Westphalian Dachsbracke

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Westphalian Dachsbracke – General Description

The Westphalian Dachsbracke (Westfälische Dachsbracke) is a small, short legged scenthound, a breed of dog originating in Westphalia, a region of Germany. The Westphalian Dachsbracke was used in Sweden to develop the Drever.

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Classification and Standards

• FCI Group 6, Section 1.3, #100
• UKC Scenthound Group

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Character & Temperament

It has a fearless, friendly and intelligent personality. Most Westphalian Dachsbracke are excellent with children and good with dogs and other pets, though they may exhibit a strong prey drive typical of many scent dogs.

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History

Dogs of similar type are seen in very old European paintings, though the Westphalian Dachsbracke was first described as a variety of German Hound in 1886. It was recognized by the Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen (German Kennel Club) in 1935 with its current name, and by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as breed number 100 in Group 6 (Scenthounds), Section 1.3 (Small hounds).[3] The Westphalian Dachsbracke is the ancestor breed of the Swedish scenthound, the Drever. Of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world, only the United Kennel Club in the US recognizes the Westphalian Dachsbracke, in its Scenthound Group. The Westphalian Dachsbracke also may be recognized by any of the many minor registries, rare breed groups, hunting clubs, and internet dog registry businesses under its original name or variations on the name. Hunting use of the Westphalian Dachsbracke has been mostly supplanted by the Drever, and the Westphalian Dachsbracke is seldom seen even in its home country; purchasers of dogs represented as Westphalian Dachsbracke should research the dog’s background, especially if it is registered with one of the minor clubs that require little to no documentation before accepting a dog or litter for registration.

Names and Etymology

Dachs is German for badger, a term used for hunting dogs with short legs. The name Dachsbrache may reflect that the Dachsbrache dogs were bred down in size by crossbreeding long-legged Bracken with the Dachshund.[4] Historically, the term Bracke was used in German to mean the scenthounds. Brack is an old Low German word for a coastal marsh periodically inundated by storm surges with salt water-the English word brackish.[5] In Europe, scenthounds are usually separated into running hounds (free running packs, which either drive the game back to the hunter, or the hunter follows as they run, or the hunter waits until the dogs’ cries communicate that game has been found and held, and then goes to that spot) or leash hounds (which follow the game or track wounded or dead game while being held on a leash by the hunter.) The Bracke are usually used as running hounds, in packs, to hunt rabbits or foxes in a type of hunt called Brackade. The Dachsbrache are used for hunting today mainly in Scandinavia and in alpine regions.

The Deutsche Bracke (German Bracke, also called the German Hound, Fédération Cynologique Internationale breed number 299) is another breed of Bracke, the first one registered as a separate breed, in 1900. The Alpenländische Dachsbracke (Alpine Dachsbracke, breed number 254) is from Tyrol, in Austria. The Drever, breed number 130, is also called the Swedish Dachsbracke.

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Size & Appearance

The Westphalian Dachsbracke (Westfälische Dachsbracke) is a smaller, short legged version of the Deutsche Bracke, and very similar in size and appearance to the Drever (FCI No. 130), but 2 cm shorter (the Drever was first registered in Sweden in 1910 as the Westfälische Dachsbracke; the name was changed in 1947.)[1]

The Westphalian Dachsbracke stands about 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 ins) high at the withers. It has medium long drop ears, short legs, and a long tail which is set high and carried up. The coat has short fur, usually tricolor (red to yellow with a black saddle), with white markings called Bracken marks – a white muzzle, chest, legs, collar, and tip of the tail, and a blaze on the head. The chest is more narrow than the Dachshund’s chest, and the legs are longer.[2]

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Health & Maintenance

No unusual health problems or claims of extraordinary health have been documented for the Westphalian Dachsbracke.

References

1. Clark, Anne Rogers; Andrew H. Brace (1995). The International Encyclopedia of Dogs. Howell Book House. pp. 209. ISBN 0-87605-624-9.
2. Breed Standard
3. Fédération Cynologique Internationale Group 6
4. History, Deutscher Bracken Club (in German)
5. Schwarze Brack (in German)

Photo Credits

1. Volbu1 (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This article is licensed (except where noted) under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article Westphalian Dachsbracke

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Breed Standard

Westphalian Dachsbracke (Westphälische Dachsbracke)

FCI-Standard N°100 / 06.05.1997 / GB

TRANSLATION : C.Seilder.

ORIGIN : Germany.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.06.1987.

UTILIZATION :

Hound.

F.C.I. CLASSIFICATION :

• Group 6 Scenthounds and related breeds.
• Section 1.3 Small sized hounds.

With working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE :

The Westphalian Dachsbracke is the short-legged variety of the German Hound (Bracke). It corresponds in essential points with the longlegged variety, but gives a compacter, more powerful impression than the former. The Westphalian Dachsbracke is a moderately long, sturdily built, hunting dog, standing 30-38 cm high, with noble head of medium size and well set on tail which, in quiet movement, is carried upwards in sabre shape or pendant with slight curve at the tip. Facial expression is faithful, friendly, serious and alert.

HEAD :

Seen from the front, the head appears, as with the German Hound, narrow and elongated. The occiput protrudes only slightly.

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : The skull is only marginally broader than the cheeks.
Stop : Minimal.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : The leather has a light, almost flesh coloured strip over the center, while the nose wings have more or less dark pigment.
Muzzle : Bridge of nose slightly arched.
Lips : Moderately overlapping.
Jaws/Teeth : Dentition extremely strong and even. Incisors are either level (level bite) or the inside of the upper incisors may rub against the outside of the lower incisors (scissor bite). The canines are specially strongly developed. The fold of the mouth is small.
Eye : Dark, clear, with friendly expression.
Leathers : Medium length, broad, close fitting, blunty rounded at tips.

NECK :

Moderately long. Rather thick in relation to the head but getting gradually finer towards head. The skin of the neck is loose but without forming a dewlap.

BODY :

Back : Slightly arched, medium length, with slight dip behind shoulders.
Loin : Broad, strongly developed.
Croup : Falls away obliquely.
Chest : Narrower than with the Dachshund, strongly supported by the forelegs; should not too much let down between these. Ribcage long.
Belly : Slight tuck up in belly towards hindquarters.

TAIL :

Set on relatively high. The set of merges with the spine without forming any sharp angle. Very thick at root. The underside is bristly, the upper side has smooth hair and comes to a bristly tip without any tuft.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :

Well developed, clean, heavy boned and sinewy. Front legs seen from front not bowed but straight with feet pointing forward.
Elbows : Close fitting.

HINDQUARTERS :

Straighter than with most other breeds. Hind legs are far more strongly developed in relation to forelegs than with the Dachshund.

Upper Thighs : They have strong pronounced muscles, and, seen both from side and rear, stand almost straight.
Feet : Sturdy with tight short toes.

COAT

HAIR :

The whole body, including the underside, with a very dense and coarse coat. Short on head, leathers and lower part of legs, longer over back, neck and underside of tail.

COLOR :

Red to yellow with black saddle or mantle and the white « Bracken » markings : Blaze or snip, white muzzle and white collar, white chest, legs and tip of tail . Undesirable are bicolored dogs as well as dogs with black markings on head. Chocolate brown is a fault.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

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

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

© Fédération Cynologique Internationale