initially developed as hunting dogs to catch otters in rivers, ponds, streams. The otters were valued for their fur, meat, and oil and also competed with people for fish. Otterhounds were so successful that otters nearly went extinct and hunting them is now against the law.
The first mention of Otterhounds in written records dates back to the reign of Henry II in the 12th century. Further development occurred in the 1700s and 1800s to improve scenting ability, endurance, tracking, and swimming. Otterhounds resembling the current breed were found in the North-West of England in the first half of the 19th century. Later there were some outcrosses to French Griffons and later to a Griffon Nivernais and a Grand Griffon/Vendéen/Bloodhound cross.
In an early twentieth century book on dogs, an Otterhound needed the following to do its job: “a Bulldog’s courage, a Newfoundland’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.” Otterhound hunting and packs were never as popular as fox hunting and Foxhounds in Great Britain, but what there was, unfortunately was decimated by World War II. Only a couple of packs survived, and they lost their jobs when otter hunting was banned in Great Britain in the later twentieth century...continue reading: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=284174
